CSK beat LSG by five wickets in IPL
Lucknow, Apr 14 (PTI): Chennai Super Kings defeated Lucknow Super Giants by five wickets to break their run of losses in the Indian Premier League here on Monday.
Asked to bat first, Lucknow Super Giants scored 166 for seven. Skipper Rishabh Pant top-scored for LSG with 63 off 49 balls, while opener Mitchell Marsh made 30 in 25 deliveries.
In reply, CSK chased down the target of 167 with three balls to spare with the legendary MS Dhoni contributing a vital 26 off 11 balls after opener Rachin Ravindra made 37 in 22 balls. This was CSK's first win in their last six matches.
Shivam Dube struck an unbeaten 43 in 37 deliveries, while young debutant Shaik Rasheed impressed with a 19-ball 27.
Earlier, LSG lost two wickets in the powerplay thanks to some fine bowling by seamers Khaleel Ahmed and Anshul Kamboj, who picked up a wicket each in the first six overs.
Senior spinner Ravindra Jadeja finished with figures of 2/24 in three overs.
Brief scores:
Lucknow Super Giants: 166/7 in 20 overs (Rishabh Pant 63; Ravindra Jadeja 2/24).
Chennai Super Kings: 168/5 in 19.3 overs (Rachin Ravindra 37, MS Dhoni 26 not out, Shivam Dube 43 not out; Ravi Bishnoi 2/18).
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Experience comes when you play bigger teams in bilateral series: Rashid Khan
Chennai (PTI): Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan called for more bilateral series against stronger cricketing nations after his team signed off from the T20 World Cup on a high, defeating Canada in their final group match here on Thursday.
Afghanistan played some exhilarating cricket, going down to South Africa in a gripping second Super Over after the scores were tied, a humdinger that provided one of the early thrills of the World Cup.
However, the spin-bowling stalwart said Afghanistan could make significant strides if they get regular opportunities to compete against stronger cricketing nations.
"Couple of areas to improve, with the batting, the middle order got a bit stuck against the big teams, and then with the bowling the death overs. That comes when you play the bigger teams in bilateral series," said Rashid after his team defeat Canada by 82 runs, with him returning excellent figures of 2 for 19.
The stalwart said the side had arrived well prepared for the tournament and produced some breathtaking cricket, but admitted the narrow defeat to South Africa proved costly and remained a painful setback.
"We were well-prepared (for the tournament), we played some unbelievable cricket. The game against South Africa, that really hurt everyone. We had to win one of those (first two) games and see how the tournament unfolded. We'll take some positive things from this World Cup and look forward," he said.
With head coach Jonathan Trott set to part ways with the team, Rashid described the departure as an "emotional" moment for the side.
"I think we had some wonderful times with him. Where we are now, he played a main role. It's emotional to see him leave us, but that's how life is. We wish him all the best and somewhere down the line we see him again."
Ibrahim Zadran, who was named Player of the Match for his unbeaten 95 off 56 balls, said it was satisfying to finally register a substantial score after two below-par outings.
"I enjoyed it, didn't play better cricket in first two innings, which I expect. Wanted to back my skills, really enjoyed it. Pressure was there, it's there all the time. I want to put myself in pressure situations and enjoy it," said Zadran.
"Wanted to play positive cricket, rotate strike and punish bad ball, create partnerships and this is what I have done."
