AHMEDABAD: In a repeat of last year’s ICL, Hyderabad Heroes will take on Lahore Badshahs in the best-of-three finals of the ICL Season II at the
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium. In the second semifinal on Tuesday evening, defending champions Hyderabad Heroes defeated Royal Bengal Tigers by three wickets in a thrilling encounter. Hyderabad reached their victory target of 162 in the last over, losing 7 wickets in the process.
Hyderabad looked in complete control at the start of the innings when Jimmy Maher and Ibrahim Khallil launched the onslaught. But two quick wickets for just one run between the 10th and 11th over changed the complexion of the game.
Defending 161 on an easy-paced track with slight dew on the outfield was always going to be tough. But the Bengal spinners bowled their heart out and kept Bengal alive in the match by picking wickets in regular intervals and also checking the run flow. But in the end, it was all for a lost cause as skipper Chris Harris thumped the third ball of the last over to the midwicket fence to seal the issue. Before that, Maher, Khallil, Abdul Razaq, Ambati Rayudu and Stuart Binny all made notable contributions to keep the run-chase on track.
Earlier, Bengal top-scorer Hamish Marshall got ready some 10 minutes before the umpires walked in. Standing near the ropes with his batting gear on, Marshall was looking at the centre, his eyes lit, like a tiger about to pounce his prey. But Abdul Razzaq and his new-ball partner Syed Shahabuddin had different plans. Both of them were really bending their backs extracting considerable bounce and pace from the wicket and pushed the Bengal batsmen on the backfoot.
It was Shahabuddin who gave the early breakthrough, getting rid of Deep Dasgupta caught-and-bowled on the follow-through. Then history repeated itself, almost. Remember Lance Klusener and Allan Donald’s famous run out in the 1999 World Cup semifinal against Australia in Edgbaston? Zullu was at it again in Ahmedabad on Tuesday. He ran Marshall out in a moment of madness when both the batsmen were almost stranded in one end. Bengal skipper Craig McMillan too didn’t last long and they were already staring down the barrel with three wickets down by the fourth over and with just 10 runs on the board.
Donald’s run out in Edgbaston was the end of it all but on Tuesday, Klusener got an opportunity to somewhat rectify the earlier mistake as he joined hands with another southpaw, Rohan Gavaskar, to give Bengal’s innings some respectability. Both of them stitched together 145 runs off 94 balls for the fourth wicket as Bengal posted 161 for the loss of four wickets in their stipulated 20 overs. This also happens to be the highest partnership for any wicket in ICL. They broke the record of Murray Goodwin and Ryan Cambell’s 137-run first wicket stand off 72 balls against Bengal.
Rohan was out caught by IS Reddy off Harris for 74 in the last over while Klusener remained not out with 78.
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