29 September,2011 08:30 AM IST | | A Correspondent
Reigning champs hold nerve in thrilling 4-wicket victory, roar again in CLT20
Reigning champions Chennai Super Kings prevailed with a four-wicket win in a seesaw battle against Cape Cobras in a Group A Champions League T20 match here yesterday.
Got my man:u00a0 Chennai's Dwayne Bravo celebrates the dismissal of
Cape Cobras' Dane Vilas during their Champions League T20 game in
Chennai last night. pic/AFP
The kings are back! Shadab Jakati (right) and captain MS Dhoni celebrate
the dismissal of Cape Cobras' JP Duminy yesterday. Pic/AFP
Chasing 146 for their maiden win in the tournament, CSK suffered two collapses, firstly falling from 41-0 to 53-3, and later 76-3 to 77-5, handing Cobras the edge.
Chennai's flurry of wickets was triggered by JP Duminy's off-breaks that yielded four scalps. However, Dwayne Bravo (46 not out) stood in a crucial 43-run stand with skipper MS Dhoni, before unleashing some lusty strikes to close out the run-chase with two balls to spare.
Needing just six off the last over, Bravo and Albie Morkel held their nerves against Charl Langaveldt. Earlier, useful knocks from Owais Shah (45) and Duminy (29) steered Cobras to 145-7. Cobras, who at one stage looked set to score past 170, were done in by Morkel's guile and subtle changes of pace, who put the breaks on the visitors' scoring rate by claiming two crucial wickets towards the dying stages of the innings.
At the end of 16th over, Cobras were placed at 124-3, but once Shah (45 off 38 balls) fell to Morkel, Cobras lost the plot, losing wickets in a hurry. R Ashwin got rid of Richard Levi (6) off his first delivery when he had the opener trapped leg before.u00a0 The Cobras slumped to 40 for two when Herschelle Gibbs (18) departed after playing exquisite strokes. Morkel, Bravo and Bollinger took two wickets apiece.
