Heroes start off with win

Beat Badshahs by 18 runs via VJD method in curtailed match

HYDERABAD: Hyderabad Heroes won the inaugural Indian Cricket League (ICL) Season II match at Hyderabad on Friday, beating the visiting Lahore Badshahs by 18 runs via the VJD method.

Batting first, the local favourites had posted 165 for six. In reply, the Lahore Badshahs were at 30 for two when lights went off in the city of Hyderabad. The match had to be called off by the cut-off time of 11.45 pm.

In an unfortunate turn of events for the visiting Pakistani side, they were stranded at 30 for two after six overs, falling short of the required target of 49 runs at that stage.

At the Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium on Friday, Inzamam-ul Haq (9 off 16 balls) and Imran Nazir (19 off 17) were at the crease when umpires called off the game.

Earlier, Hyderabad Heroes’ innings fell short of the promise that it showed in the beginning when opener Jimmy Maher from Australia and local lad Ambati Rayudu were making merry at the crease.

Maher (41 off 44 balls) and Rayudu (58 off 42) stemmed the rot but that wasn’t enough.

Whereas Maher was the more sedate one, Rayudu looked in excellent touch, smashing the likes of Mohammed Sami, Azhar Mahmood, Naved-ul Hasan Rana and Saqlain Mushtaq all around the park till he was there.

Maher was playing a more subdued role, giving most of the strikes to the in-form Rayudu. By the end of the 10th over, the Aussie opener had only two hits to the fences.
Both Maher and Rayudu made a solid foundation and added 102 runs for the second wicket before Rayudu suffered a soft dismissal. Maher also didn’t last long, departing in the space of 11 balls. He was on 41 when Sami took the catch off Naved-ul Hasan Rana.

Their departure in quick succession led to the arrival of Stuart Binny, who joined Justin Kemp in the middle.