Hartley heroics give Heat incredible win

Updated December 14, 2012 11:09:58

Chris Hartley scored four off the last ball of the innings to give Brisbane Heat a three-wicket victory over the Strikers at the Adelaide Oval in of the most dramatic Twenty20 matches ever played in Australia.

Callum Ferguson (52) and Kieron Pollard (48) took Adelaide to 8 for 185, the highest score in the Big Bash this season, and a total that looked eminently defendable.

But a destructive innings from Luke Pomersbach (65) opening the innings meant the Heat were always ahead of the run-rate.

When his wicket fell shortly after the dismissal of Joe Burns (37) - following their stand of 99 - the Strikers came back into the match.

Superb death bowling from Kane Richardson (1 for 22) left the Strikers needed 15 from the final over but out-of-form Peter Forrest hit a six off the third ball to keep the Heat in the game.

Then Hartley, off only his second ball faced and needing a four for victory, slashed the final delivery from Gary Putland (0 for 39) to the point boundary to give the Heat a much-needed first victory of the season.

An incredible game saw another juggled catch on the boundary, this time from Richardson, to dismiss Pomersbach, and a spectacular catch from Strikers wicketkeeper Tim Ludeman to dismiss Thisara Perera (12), after the Sri Lankan had hit two of his three deliveries faced for six.

There was also the bizarre run-out of Ben Cutting (13) - also after two maximums - when Chris Lynn smashed a delivery back to the West Indian only for the ball to ricochet off his instep and knock off the bails.

The first Big Bash League games of 2012 may have been one-sided but this match provided the sort of unpredictable drama organisers and Cricket Australia will hope is replicated throughout the summer.

Tags: sport, cricket, twenty20, adelaide-5000, brisbane-4000

First posted December 13, 2012 23:07:39

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India rides out Pollard's late heroics

Updated December 12, 2011 09:42:11

India overcame an aggressive 119 off 110 balls by Kieron Pollard to beat the West Indies by 34 runs in the final one-dayer in Chennai to take the series 4-1.

Pollard smashed 10 sixes and four boundaries in his hurricane knock before the tourists were bowled out for 233 in reply to India's 6 for 267 in the day-night match at the Chidambaram stadium.

Pollard was last man out, caught in the deep off Suresh Raina, to deny his team a win in the last match of the Indian tour, where the West Indies also lost the Test series 2-0.

The West Indies were reduced to 5 for 78 by the 16th over before Pollard and Andre Russell turned the game around by smashing 89 off 79 balls for the sixth wicket.

The pair pounded the Indian bowling with a flurry of fours and sixes before the hosts earned a lucky break when Russell was run out.

Russell hit 53 off 42 balls with five boundaries and three sixes.

Three more wickets fell in quick succession to leave the West Indies tottering at 9 for 213, but Pollard reached his maiden one-day century in the company of last man Anthony Martin.

Earlier, Manoj Tiwary smashed 104 as India recovered from a shaky start to post a challenging total.

The 26-year-old from Bengal, making his first appearance in the series, registered his first international century after India had lost two wickets in the first over of the innings.

India's stand-in captain Gautam Gambhir was delighted with the win.

"We know what Pollard can do on his day, but credit to the bowlers who stuck to their game," said Gambhir, who led India in the absence of the rested Virender Sehwag.

"In the end it was a matter of just one ball. Every ball he middled was going out of the ground, but the bowlers had to stick to line and length.

"It was also good to see Manoj get a hundred, hopefully he will go on and get many more."

Tiwary put on 83 for the third wicket with Gambhir and 117 for the fourth with Virat Kohli before retiring hurt in the 38th over due to cramps.

Kohli went on to make 80 off 85 balls.

West Indies captain Darren Sammy lauded Pollard's effort and said the Indian tour was a good learning experience for his team.

"It was really good to watch Pollard get his first hundred," said Sammy.

"We have played some good cricket, we have fought hard, but unfortunately we were not able to finish things off.

"Everybody expected us to roll over, but we did not. The attitude was good to see and we can only move forward from here."

AFP

Tags: cricket, sport, india

First posted December 12, 2011 07:42:47

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