Scorchers seek Daredevil win to stay alive

Published on: Oct 21, 2012

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The match between Perth Scorchers and Delhi Daredevils will be a crucial one for the former since they are yet to open their account in the series.

The match between Perth Scorchers and Delhi Daredevils will be a crucial one for the former since they are yet to open their account in the series. They went down to Titans by a big margin while their other clash against Kolkata Knight Riders was washed out. For them to have a chance to making it through to the semis, they now need to win both their remaining games. Delhi Daredevils on the other hand are in a more comfortable position. They easily got the better of KKR in their opening clash even as their second game against Auckland was washed out.

Team Scorchers analysis

Scorchers do not have a great bowling line-up so they will want their star batsmen to stand up and deliver. Herschelle Gibbs and Shaun Marsh are excellent players, and they must rise to the occasion on Sunday. Further, skipper Marcus North and Simon Katich will also need to deliver, and Scorchers would also hope that Mitchell Marsh continues his good run.

Brad Hogg is the only known name in the bowling department, but he also seems past his prime. Can Hogg deliver for Scorchers is a big question then. Among the other bowlers, Michael Beer, Nathan Rimmington and Joe Mennie will have to shoulder the major responsibility. They are likely to have it tough against Mahela Jayawardene and co.

Team Daredevils analysis

With KKR, CSK and MI being knocked out, Delhi are the only IPL side left in the tournament. They would be disappointed if they don’t get the better of Scorchers and enhance their chances of making to the final four. They have an extremely strong batting line up comprising of Mahela Jayawardene, Virender Sehwag and Kevin Pietersen. The trio make Delhi one of the strongest batting line ups in the CLT20. If they fire against Scorchers, Delhi must, in all probability, win.

Delhi’s bowling should also test Scorchers. They have great variety in their bowling with Irfan Pathan swinging the ball early on and the trio of Morne Morkel, Umesh Yadav and Ajit Agarkar banging the ball in and getting plenty of purchase from the bouncy pitches. Significantly, all of them have tasted success, and hence would be confident of doing well.

All said and done, Daredevils must fancy their chances. Having said that, this hasn’t been a tournament for favourites. Hence, Delhi must be wary.

--By A Cricket Analysis