Fast bowling star Shamar Joseph faced a rough start to his the IPL (Indian Premier League) career last Sunday, after his LSG (Lucknow Super Giants) side suffered an eight-wicket defeat against the Kolkata Knight Riders. The sensational bowler who helped the West Indies clinch a memorable test triumph in Australia in January, finished wicketless in the four-over spell. He leaked 47 runs as the home side chased a target of 162 at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens.
Given a new ball, Shamar unleashed a nightmare first over that cost 20 runs, highlighted by two no-balls and six wides. That was capped by a six, off the final delivery. Shamar later returned during the fifth over after being pulled from the attack, to concede five runs, and ten more from his third. However, he gave up 14 during his last over, which included a wide and two no-balls.
English opener Phil Salt finished as the top scorer with 89 unbeaten off 47 balls, hitting three sixes and 14 fours during his innings. KKR recorded 120 runs during the unbroken third wicket outing with Shreyas Iyer, who scored a run-a-ball 38, with the help of six fours, as the Knight Riders rose from 42 for two during the fourth over to chase down the target. Fortunately for cricket enthusiasts, the Bet365 bonus code allowed punters to wager on the game with solid odds.
Sunil Narine scored six runs before being removed by Mohsin Khan (2-29) during the second over. The former West Indies captain Nicholas Pooran had earlier top scored for his side with 45 runs off 32 deliveries, which batting at number 6. LSG struggled throughout their innings, but managed to score 161 runs for the loss of seven wickets in their stipulated 20 overs, after being asked to bat first. Pooran struck four sixes and two fours, and along with Krunal Pandya, revived the innings from 111 for five in 15 overs.
Earlier, Captain KL Rahul struck 39 from 27 deliveries in the 39-run third wicked partnership with Ayush Badoni.
Meanwhile, West Indian all-rounder Romario Shepherd walked away wicketless at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium after two expensive overs against Chennai Super Kings. The match saw the Mumbai Indians go down by 20 runs against the Super Kings, despite a valiant unbeaten 105 from Rohit Sharma.
Last Sunday’s triumph has allowed the two-time champions KKR to maintain their second spot at the IPL table. Currently, they are at eight points after five games. The Knights bowled under a lot of pressure, before clinching their well-deserved win, much to the dismay of many fans who expected LSG to build on their previous hat trick of wins.
(Disclaimer: The views expressed are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the views of Connected to India.)