Six balls can make or break a career or at least a season for any player in the Twenty20 format. Three players will certainly vouch for that after Kolkata Knight Riders beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by five wickets in the IPL.
Yusuf Pathan came back from the wilderness for Kolkata with the bat, but his teammate Umesh Yadav and a more seasoned rival bowler Shane Watson were left counting the scars from costly overs in a match where big-hitting at the end swung the fortunes for either team dramatically.
• Read more: Rising Pune Supergiants injury crisis and Axar Patel's hat-trick – IPL Week 4 in review
Eventually, Pathan (60 from 29 balls) and Andre Russell (39 from 24) scaled down Bangalore’s target of 186 with five deliveries to spare.
That looked unlikely in the 15th over of the chase when Kolkata looked barely hanging on to the required run-rate at 123 for four.
That was when Pathan inflicted the damage he had a reputation for but never quite delivered in the past few seasons. He took 24 runs off Watson that changed the complexion of the game in the 17th over.
It was at the same stage when Bangalore batted that the middle-order batsmen of Watson and Stuart Binny feasted on two overs from Umesh.
The fast bowler had given away 14 runs in his first two overs but came at the death and conceded 24 and 18 runs off his next two. The total of 56 runs that he conceded put in shade the 52 each from Lokesh Rahul and Virat Kohli, Bangalore’s joint top-scorers.
Winning captain Gautam Gambhir could afford to offer consolation for Umesh though.
"Umesh didn't have a great day but he is a quality bowler," he told StarSports.
It was Russell who was adjudged man of the match, though, a tidy spell of one for 24 adding up in his favour over Pathan.
“It was an important game for us and we had to back our strength,” the West Indies all-rounder said. “It was a pleasure to bat with Yusuf.”
The defeat left Kohli searching for words. He said: “There is nothing much to say.
“We let the game drift away. Composure with the ball was lacking. Guys like Russell and Yusuf will make you pay. That’s the way it goes in T20 cricket.”
Tuesday
Gujarat v Delhi, 6pm
Gujarat Lions saw their three-game winning run end with a shocking loss to bottom-table Kings XI Punjab in their previous game. The leaders will have to get their acts together quickly against the Delhi Daredevils, who have risen from strength to strength steadily. Unlike Gujarat, who are a bit reliant on the top order, Delhi have flourished under mentor Rahul Dravid, captain and lead bowler Zaheer Khan and excelled as a fielding unit, too.
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if you go
The flights
Direct flights from the UAE to the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, are available with Air Arabia, (www.airarabia.com) Fly Dubai (www.flydubai.com) or Etihad (www.etihad.com) from Dh1,200 return including taxes. The trek described here started from Jomson, but there are many other start and end point variations depending on how you tailor your trek. To get to Jomson from Kathmandu you must first fly to the lake-side resort town of Pokhara with either Buddha Air (www.buddhaair.com) or Yeti Airlines (www.yetiairlines.com). Both charge around US$240 (Dh880) return. From Pokhara there are early morning flights to Jomson with Yeti Airlines or Simrik Airlines (www.simrikairlines.com) for around US$220 (Dh800) return.
The trek
Restricted area permits (US$500 per person) are required for trekking in the Upper Mustang area. The challenging Meso Kanto pass between Tilcho Lake and Jomson should not be attempted by those without a lot of mountain experience and a good support team. An excellent trekking company with good knowledge of Upper Mustang, the Annaurpuna Circuit and Tilcho Lake area and who can help organise a version of the trek described here is the Nepal-UK run Snow Cat Travel (www.snowcattravel.com). Prices vary widely depending on accommodation types and the level of assistance required.
My Cat Yugoslavia by Pajtim Statovci
Pushkin Press
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Women’s World T20, Asia Qualifier, in Bangkok
UAE fixtures Mon Nov 20, v China; Tue Nov 21, v Thailand; Thu Nov 23, v Nepal; Fri Nov 24, v Hong Kong; Sun Nov 26, v Malaysia; Mon Nov 27, Final
(The winners will progress to the Global Qualifier)
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
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THE BIO
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If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
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