Mumbai Indians defeat Sunrisers Hyderabad by seven wickets in IPL
Hyderabad, Apr 23 (PTI): Rohit Sharma scored his second successive half-century and shared a 53-run partnership with Suryakumar Yadav (40 not out) as Mumbai Indians thrashed Sunrisers Hyderabad by seven wickets to register their fourth consecutive win in the IPL, here on Wednesday.
Chasing a below-par 143 for 8, built on the efforts of Heinrich Klaasen efforts (71 off 44 balls) and his 99-run stand with Abhinav Manohar (43 off 37 balls), Rohit was in his zone as he hit 70 off 46 deliveries to bring a swift end to the home team's misery in 15.4 overs.
Earlier, pacers Deepak Chahar and Trent Boult led an impressive bowling show as Mumbai Indians restricted Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Chahar (2/12) and Boult (4/26) rattled SRH in their opening spells as Pat Cummins' side were reduced to 13 for 4 in the fifth over before Heinrich Klaasen pulled things back a bit with his classy half-ton.
Brief Scores:
Sunrisers Hyderabad: 143 for 8 in 20 overs (Heinrich Klaasen 71, Abhinav Manohar 43; Deepak Chahar 2/12, Trent Boult 4/26).
Mumbai Indians: 146 for 3 in 15.4 overs (Rohit Sharma 70, Will Jacks 22, Suryakumar Yadav 40 not out).
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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."
