Gilchrist punch knocks Delhi out

Delhi lost both their openers in the first over of the Indian Premier Leagues first semi-final,but their shoulders didnt drop.

Delhi lost both their openers in the first over of the Indian Premier Leagues first semi-final,but their shoulders didnt drop. On the contrary,Virender Sehwag and Tillakaratne Dilshan launched an audacious counter-attack that took the team to 153,a defendable total by this tournaments standards.

Their bowling had been stingy through the tournament,and there was a spring in the step when they walked on to the field.

The good cheer,however,didnt last too long the first six balls of the chase gave a taste of things to come as Adam Gilchrist hit Dirk Nannes for five consecutive boundaries. And those six deliveries were just a trailer of the carnage that followed.

Ashish Nehra was smashed for a boundary and a six in his second over,while Pradeep Sangwans left-arm medium pace was dismissed for two boundaries and a six.

The Deccan Chargers captain brought up his half-century off 17 deliveries the fastest in IPLs 116-match history,and the fifth-fastest in Twenty20. He hit eight fours and two sixes to get there,ensuring Hyderabad were,incredibly,going at twice the required run-rate. He drove along the ground and uppishly over long-off,he pulled and hooked,flicked and cut with such ferocity that the match was over and done with by the time he departed.

Shahid Afridis one-day record for the fastest century off 37 deliveries was very much under threat for a while,before a few dot balls against Dilshan slowed Gilchrist down,a phrase that seems out of place while describing an innings that fetched 85 runs off 35 deliveries.

After his departure,the match practically fell asleep. Leg-spinner Amit Mishra brought some sanity to the proceedings,picking up the wickets of Gilchrist,Azhar Bilakhia and Symonds in a spell of 4-0-19-3.

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The Chargers got to the target with six wickets in hand and 14 deliveries to spare.

For the second year in a row,Delhi suffered a big loss in the semi-final,their evening ending very much as it had begun.

Ryan Harris bowled four dot balls to an edgy Gautam Gambhir,who skied the fifth to third man where RP Singh completed the catch.

David Warner fell off the very next delivery,slicing an attempted drive to Herschelle Gibbs at point.

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But Sehwag and Dilshan wasted little time in demoralising Deccans attack,taking the team to a very healthy 83/2 at the strategy break.

Once Sehwag fell leg-before for a 31-ball 39,Dilshan took over as aggressor,reaching his half-century off 35 balls,and guiding his team to what looked like a competitive total. Considering the form Gilchrist was in,whos to say how many wouldve actually been enough.