Imran Nazir’s explosive innings in the third final enabled Lahore Badshahs to lift the ICL Cup. V. V. Subrahmanyam reports.
Imran Nazir could not have timed his onslaught on the hapless Hyderabad Heroes’ bowlers better, for his stunning unbeaten century sank the defending champion and helped the Pakistan outfit, Lahore Badshahs, claim the 2008 Indian Cricket League (Winter Edition) Championship.
The Badshahs, led by former Pakistan captain, Inzamam-ul-Haq, was clearly the most determined of all the teams in the fray. With the ’finals’ tied 1-1 and the issue moving into the decider, the stage was near perfect for the explosive opener, Nazir, to set the stadium on fire with his awesome stroke-play. Fast bowler Abdul Razzaq and the slow bowlers Chris Harris, left-armer Indra Sekhar Reddy and Nicky Boje of the Heroes just did not know where to bowl.
Nazir’s innings perfectly complemented the magnificent support the ICL organisers got at the Sardar Patel Stadium (Navrangpura) in Ahmedabad.
The air of expectancy among the 40,000-odd spectators even before the third final started was almost palpable. And Nazir rose to the occasion to decimate the Heroes’ attack. He was in such rampaging form that he scored his first 50 off just 15 balls. He batted with a runner from the third over but the way he played those awesome strokes, the bowlers seemed to be more in pain than the batsman.
It was clearly a one-man demolition job, as Nazir made an unbeaten 111 off 44 balls with seven fours and 11 sixes to enable his side lift the ICL Cup. And not surprisingly, the ever-trying and consistent Naved-ul-Hasan Rana was declared the Player of the Series, for which he won a cash prize of Rs. 40 lakh.
Rana’s was a brilliant all-round performance. If at all there was any cricketer who responded admirably to his captain’s call on the field, it was Rana. His bowling in the middle-overs was an object lesson in the art of reverse swing. And he was also successful as a pinch-hitter at No. 3.
No doubt, the Heroes came back strongly in the second final after the Badshahs won the first final pretty comfortably, thanks to the other opener, Imran Farhat, who displayed a perfect blend of power and elegance.
Chasing a modest target, Badshahs faltered despite a good start from Shahid Yousuf. It was also a match that showcased the efficacy of slow bowlers such as I. S. Reddy and Nicky Boje who restricted the batsmen. And significantly enough, the big-hitting Justin Kemp, who contributed little with the bat right through, stole the hearts of the capacity crowd with what was arguably the best catch at the venue in the final round. It was a sensational effort, as Kemp, running to his left from long-off, stretched his right hand from an awkward angle to pull off a one-handed catch on the run to dismiss Mohammad Sami. The Badshahs camp was truly stunned. There were protests from Inzamam and his boys over the legitimacy of the effort, but the third umpire ruled it a clean catch.
In the third final, the Heroes failed to live up to expectations despite the heroics of wicketkeeper-batsman Ibrahim Khaleel, who played some peculiar shots over the wicket-keeper. However, with the middle-order failing to fire, the Heroes could make only 158 for seven in 20 overs.
Whatever hopes the Heroes might have had of coming back into the match were dashed by the brilliance of Nazir who, in the final analysis, was the big difference between the two sides.
It is a pity that teams like Chandigarh Lions, which had players such as Greame Hick, Lou Vincent and Andrew Hall, and Ahmedabad Rockets, consisting of players like Damien Martyn, Jason Gillespie and Heath Streak, failed to make an impact in the tournament.
The winner of this edition of the ICL took home Rs. 2 crores, while the runner-up pocketed Rs. 1 crore. The semifinalists, Chennai Superstars and Royal Bengal Tigers, won Rs. 50 lakhs each.
Stuart Binny won the ‘Kapil Dev Award’ for the most promising Indian player of the ICL.
THE SCORESFirst final: Hyderabad Heroes 170 for five in 20 overs (Jimmy Maher 45, Abdul Razzaq 69, Naved-ul-Hasan Rana three for 25) lost to Lahore Badshahs 174 for six in 19.1 overs (Imran Farhat 65).
Second final: Hyderabad Heroes158 for seven in 20 overs (Maher 56) bt Lahore Badshahs 150 in 19.1 overs (Shahid Yousuf 51).
Third final: Hyderabad Heroes 158 for seven in 20 overs (Ibrahim Khaleel 45, Shahid Nazir three for 29) lost to Lahore Badshahs 160 for two in 13.5 overs (Imran Nazir 111 not out).
Semifinals: Chennai Superstars 165 for seven in 20 overs (Hemang Badani 37, R. Satish 37, Naved-ul-Hasan Rana three for 30) lost to Lahore Badshahs 168 for four in 18.5 overs (Imran Farhat 45, Inzamam-ul-Haq 62).
Royal Bengal Tigers 161 for four in 20 overs (Lance Klusener 78 not out, Rohan Gavaskar 74) lost to Hyderabad Heroes 162 for seven in 19.3 overs (Ibrahim Khaleel 32, Stuart Binny 45).
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