The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Heroes pips Superstars, enters final

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Heroes pips Superstars, enters final

Principal Correspondent

HYDERABAD: Hyderabad Heroes pulled off an exciting four-run win over Chennai Superstars to enter the final of the Edelweiss 20s Challenge cricket championship at the Lal Bahadur Stadium here on Wednesday.

For a team which looked virtually down and out after setting up a modest target of 148, it was a dramatic comeback, thanks to the all-round excellence in the field.

Superstars was in the hunt as long as Hemang Badani (50, 37b, 6x4, 1x6) was at the crease. It looked as if his experience and class would see Superstars through. But that was not to be as he lacked support at the other end.

Holding their nerve

In a low-scoring match, it was all about presence of mind and Heroes’s wicketkeeper Ibrahim Khaleel showed that in plenty, effecting two crucial run-outs in the final over to dash Superstars’s hopes despite Shabbir Ahmed’s huge six in the same over off Justin Kemp.

Earlier, the preparedness and professionalism of the Chennai outfit was to the fore as the bowlers stuck to the task to restrict Heroes to 147 for six.

Heroes faltered once the southpaw Jimmy Maher (2) was cleaned up by G. Vignesh and then Abdul Razzaq (14) was needlessly run-out while trying to steal a leg-bye. Though the exciting Ambati Rayudu (25, 23b, 2x6) delighted the crowd with some clean hitting, including two huge sixes over mid-on and long-off in one over off Sri Lankan Russel Arnold, he perished soon.

A breezy knock by Nicky Boje (47, 38b, 6x4, 1x6) propped up Heroes. Boje came up with some improvised strokes, including a flick over the short fine-leg fielder and then clearing the fence off fast bowler Shabbir in one over.

Left-arm spinner Syed Mohammed was the pick of the bowlers with a spell of 4-0-17-1. Anirudh Singh hit a four and a six off Ian Harvey in the final over of the Heroes’s innings and this proved decisive in the end.

The scores: Hyderabad Heroes 147 for six in 20 overs (Nicky Boje 47) bt Chennai Superstars 143 in 19.5 overs (Hemang Badani 50, Abdul Razzaq two for 29, Justin Kemp two for 21, Chris Harris two for 19).

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