Kolkata, Somerset in Nokia Champions LeagueT20 main draw

Kolkata, Somerset in Nokia Champions LeagueT20 main draw

Somerset defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by 11 runs in a tight game in Hyderabad but both the teams qualified for the main draw of Nokia Champions League T20.

 

Peter Trego's innings of 70 led the English county side to 166 for six and the Knight Riders' total of 155 for eight meant they qualified with them, by virtue of a better net run rate than Pool B runners-up Ruhuna.

Trego batted throughout the 20 overs and put on 72 at eight an over with Roelof van der Merwe, who made 40 from 25 balls before he was caught by Jacques Kallis off Jaidev Unadkat.

Nick Compton hit two fours and a six in his 20 from 10 balls before a run-out which was largely down to Trego - who himself was also run out, from the last ball of the innings after a 61-ball knock which contained nine fours but, uncharacteristically, no sixes. Unadkat took two for 31 and Brett Lee two for 34.

In Kolkata's reply, Manvinder Bisla hit a huge six in Alfonso Thomas' opening over but was run out from the first ball of the next after a calamitous mix-up with opening partner Kallis.

Kallis made just one before chipping Murali Kartik to mid-on, where Hildreth took a good catch, but Manoj Tiwary and Shreevats Goswami rebuilt with a stand of 38.

But an unconvincing innings of 14 from the latter, who was almost run out twice and was then dropped by Hildreth on the square-leg boundary, was finally ended when he skied Max Waller to Compton at long-on.

Tiwary (27) played on against Waller but a drop on the boundary by Compton gifted Ryan ten Doeschate a six and he then hit another in a quickfire stand of 23 with Shakib Al Hasan, whose cameo of 13 was ended by Van der Merwe's stunning boundary catch off Trego's bowling.

Rajat Bhatia made a useful 19 but slapped a full toss straight to cover from the first ball of the last over. A two from Ten Doeschate took Kolkata past the qualifying mark but he was bowled by Van der Merwe for 46 next ball.