Smith puts Mumbai in all-IPL final
- October 6, 2013, 8:10 pm
- Sports News
- 126 Views
NEW DEHLI, Oct 06 (Online): Dwayne Smith and Sachin Tendulkar provided the searing start that set Mumbai Indians on course for a second Champions League T20 final in three years, a final which will now be an all-IPL affair.
Smith bludgeoned 59 from 38 as the pair made 90 together in 11 overs, in pursuit of T&T's middling 153 for 5. Though the openers' demise in the space of an over comprised a stutter, they had done enough to ensure the middle order could see out the dangerous Sunil Narine.
Tendulkar was caught behind for 35 from 31, before Narine struck twice in the following over, to give rise to T&T hopes, but Mumbai needed only 58 runs from the last eight overs, and Dinesh Karthik's unbeaten 33 ensured not even Narine would derail the chase. A six over extra cover off Lendl Simmons off the first ball of the 20th over sealed the victory.
Lewis' first boundary in T&T's innings was off a Mitchell Johnson edge through second slip, but he slapped the next one over the third-man boundary and rarely erred again until his demise. Lewis took a liking to Johnson's next over as well.
Having hit 61 off the first eight overs, T&T slowed significantly against Ojha, Coulter-Nile and Pollard, who bowled tight lines and mixed up their pace to good effect on a dry Delhi surface.
Yannick Ottley's unbeaten 41 off 30 pushed T&T beyond 150, which seemed a competitive total despite the mediocre returns from the middle overs, but with one bowler down and the remaining quicks far from their best on the night, T&T could not deny the IPL champions.
