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Heroes starts with a win

A. Joseph Antony

HYDERABAD: Hyderabad Heroes won its opening Indian Cricket League match against Lahore Badshahs by 18 runs after a power blackout forced use of the V. Jayadevan (VJD) method at the Lal Bahadur Stadium here on Friday. One floodlight tower failed to function till the verdict came, about a quarter of an hour to midnight.

Defending a total of 165, Heroes struck in the opening over, Jimmy Maher closing his palms over Imran Farhat’s miscued straight drive off Abdul Razzaq.

From the other end, Stuart Binny squeezed a catch out of Shahid Yousuf, Inder Shekhar Reddy picking the ball low at point, with the Badshahs still to reach double figures.

Missed chance

Another chance went abegging, Binny clutching his Mohawk mane too far forward on his follow-through.

Earlier, Badshahs chose to field on a bouncy track. Razzaq’s upper cut off Mohd. Sami brought up the host’s first boundary. He then swatted a slanting steepler for a six but was snapped up by wicketkeeper Hafeez Khalid off the very next ball.

Non-striker Maher prospered, pulling Azhar Mahmood and then unleashing a rasping cut off Sami that found third man hardly stirring from his place.

Ambati Rayudu stepped out and played a lofted golf drive off Mahmood over long-on. Rayudu then executed a square cut which Imran Nazir leapt to stop and got his hands to it, but couldn’t prevent the ball from speeding to the hoardings.

Half-way through, Heroes was on 75, the lone loss being Razzaq. Rayudu continued unrestrained though, smashing a six off Shahid Nazir over mid-wicket. He then plundered two successive sixes off Saqlain Mushtaq, straight-driving the off-spinner and then carting him over mid-wicket. Maher followed suit, slamming Naved ul-Hasan over the long-on fence.

As if to celebrate his 27-ball half-century, Rayudu flicked Sami for a six, a mere pat off the paceman sending the ball reeling over the ropes.

His rip-roaring act came to an end when his drive off Sami ballooned to Farhat deep in the covers. Shortly, Maher departed, caught at backward of square by Sami off Naved.

The visiting side did well to contain Heroes in the slog overs, but was slapped a six-run penalty for slow over-rate.

The scores: Hyderabad Heroes 165 for six in 20 overs (Ambati Rayudu 58, Jimmy Maher 41) bt Lahore Badshahs 30 for two in six overs (by VJD method).

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