Delhi Daredevils are out of contention in the Indian Premier League but they ensured their rivals on Friday, third-placed Rising Pune Supergiant, have no easy run in the play-offs.
A disciplined bowling effort from hosts Delhi saw Pune fall short by seven runs in their run chase of 169 on a short ground at the Feroz Shah Kotla despite sizeable and quick efforts from Manoj Tiwary (60), Steve Smith (38) and Ben Stokes.
Tiwary even survived two dropped catches but even some big-hitting in the final overs from him failed to make it count for a winning cause.
Earlier, Delhi scored 168-8 with Karun Nair (64) and Rishabh Pant (36) doing the bulk of the scoring as wickets fell at regular intervals. Nair was named Man of the Match.
Captain Zaheer Khan took two early wickets in defence of that total before Mohammed Shami pegged Pune back in the slog overs with two wickets and a run-out of MS Dhoni.
“It is important to keep winning, put up a good show,” Zaheer said in the post-match presentation. “This was a different kind of wicket. We were aiming for 170.”
His counterpart Smith denied complacency was the reason for the defeat. “We are taking it a game at time. We lost wickets at important times,” the Pune captain said.
“You get down to the crunch time, you have to win some games. Every game is a final.
“We played some pretty good cricket, but you can’t win every game.”
* The National staff
Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE
Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/TheNationalSport
Results
Stage 5:
1. Jonas Vingegaard (DEN) Team Jumbo-Visma 04:19:08
2. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates 00:00:03
3. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers
4. Sergio Higuita (COL) EF Education-Nippo 00:00:05
5. Joao Almeida (POR) Deceuninck-QuickStep 00:00:06
General Classification:
1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates 17:09:26
2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers 00:00:45
3. Joao Almeida (POR) Deceuninck-QuickStep 00:01:12
4. Chris Harper (AUS) Team Jumbo-Visma 00:01:54
5. Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-Nippo 00:01:56
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The biog
Hobby: "It is not really a hobby but I am very curious person. I love reading and spend hours on research."
Favourite author: Malcom Gladwell
Favourite travel destination: "Antigua in the Caribbean because I have emotional attachment to it. It is where I got married."
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
The bio
Who inspires you?
I am in awe of the remarkable women in the Arab region, both big and small, pushing boundaries and becoming role models for generations. Emily Nasrallah was a writer, journalist, teacher and women’s rights activist
How do you relax?
Yoga relaxes me and helps me relieve tension, especially now when we’re practically chained to laptops and desks. I enjoy learning more about music and the history of famous music bands and genres.
What is favourite book?
The Perks of Being a Wallflower - I think I've read it more than 7 times
What is your favourite Arabic film?
Hala2 Lawen (Translation: Where Do We Go Now?) by Nadine Labaki
What is favourite English film?
Mamma Mia
Best piece of advice to someone looking for a career at Google?
If you’re interested in a career at Google, deep dive into the different career paths and pinpoint the space you want to join. When you know your space, you’re likely to identify the skills you need to develop.
