Symes and Agarkar beat the pressure
Jean Symes and Ajit Agarkar take the honours in the third phase of the Champions League Twenty20
ESPNcricinfo staff
23-Oct-2012
Jean Symes lifted Lions into the semi-finals • Getty Images
You need 43 off 43 with seven wickets remaining to make the semi-finals and knock three competing teams out. What do you do? If you are a South African side, you nearly choke. The ingredients were all there. Commanding position in a crunch game, the threat of rain, Duckworth-Lewis calculations. Jean Symes took one look at them and cooked an entirely different dish.
Symes took the Lions fans through the full range of emotions at their home ground. He allowed the asking-rate, which had started at around six-and-a-half, to touch ten after the 18th over. Even as the familiar word started doing the rounds, Symes, on 6 off 16, slammed four of his next six deliveries for boundaries to carry Lions to the knockouts of the Champions League Twenty20, and with one final blow down the ground, sent Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians and Yorkshire out of the tournament.
Quinton de Kock's wicket off the last ball of the 13th over was to precipitate the drama. Symes, having taken Lions home against Chennai Super Kings in the last over as well with a counter-attacking blitz, struggled to get the ball off the square. The 14th and 15th overs produced a run each and suddenly, the asking-rate was above eight.
With 19 neeed off 10, Symes made room and lofted over sweeper cover for six, and smashed the next delivery down the ground for four. He lifted the second ball of the 20th over mid-on to finish the job.
Ajit Agarkar has been around for so long it is hard to believe he is still only 34, the same age as Zaheer Khan. Probably that is why every now and then, he keeps putting in performances such as these to remind everyone that he is still going on. Delhi Daredevils have such a strong fast-bowling attack that Agarkar does not get many games. When he did, he made it count against Perth Scorchers in a crunch match.
Agarkar conceded only 14 off his four overs to suck the momentum out midway through the Scorchers innings. He picked up the important wickets of Shaun Marsh and Simon Katich to end a strong partnership and keep Scorchers to 121.
In the chase, Daredevils threatened to implode, losing regular wickets. When Virender Sehwag, their main hope, fell for 52, Daredevils still needed 26. Agarkar came to the middle with 18 required off 14. He calmly lofted the third ball of the penultimate over over mid-off for four to ease some pressure off Daredevils. Eight were still needed off the last over. Agarkar effectively sealed the game off the first ball with a drive for four past extra cover.