Boucher seals thrilling win for Bangalore

Subject: Boucher seals thrilling win for Bangalore 2008-04-21, 12:51

Quote :: In a match dominated by South African stars, the batting efforts of
Mark Boucher and Jacques Kallis edged the all-round contribution of
Shaun Pollock, as Bangalore Royal Challengers recovered from Friday's
mauling to register their first win of the tournament. Set a
challenging 166 by the Mumbai Indians, Bangalore rode on an unbeaten 39
from Boucher, and his 55-run stand with Kallis sealed a five-wicket win
with two balls to spare.

The absence of Sachin Tendulkar would have
been a huge downer for the crowd at the Wankhede Stadium, but none of
them could complain about the quality of action. The bounce on the
pitch kept the bowlers interested, and the batsmen on their toes - one
of them, Mumbai's Dominic Thornely, was so surprised by a Zaheer Khan
bouncer that he copped a blow above the eye which required 15 stitches.
Robin Uthappa and Pollock were the two major contributors for Mumbai,
with Sanath Jayasuriya chipping in with a cameo at the start.

A target of 166 suggested a close finish, and that's exactly how it
panned out. Bangalore had contributions from all their batsmen, though
none of the top five stayed through the chase. Shivnarine Chanderpaul
biffed a few before getting a painful blow on the knee, while Rahul
Dravid alternated between the sublime - with glorious straight- and
extra-cover drives - and the tentative - five runs from 14 balls off
Pollock. Ross Taylor and Virat Kohli both made 23 in identical fashion,
but when Kohli fell, the match hung in the balance, with 60 needed from
39 balls.

While Kallis played a typically patient hand, Boucher put in the
decisive knock which turned the match Bangalore's way. Striking the
ball freely and cleanly, he ensured the asking-rate never climbed
beyond ten, and got the boundaries so regularly that the pressure
slowly moved to the home team. Harbhajan Singh, the Mumbai captain, was
creamed through point in the 15th over, while Jayasuriya was clubbed
for a straight six. When Nehra was pulled for four and blasted out of
the ground for the biggest six of the game in successive balls, the
requirement had suddenly come down to 11 from 12 balls, after which the
result was never in doubt.

Mumbai's innings was built largely around
Uthappa's 48, which held the innings together, and a whirlwind 12-ball
28 from Pollock which turned an average total into a substantial one.
The absence of Tendulkar was felt at the top of the order, as Luke
Ronchi, his replacement as opener, lasted just ten balls before falling
to an outstanding catch by Kohli. Jayasuriya gave every indication of
making up for Tendulkar's absence, creaming the hapless Kallis for
three fours - two bludgeoned down the ground, one flicked fine - and a
huge six over long-on. When he fell against the run of play, run out by
a direct hit from Zaheer, Mumbai needed a steady hand to guide the
innings, and Uthappa played that part well.