Kolkata 150-7 (20 ov)
Bangalore 148-5 (20 ov)
Toss: Bangalore, chose to field
Kolkata: Lynn 45, Kallis 43; Aaron 3-16, Starc 2-33
Bangalore: Takawale 40, Kohli 31, Yuvraj 31; Vinay Kumar 2-26
Man of the match: Chris Lynn (Kolkata)
SHARJAH // The surfeit of matches played in the Indian Premier League means much that goes on in the tournament is forgotten about as soon as the floodlights go out after the last match.
Few who last night made the trip to the UAE’s oldest cricket venue, though, will forget the final over of Royal Challengers Bangalore against Kolkata Knight Riders.
Everyone who was here will be able to say they saw one of the most extraordinary catches in any format of the game, when Chris Lynn won a game for Kolkata that had appeared lost.
As AB de Villiers hoisted a slog-sweep that looked to be heading for a clinching six with three balls left, Lynn slipped on the dewy outfield while positioning himself to make the catch.
Disoriented, he then looked as if he had lost the flight of the ball. But in fact it seems he could see it fine as he then leapt off the ground and caught it, twisted his body while in the air and falling backwards, then arched his shoulders as he hit the turf so as not to make contact with the boundary rope.
Despite the frenzy at a packed Sharjah stadium, there was a stunned hush, before both sets of supporters erupted in acclaim as what they had just seen sunk in.
“His presence of mind was so good to stay inside the boundary and that catch was definitely the turning point,” said Vinay Kumar, the grateful KKR bowler.
It was certainly the seminal moment in the game – but it should not have been.
Bangalore had appeared to be cruising after Parthiv Patel and Yogesh Takawale shared 67 for the first wicket in 7.4 overs, with Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh and De Villiers still to come.
“Especially in this format, but in all types of cricket, it is a funny game and you never know what is going to happen,” said Trevor Bayliss, the Kolkata coach.
No matter the result, Gautam Gambhir must be counting down the days till the IPL caravan checks out of its UAE hotel and makes the flight back home.
The Knight Riders captain has had a miserable stay in the Emirates so far.
If Indian teams do not return to Sharjah for another 14 years – which was the hiatus before the start of this competition – he is likely not to be fussed.
Kolkata’s captain recorded a third successive duck in the competition last night, this time off the first ball he faced from Mitchell Starc, Bangalore’s Australian pace bowler.
Starc ended with two for 33, but it was his young Indian pace colleague, Varun Aaron, who took the plaudits with the ball for RCB.
The India seamer took three for 16, and each was a prize victim, starting with Lynn, then Yusuf Pathan and Robin Uthappa, who failed to make an impact against his hometown side.
“At no point did we think we were going to lose that game,” Aaron said.
“I am happy [with my bowling], but not so happy as we didn’t win the game today.”
Lynn said after his 31-ball innings worth 45 that he felt Kolkata could defend their total of 150 for seven on account of the pitch being “two-paced”.
That seemed fanciful given the accepted high scoring rates in Sharjah, as well as the power of the RCB batting line up.
However, as Bangalore faltered with the winning line in sight, Lynn proved to be the match-winner in the field.
“What you saw tonight was only a little bit compared to what he produced in the [Australian] Big Bash this year,” Bayliss said of Lynn.
“He had an unbelievable season with Brisbane Heat. For a little fellow he has a power game and hits to most areas of the ground.
“He hits the ball as big as anyone I’ve seen and, as we saw here, he is a fantastic fielder as well.”
pradley@thenational.ae
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