 Pathan's blitzkrieg takes Rajasthan Royals to semi-finals
21st May 2008 09:00 IST
Agencies
Yusuf Pathan and Mohammad Kaif drummed up a crucial unbeaten 81-run partnership as Rajasthan Royals confirmed their semi-final berth by cantering to a six-wicket victory over a lacklustre Kolkata Knight Riders in Kolkata Tuesday night.
Pathan (48 not out off 18 balls) and Kaif (34 not out off 31 balls) took the game away from the Knight Riders during their rollicking 42-ball stand after the hosts posted a modest 147/8 in the face of a disciplined bowling performance from the league leaders.
Pathan, who played a hurricane knock studded with five fours and three sixes, ended the game in style with a six off pacer Umar Gul as the Royals reached 150/4 with 21 balls still remaining in the Eden Gardens game.
The Royals, now on 18 points from 11 outings, registered their ninth win of the tourney, while the Knight Riders' hopes to make the last four dimmed further with the defeat. The Sourav Ganguly-led side remained on 10 points after 12 ties.
Set an easy asking rate of 7.4, the Royals lost the young Swapnil Asnodkar (5) early before South African Graeme Smith and Sohail Tanvir came together in the middle to pull their team out of trouble.
The two came down hard on Ajit Agarkar in the fifth over, plundering 16 runs, with Tanvir hitting a four and a six to a boundary picked up by Smith as the visitors seemed comfortably placed at 42/1 after five overs.
Ganguly turned to Gul, who replaced injured Shoaib Akhtar in the side, and the Pakistani pacer immediately gave a dramatic twist to the game by seeing the back of both the batsmen in the next over.
First, Tanvir (13) holed out to mid on and three balls later wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Prasanta Saha took an out-of-the-world one-handed catch diving full length to his right as Smith got a faint edge to one heading down the leg stump.
It was a wicket maiden and with the Royals score reading 42/3 in six overs, the match seemed wide open.
Shane Watson seemed in fine flow, as he punished Agarkar with a six and a four in the ninth over and proceeded to play Ganguly past the third man fence in the next over.
But Ganguly fought back two balls later as he got one to come in to the Australian who attempted a slog, missed it and saw his off-stump uprooted.
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