The tempo intensifies, bigger scores expected

Only one team, Chennai Superstars, has managed to cross the 150 runs mark – scoring 157 runs in their allotted 20 overs against Mumbai Champs in Game 6 of the ICL Indian 20:20 Championship.

One thing is clear after almost a week’s cricket – the pitch is bearing out to be a beauty for fast bowlers to bowl on. But the batsmen are faring a lot better over the last two matches and the pace is expected to pick up over the next few games.

Today, the Mumbai Champs will go up against the Delhi Jets and hope to pull one back after their two consecutive losses.

When Inzamam-ul-Haq was clean bowled by a delivery he wanted to hit out of the ground on Sunday, the exasperated look on his face said it all. The ball shot through right under his bat and hit the base of the stumps, virtually kissing the pitch.

Everyone is learning here – the organisers, the players, fans and even the pitch curators. The Indian Cricket League’s inaugural tournament is expected to pick up the pace as it heads into its second week.

So far, only four teams have been able to cross the 140 runs mark in the matches involving all six teams so far. Nine more matches remain to be played in the league round before the semi-finals.

The pitches offered at the Tau Devi Lal sports complex cricket stadium by ICL are definitely not letting the batsmen set the stands on fire. But for the Russian cheerleaders and the starry performances by Bollywood actors and singers, there was little to cheer the spectators as they are yet to see the big names of international cricket come out with all guns blazing.

Only one team, Delhi Jets has been able to chase a 140-plus score, scoring 143 runs in less than 18 overs to beat Hyderabad Heroes by five wickets. All other teams batting second have lost their matches here.

Local team Chandigarh Lions has recorded the lowest score of 81 runs while the much-hyped Mumbai Champs led by Brian Lara have been bundled out for 88 runs here.

So far, 33 sixes have been hit in the championship, leaving spectators yearning for more. The only flurry of sixes came from Australian Ian Harvey who hit four sixes in his 63 runs from 41 balls -- the highest score of the championship so far.

Craig McMillan, who holds the reputation of being a big hitter, has so far been able to hit only one six here. The positive aspect of it all is that the best is yet to come.

Lara has a total score of four runs to his name in two matches – getting out for a duck in his first appearance here.

"We cannot depend on individual performances alone. We will have to fire as a team," said Lara after the back-to-back defeats his team suffered.

But Inzamam has fared better, being the highest scorer in the tournament so far with 76 from two matches.

If the batsmen are finding conditions tough here, both due to the pitch and the cold north Indian winter, the bowlers are not complaining. Certainly not Thiru Kumaran, who earned himself the Rs 375,000 player of the match reward for getting six Mumbai Champs wickets for 21 runs Monday.

Darren Maddy returned with bowling figures of four wickets for just six runs in another match. Daryl Tuffey was miserly, giving just 8 runs in his four overs in a match.

The most expensive bowler was Andrew Hall who conceded 37 runs in his four overs. Nathan Astle gave him company there, giving away 36 runs in four overs.

Source : http://www.indiancricketleague.in/