CLT20: Thisara Perera bludgeons Sunrisers to victory

Thisara Perera scored 57* off 32 deliveries and picked up two wickets

An all-round performance from Thisara Perera inspired Hyderabad Sunrisers, chasing 161 to win, cross the line in a close match against Trinidad and Tobago in Mohali.

Put into bat first, Trinidad and Tobago lost Lendl Simmons, who in an attempt to hit Dale Steyn out of the park only managed a faint edge to the keeper, in the first ball of the match.

However, Evin Lewis, continuing in his merry ways, and Darren Bravo, in one of those rare occasions where he actually gives the returns that Brian Lara is capable of, took the attack to Sunrisers. Together the southpaws combined to score 49 runs in the next 5.3 overs before Ishant sent back Lewis with a sharp delivery that was angled away from the batsman.

Bravo, besides batting extremely well to score 66 off 44 deliveries, nullified the threat that Amit Mishra could have posed to the fragile T&T middle order. Bravo hit the leg-spinner for a couple of maximums in his third over, which yielded 15 runs and also happened to be his last over of the match.

The variety that Sunrisers boast in their bowling attack came to their rescue, as both the medium pacers, Thisara Perera and Darren Sammy, picked up a couple of wickets each to put breaks on the scoring rate. The all-rounders were instrumental in restricting T&T to 160 runs despite Steyn’s no-show. The South African fast bowler gave away 41 runs in his 4 overs.

In reply, Sunrisers were off to a good start with 35 runs in 4.1 overs. Sunil Narine’s introduction did the trick for T&T, albeit, for a change, a dismissal that the mystery spinner can’t take much credit for, as Parthiv Patel edged an attempted cut to short-thirdman.

Dhawan, who looked as good as he has ever been since his comeback to international cricket, was foxed by a slower delivery from Navin Stewart while a ball-watching Duminy was run out by a direct hit from Ravi Rampaul to leave the Sunrisers reeling at 70-3 in 10.1 overs.

Hanuma Vihari, buckling under pressure, had no clue whatsoever against Narine’s carrom ball that got him stumped. After the Indian player’s dismissal, with Perera and Sammy at crease and 1.5 overs of Narine remaining, Sunrisers needed 66 off 41 deliveries.

Sammy played out a maiden of Narine while Perera, who looked like he was playing a different game altogether, went all guns blazing. The Sri Lankan big hitter took special liking to Rayad Emrit, bludgeoning the medium pace bowler who was taken for 23 runs in the 17th over of the match to reduce the equation to just 21 off 18 from 44 off 24 balls.

Narine weaved his magic yet again to keep the match alive, by taking 2 wickets- including that of Sammy for 15 off 15 balls, and conceding only 2 runs of the 18th over of the match. Rampaul leaked 12 runs of the penultimate over as Perera, unbeaten on 57 off just 32 deliveries, and Karan Sharma, who finished off the match with a four and a six, took Sunrisers to a sensational victory in 19.3 overs.