Indian Cricket League - ICL 2007 Latest News
The first news and information website on Indian Cricket LeagueThe ICL (India) is a private cricket league that runs parallel to the existing cricket league managed by Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The format of ICL is Twenty20.This website, http://www.cricketcircle.com/indian-cricket-league/, (Created on: 03-Apr-2007) is in no way affiliated with or is the property of Zee's ICL (India) or Indian Cricket League (Florida). This site is part of the Cricket Circle information and news network.
Ahmedabad Rockets v Hyderabad Heroes
Indian Cricket League 2007 Season News
Hyderabad Heroes beat Ahmedabad Rockets by 52 runs
Mar 21, 2008
Medium-pacer Alfred Absolom returned dream figures of 15-7, the best so far in the Twenty20 format, to fashion Hyderabad Heroes’s 53-run win over Ahmedabad Rockets in the Edelweiss 20s Challenge cricket championship at the Lal Bahadur Stadium on Friday.
On a pleasant afternoon, it seemed destined to be Hyderabad’s day from the word go. First, Aussie southpaw Jimmy Maher played an explosive knock of 84 (52b, 12x4, 1x6) to set the tempo. Then, local boy Ambati Rayudu finally found his touch to score his maiden half-century in the ICL (65, 36b, 6x4, 4x6) to help Heroes post 175 for four in 18 overs after the match was reduced by two overs due to rain.
Ahmedabad Rockets was penalised four runs for slow over-rate and was consequently set a target of 180 in 18 overs. Maher treated the Rockets bowlers with contempt. The first to get the stick was Jason Gillespie, who was whipped past square-leg for two boundaries in an over. The next was medium-pace bowler Babu Rao Yadav, who was pulled with ease and driven through the covers. Rayudu, with an average of 13 in the ICL before this match, began in style when he leaned into an exquisite cover-drive off Yadav. That was just the beginning, as he was soon playing in his usual style to come up with a classy knock to silence his critics.
Even the rain interruption did not affect his rhythm. In the first over after resumption, Rayudu executed a straight drive off Reetinder Singh Sodhi to notch up his 50 and then celebrated it in style with a six into the stands at mid-wicket. The best shot of Rayudu’s innings was when he stepped out to swing Gillespie for a huge six. It was a difficult chase and Rockets faltered from the beginning. Despite Parvez Aziz’s breezy knock (35, 22b, 6x4) and a useful contribution by Sridharan Sriram (36, 22b, 4x4), Rockets fell short of the target. Rockets ran into an unexpected hero — Absolom — playing his first match. To the delight of his captain Chris Harris, the Hyderabad youngster bowled a wicket-to-wicket line and let the ball do the trick. His double blow in the eighth over when he cleaned up Parvez and Wavell Hinds (16) was just the break the home team was looking for.
Again in the 12th over, Alfred lured Murray Goodwin (8) into an off-drive which went straight to Nicky Boje in the deep and then trapped Rockets’ skipper Damien Martyn (1) leg-before to leave Rockets struggling at 92 for five. Absolom struck another double blow in the 16th over dismissing Sodhi (0) and Babu Rao Yadav (1) off successive deliveries. “I think it was my day. Everything clicked and I am very pleased. I thank the team for the way it supported me,” he said.
With this win, Hyderabad Heroes has three wins from four matches to move to second place with six points behind Lahore Badshahs while Rockets is at the bottom with two points from four matches.
Indian Cricket League Grand Championship 2008 Schedule
- Ahmedabad Rockets v Chandigarh Lions at Panchkula - Mar 9, 2008
- Delhi Giants v Mumbai Champs at Hyderabad - Mar 10, 2008
- Chennai Superstars v Lahore Badshahs at Hyderabad - Mar 11, 2008
- Kolkata Tigers v Mumbai Champs at Panchkula - Mar 12, 2008
- Hyderabad Heroes v Lahore Badshahs at Hyderabad - Mar 13, 2008
- Chandigarh Lions v Delhi Giants at Panchkula - Mar 15, 2008
- Chennai Superstars v Hyderabad Heroes at Hyderabad - Mar 15, 2008
- Ahmedabad Rockets v Delhi Giants at Panchkula - Mar 16, 2008
- Chandigarh Lions v Lahore Badshahs at Panchkula - Mar 16, 2008
- Chennai Superstars v Kolkata Tigers at Hyderabad - Mar 17, 2008
- Ahmedabad Rockets v Mumbai Champs at Panchkula - Mar 18, 2008
- Hyderabad Heroes v Kolkata Tigers at Hyderabad - Mar 19, 2008
- Chennai Superstars v Delhi Giants at Hyderabad - Mar 20, 2008
- Ahmedabad Rockets v Hyderabad Heroes at Hyderabad - Mar 21, 2008
- Lahore Badshahs v Mumbai Champs at Panchkula - Mar 21, 2008
- Ahmedabad Rockets v Kolkata Tigers at Hyderabad - Mar 22, 2008
- Chandigarh Lions v Chennai Superstars at Panchkula - Mar 22, 2008
- Chennai Superstars v Mumbai Champs at Panchkula - Mar 23, 2008
- Delhi Giants v Lahore Badshahs at Gurgaon - Mar 23, 2008
- Delhi Giants v Hyderabad Heroes at Gurgaon - Mar 24, 2008
- Chandigarh Lions v Mumbai Champs at Panchkula - Mar 25, 2008
- Kolkata Tigers v Lahore Badshahs at Gurgaon - Mar 26, 2008
- Chandigarh Lions v Kolkata Tigers at Gurgaon - Mar 27, 2008
- Ahmedabad Rockets v Chennai Superstars at Hyderabad - Mar 28, 2008
- Chandigarh Lions v Hyderabad Heroes at Hyderabad - Mar 29, 2008
- Ahmedabad Rockets v Lahore Badshahs at Gurgaon - Mar 30, 2008
- Delhi Giants v Kolkata Tigers at Gurgaon - Mar 30, 2008
- Hyderabad Heroes v Mumbai Champs at Hyderabad - Mar 31, 2008
- 1st Semi Final: at Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium, Hyderabad, Deccan - Apr 2, 2008
- 2nd Semi Final: at Tau Devi Lal Cricket Stadium, Panchkula, Chandigarh - Apr 3, 2008
- 1st Final: at Tau Devi Lal Cricket Stadium, Panchkula, Chandigarh - Apr 4, 2008
- 3rd Place Play-off: at Tau Devi Lal Cricket Stadium, Panchkula, Chandigarh - Apr 4, 2008
- 2nd Final: at Devi Lal Stadium, Gurgaon - Apr 6, 2008
- 3rd Final: at Devi Lal Stadium, Gurgaon - Apr 7, 2008