Pooran shepherds Sunrisers, Bravo unable to prevent Titans win

MUMBAI, India (CMC):

Left-hander Nicholas Pooran continued to craft his reputation as a finisher, nervelessly steering his Sunrisers Hyderabad to a seven-wicket victory over Odean Smith’s Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League yesterday.

The West Indies white-ball vice-captain struck a mature unbeaten 35 off 31 deliveries as Sunrisers, set a modest 152, got over the line with seven balls to spare at the DY Patil Sports Academy.

Arriving at the crease in the 11th over after his side had lost two quick wickets for 15 runs in the space of 14 balls, Pooran combined in an unbroken 75-run, fourth-wicket stand with South African Aiden Markram (41 not out) to avert danger.

He struck one four and one six while Markram faced 27 balls and counted four fours and a six, Sunrisers cruising to their fourth win in six matches and into fourth in the standings on eight points.

They are only behind second-place Lucknow Super Giants and third-place Royal Challengers Bangalore due to an inferior net run rate, with Gujarat Lions top on 10 points.

Sent in, Kings were dismissed for 151 off their 20 overs with England’s Liam Livingstone top-scoring with 60 off 33 deliveries with five fours and four sixes.

He came to the rescue of an innings slumping at 61 for four at the end of the eighth, spearheading a 71-run fifth-wicket stand with Masood Shahrukh Khan (26) before the last six wickets tumbled for 19 runs off the last 24 balls.

Smith blasted one six in scoring 13 before giving 22-year-old fast bowler Umran Malik (4-28) a return catch off the second ball of the final over.

In reply, Kane Williamson (three) fell cheaply in the fourth over at 14 for one before Rahul Tripathi (34) and opener Abhishek Sharma (31) added 48 for the second wicket, and Pooran and Markram arrived to finish off the chase.

Smith’s single over cost eight runs and yielded no wickets.

Snatched three for 23

In Pune, veteran former West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo snatched three for 23 – including two wickets in successive deliveries in the penultimate over – but Alzarri Joseph’s Titans beat Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by three wickets with a ball to spare.

Playing at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, CSK rattled up 169 for five off their 20 overs courtesy of Ruturaj Gaikwad’s 73 off 48 deliveries and Ambati Rayudu 46 off 31 balls, the pair posting 92 for the third wicket.

Fast bowler Joseph, fresh from the recent Test series against England in the Caribbean, finished with two for 34 from four overs in his first outing of the campaign.

South African David Miller then lashed an unbeaten 94 off 51 balls, hauling the innings around from chaos of 16 for three in the fourth over.

The left-hander counted eight fours and half-dozen sixes, putting on 32 for the third wicket with Wriddhiman Saha (11), 39 for the fourth wicket with Rahul Tewatia (9) and an all-important 70 for the fifth wicket with captain Rashid Khan (40).

Bravo knocked over Rashid and Joseph (zero) with the last two deliveries of the penultimate over, leaving Titans with 13 to get from the last over, but Miller collared Barbados-born England seamer Chris Jordan to ensure his side’s victory.