Thisara Perera helped Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Trinidad & Tobago in CLT20 match.
MOHALI: Dragged into the IPL spot-fixing net by a bookie recently, Thisara Perera did as well as he could by producing a stunning counter-attacking half-century, as Sunrisers Hyderabad staged a remarkable fightback to pip Trinidad & Tobago by four wickets in the Champions League Twenty20.
Chasing a stiff target of 161 runs, Sunrisers rode on Perera's unbeaten knock off 57, which came of just 32 balls, to start the main tournament with a win that came with three balls to spare. He struck four fours and as many sixes.
Perera's knock meant Sunil Narine's remarkable spell of 4/9 in 4 overs and Darren Bravo's 44-ball 66 went in vain at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium.
After Perera and Darren Sammy (15) clobbered Rayad Emrit for 23 runs in 17th over, Sunrisers needed 21 in the last three overs. Two wickets, that of Sammy and Ashish Reddy, in the 18th over bowled by Narine, made it 19 off 12.
The 24-year-old Perera managed a boundary off Ravi Rampaul to bring it down to seven off six. Leg spinner Karn Sharma, who surprisingly did not get to bowl, made up with the bat as he struck Navin Stewart for a for and the winning six, a pull over deep midwicket, to seal it for Sunrisers.
Sunrisers started the chase in earnest with captain Shikhar Dhawan at the helm. But, 25 balls into the innings, the hosts lost their first wicket in Parthiv Patel as Narine struck with his first delivery, having the batsman caught at short third man.
A big wicket came when the dangerous Dhawan was done in by a slower ball form Stewart, who took the return catch gleefully, prompting the Caribbean side to break into celebration. Dhawan picked up three fours and a six.
JP Duminy and Hanuma Vihari added 25 runs for the third wicket before the experienced South African left-hander was run out by Rampaul in what was another blow for Sunrisers.
What hurt the Sunrisers was that their top-three batsmen got out after getting starts. Chasing a challenging target on a pitch that had some dampness due to rain, the Sunrisers' top-half needed to do more.
As the overs went by, the chase was only getting difficult for the home side. But Sunrisers knew they were in with a chance as long as Perera was there at the crease.
The Sri Lankan smashed Emrit for a four and a six in the 13th over and did the same two overs later. Perera then hit Rampaul over deep midwicket for a maximum as Sunrisers looked to make a match out of it.
Sammy was not far behind as he launched into Emrit, collecting 23 runs off the medium pacer in the 17th over, and helping Sunrisers inch closer to the target.
After Sammy's dismissal, Perera, who was one of the four Sunrisers players named by a bookie two days back of indulging in spot-fixing during IPL 6, took it upon himself to see his side through.
Earlier, sent into bat, Bravo produced a sensational exhibition of brutal hitting during his 44-ball 66, which powered Trinidad & Tobago to a challenging 160 for eight.
Bravo smashed five fours and four sixes during his stay in the middle, enthralling the crowd at the Punjab Cricket Stadium by playing some dazzling shots.
Towards the end, skipper Denesh Ramdin made 21 off 15 balls, while Navin Stewart helped himself to 17 off 13. Even as Bravo went on a rampage, it was surprising to see Sunrisers captain Shikhar Dhawan not using legspinner Karan Sharma.
Invited to bat, T&T were shocked straightaway as Lendl Simmons got out to Dale Steyn while going for an expansive shot off only the first delivery of the match.
But the visitors recovered from the first-ball jitter through Evin Lewis (22) and Bravo's 49-run stand.
While Bravo was a bit watchful to start with, Lewis went for his shots and found the boundaries at will against the likes of Steyn and his pace bowling partner Ishant Sharma.
Bravo got into the act with a big six over long-on off Ishant. Lewis then struck Hanuma Vihari for two fours, before Bravo sent the strapping Ishant for two more boundaries.
Runs were flowing freely when Ishant struck, having Lewis caught behind with a short ball that moved away slightly.
The show then belonged to Bravo as he launched into an onslaught that left the Sunrisers bruised and battered.
The 24-year-old left-hander was particularly severe on Ishant, hitting the bowler for three sixes besides striking fours. Steyn was carted around for 41 runs in his four overs.
Bravo also had a six against Amit Mishra, struck high over long-on, but the pick of the lot was the maximum against Ishant, who banged in one short only to see the ball soaring over his head and into the sight screen.
After being smashed around, Ishant exacted revenge when Bravo hit a pitched-up delivery straight into the hands of Dhawan at cover. Sammy sent back Jason Mohammed as he went for a slog only to see his off-stump going for a walk
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