Daredevils tame Cobras

Owais Shah came good for the Delhi Daredevils as his watchful, unbeaten 39 helped see them to an entertaining win

Delhi Daredevils ended their Champions League Twenty20 campaign on a high with a 30-run victory over Cape Cobras, who consequently face unbeaten Trinidad & Tobago in the semi-finals.

The result also sets up an all-Australian clash between New South Wales Blues and Victoria Bushrangers in the first semi, at Delhi on Wednesday. The second is at Hyderabad, the venue of Friday’s final, the day after.

Delhi’s hopes of reaching the last four were dashed with defeat to Royal Challengers Bangalore on Saturday, but they at least had the consolation of ending the Cobras’ 100% record in front of their home fans.

Early breakthroughs and regular wickets thereafter vindicated the Cobras skipper Andrew Puttick’s surprising decision to field as the Daredevils struggled with the bat.

Owais Shah helped finish the innings with a flourish with an unbeaten 39, while Dinesh Karthik scored 23 as the home side finished with a modest 114 for six.

The Daredevils, however, defended that small total with aplomb, fast bowler Dirk Nannes claiming 3-19 while spinners Amit Mishra, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Yogesh Nagar claimed two apiece as the Cobras, already guaranteed semi-final spot, were restricted to 84 in 18.3 overs.

Fast bowler Rory Kleinveldt had rocked Delhi’s top order, bowling both opening batsmen Dilshan and Gautam Gambhir in his first over.

Karthik then revived the innings together with with Manoj Tiwary, who notched 19.

Tiwary, one of three changes in the side, provided the early spark but Karthik’s impressive form soon came to the fore as he slammed three consecutive boundaries, the first through midwicket and the others over cover, with a flourish.

Tiwary, however, fell to Claude Henderson, the left-arm spinner striking in his first over, and Karthik was then run out following a mix-up with Shah as the Daredevils again slumped.

Nagar, who chipped in with 10, and Shah lowered their sights and settled for singles as the Daredevils recovered slightly.

The pair put on 34 for the fifth wicket, but Nagar perished, lobbing a sweep off-spinner Justin Ontong to short fine-leg and the Daredevils crumbled again.

Shah injected some acceleration at the death, blasting Ontong for the only six of the innings and clubbing two more boundaries, as the Daredevils finished with a below-par total.

Dilshan, surprisingly handed the new ball, provided the early breakthrough, removing Herschelle Gibbs first ball with a delivery that spun back in sharply and had him lbw.

Nannes then sent down a fiery first spell, bowling Puttick with one that kept low. But the Cobras, with Davids and Duminy at the crease, seemed to have weathered the storm.

Davids, however, was run out and leg-spinner Mishra struck twice in an over to first scalp the dangerous Duminy, bowled with a quicker ball, and also dismiss the big-hitting Kleinveldt, who holed out to deep cover.

Dilshan then returned to bowl Ontong before Nannes destroyed the tail with two wickets in his final over, both caught by Dilshan at midwicket, as the Daredevils eased to victory.