IPL debutant Ashwani Kumar's 4/24 helps MI restrict KKR to 116
Mumbai (PTI): Left-arm seamer Ashwani Kumar dazzled on IPL debut with 4/24 as Mumbai Indians’ seamers shot out defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders for a mere 116 in 16.2 overs for the lowest score of this season here on Monday.
The 23-year-old Ashwani accounted for Ajinkya Rahane (11), Rinku Singh (17), impact sub Manish Pandey (17) and Andre Russell (5) to break the Knight Riders’ back after Deepak Chahar (2/19) and Trent Boult (1/23) made early inroads in the powerplay.
With that stellar effort, Ashwani became the first Indian to take four wickets in his maiden IPL outing.
KKR had a forgettable start when their openers Quinton de Kock (1) and Sunil Narine (0) fell inside the first two overs and by the end of the powerplay, the visitors had limped to 41 for four.
On a fresh Wankhede Stadium pitch which offered bounce and swing with the new ball, MI bowlers capitalised on lack of application shown by KKR batters.
Boult outsmarted Narine with a fuller one which swung away to clean him up in the first over.
In the next over, Chahar had de Kock caught at mid-off with Ashwani timing his jump perfectly to complete a sharp grab.
Rahane hit a six and a four to counterattack but perished soon after for Ashwani's maiden wicket on his first ball.
The Punjab seamer lured Rahane outside the off and KKR skipper obliged, albeit hitting in the air with the ball flying to deep backward point.
Angkrish Raghuvanshi (26) looked the most promising when he began with a couple of attractive fours on both sides of the wicket and also hit Ashwani into the stands for one of the few sixes which KKR hit.
But Raghuvanshi was also guilty of throwing it away when he hit one short ball meekly off Hardik Pandya (1/10) and Naman Dhir did a fine job running from deep square leg to take the catch.
Pandey, pressed into service as an impact sub with KKR reeling at 45 for five, could not make the opportunity count and was cleaned up by Ashwani in the 11th over.
Dhir was in action again when Rinku danced down the track to smash a short ball from Ashwani two balls later but was caught at deep point.
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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."
