Tromp, Fletcher and Russell lift LAKR to No. 3
Narine's 1 for 14 in four overs and Russell's two blows in an over restricted Washington Freedom
Narine's 1 for 14 in four overs and Russell's two blows in an over restricted Washington Freedom
Scorer: Harshith Gowda | Commentator: Rashad Mahbub
That is all the action we have for you today from the match, folks. Thank you so much for tuning in and staying with us throughout the entire game. Do join us tomorrow here at Cricinfo as MLC double-header games will come up thick and fast. Until then, this is Rashad Mahbub, signing off on behalf of Rvel Zahid, Harshith Gowda and the rest of the crew. Adios!
Jason Holder: "[Which moment won you this one?] I think the spells by both Ali Khan and Sunil set us apart. Russell also bowled a really crucial spell for us. The guys hung in there. It was a close-fought game and probably one we really needed in terms of giving us momentum and that encouragement to win close games. Credit to each and every individual; I thought it was an outstanding effort. [Bowling the overs of Narine] At that stage, we needed to get wickets. It's one of those surfaces where if you let batsmen get set, it becomes difficult to stem the flow of runs. I backed Narine to come on and get a wicket for me. He's been doing it all season, and credit to the way he delivered again today. [How close are you to your best game as a team?] I don't think we're far off. I actually said that this afternoon when we had our team meeting. We've had a lot of glimpses of great stuff, but all in all, we know we've faltered here and there in certain games. Today, it was really good that we got over the line in a crucial match."
Player of the Match, Sunil Narine: "[New role in the powerplay] I think it just happened. We needed to keep the powerplay a little tight, and we all came together and came up with a game plan. Happily, it worked, and hopefully, it continues. [Bowling to hard hitters] When you focus too much on the opponents, you put yourself under pressure. I think it's better to focus on what you can do, focus on the ability you have, and try to execute what you have been practicing. Whatever you practice, you just try to execute it as well as possible."
Steven Smith: "They had a good partnership there [from 17/2]. Fletcher and Tromp played a really nice innings and got them into the game. But I thought our bowlers did a pretty good job. It's a little bit slower wicket than we've probably played on here the last few, and I thought the bowlers executed their plans pretty well to restrict them to 190. We thought it was chaseable, but it wasn't to be. [Milantha was given a promotion] Lefties with the short side. We wanted to try and make the most of that, and I thought both of them [Gous and Milantha] played nice little cameos. It just wasn't good enough to get over the line tonight. [Message to the group] Two really important games for us now. Back-to-back day games on the weekend, and we need to win them. So that's our job."
11:10 pm Sunil Narine was once again incredibly economical with the ball, putting the brakes on the scoring during the Powerplay and picking up the wicket of Owen. Russell added to their misery by removing both Smith and Ravindra in the sixth over. Gous and Milantha then rebuilt the innings with a solid partnership, headlined by a 21-run scoring off van Schalkwyk in the 11th over. Milantha enjoyed a slice of luck when he was dropped on 15 by Ali Khan at deep third. The dangerous 71-run stand was finally broken in the 14th over by Ali Khan, who dismissed Gous for a 24-ball 37. Freedom suffered a double blow as both set batters departed in the exact same over, with Milantha following Gous to the dugout after scoring 40 runs off 25 balls. Dwarshuis and Nikhil tried to drag their team back into the chase, smashing 19 runs in the 15th over, but van Schalkwyk struck back to dismiss Dwarshuis for a quickfire 19 off 9 balls. Van Schalkwyk's quick double-scalp, first Dwarshuis and then Nikhil, practically sealed the fate of the match. In hindsight, those late first innings fireworks from Badar and Hamilton proved invaluable and made all the difference in the end. Russell was the pick of the bowlers with three wickets, while Ali Khan and van Schalkwyk grabbed two apiece, and Narine chipped in with one. Though van Schalkwyk was expensive across his four-over spell, he delivered a clutch performance exactly when his team needed it most.
Los Angeles Knight Riders won by 18 runs
LAKR are penalized for a slow over rate. Extra fielder inside the circle. 27 runs are needed off 6 balls; van Schalkwyk to bowl the last one.
Narine's 1 for 14 in four overs and Russell's two blows in an over restricted Washington Freedom