14 May, 2008
Akhtar strikes back

Shoaib Akhtar put months of turmoil behind him by taking four quickfire wickets on his Indian Premier League debut to help the Kolkata Knight Riders to a 23-run win over the Delhi Daredevils on Tuesday.

Shoaib, available for selection after a five-year ban imposed by the Pakistan Cricket Board was suspended for a month pending an appeal, wasted little time in making an impact in claiming all his victims inside the first five overs of the Delhi innings for the loss of just 11 runs.

Kolkata opener Salman Butt's 48 was the best individual total of a low-scoring encounter that saw the Daredevils fail to chase down the Knight Riders' meagre total of 6-133.

Amit Mishra's 31 was as good as it got for the visitors, who managed just 110 runs before they were bowled out inside 18 overs.

The victory continues a marked turnaround in fortunes for the Knight Riders, who are now on a three-match winning streak after suffering four successive defeats.

A late effort by Laxmi Shukla, in taking three wickets with his first five balls, sealed the Daredevils' fate and their fourth straight loss.

Kolkata skipper Sourav Ganguly won the toss and put his side into bat first, but Butt's knock at the top of the order was not complimented by fellow opener Aakash Chopra, who managed just 13 before he was dismissed by Farveez Maharoof.

Ganguly made just seven before he was bowled between bat and pad by Yo Mahesh, but David Hussey joined Butt in the centre and the pair took the score to 87 before the latter departed two runs short of his half-century.

Manesh claimed the wicket with a full delivery outside off stump that Butt sliced into the hands of Glenn McGrath at third man.

Tatenda Taibu (seven) and Shukla (10) failed to concern the Delhi attack too much before they were dismissed but Hussey was steady at the crease and cobbled together a diligent run-a-ball 31 before he was caught at long on by Manoj Tiwary off the bowling of Maharoof.

Wriddhiman Saha (five) and Iqbal Abdulla (one) were unbeaten as the hosts closed on 133, but if Delhi thought that total was achievable, it had reckoned without an inspired performance by Shoaib.

The Pakistan paceman claimed his first scalp with just his second delivery in the IPL, enticing a thick edge from Virender Sehwag (nought) and Saha took the catch.

Gautam Gambhir fell to the Rawalpindi Express in the third over as Hussey took the catch at point.

Shoaib then took two wickets in two deliveries in the fifth over to see off AB De Villiers (seven) and Tiwary (nine) and further underline his intentions for the coming weeks.

After Shikhar Dhawan fell for seven, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Mishra combined to take the Delhi total from 43 to 75 before the former was run out attempting a quick single.

Maharoof was dismissed for 10 five overs later to leave the visitors on 7-101 but it was dismissal of Mishra for 31 that sounded the death knell as Shukla claimed the first of three wickets in breathtaking finale.

Pradeep Sangwan (nought) followed Mishra back to the pavilion just one ball later as Hussey took the catch at long on, and after failing with his hat-trick ball to Mahesh, Shukla took care of business with the next ball to end Delhi's innings.