Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], April 22 (ANI): Lucknow Super Giants batter Mitchell Marsh completed 1000 IPL runs with his explosive 45 while Delhi Capitals pace spearhead Mitchell Starc continued to be a walking nightmare for the in-form Nicholas Pooran in the pulsating clash in the 18th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Tuesday.
The Ekana Cricket Stadium witnessed Marsh breaching the 1000-run mark in the cash-rich league in his 50th appearance. While DC’s left-arm speedster once again tormented his compatriot, Pooran.
Marsh played a fundamental role in the scorching start that Lucknow enjoyed after being put to bat. He stitched up an 87-run opening partnership to set the tempo of the innings. With his belligerent approach, Marsh crossed the 1000-run mark in the IPL, with an average of 24.02 while striking at 137.27.
After Marsh’s dismissal, Lucknow struggled to maintain the healthy run flow as the Super Giants lost their middle order in a cluster. Lucknow needed another inspired performance from Pooran, but Starc ensured he never saw the light of stardom.
In the battle between the Caribbean star and the Australian juggernaut, Pooran was trounced by Starc. The left-arm quick smartly rolled his fingers to deceive the southpaw and lured him to drag the ball onto his stumps via an inside edge, ending his stay on the crease on 9(5).
It was the fifth consecutive time in seven innings that Starc emerged triumphant over the swashbuckling batter. Starc has dismissed Pooran five times in the past seven encounters and conceded just 14 runs from 12 deliveries.
After Pooran fell cheaply, David Miller and Ayush Badoni attempted to resurrect the innings with a much-needed 49-run stand. Badoni played the aggressor’s role, striking a hat-trick of boundaries off Mukesh Kumar in the final over. However, his innings came to a bitter end on the fourth ball and returned with an effective came of 36(21), which included six boundaries.
Captain Rishabh Pant came in at the fall of Badoni’s wicket but could not leave an impact, as he was dismissed on the final delivery of the innings by Mukesh Kumar. David Miller remained unbeaten on 14 off 15 balls, managing just a solitary boundary, and never looked settled at the crease. (ANI)
