Archer brace guides Royals to IPL win
EXCITING WINDIES opener Evin Lewis smashed his second half-century of the Indian Premier League (IPL) but was outshone by the brilliant Jofra Archer, as Rajasthan Royals thrashed Mumbai Indians by seven wickets to strengthen their claim for a playoff spot in the Indian Premier League yesterday.
Sent in at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai tallied 168 for six from their 20 overs, with the left-handed Lewis top-scoring with 60 from 42 balls.
He put on 87 off 64 deliveries for the first wicket with Suryakumar Yadav, who struck 38, while Hardik Pandya chipped in with 36.
Lewis spearheaded Mumbai’s charge, stroking four fours and four sixes as he passed 300 runs in his first IPL season.
He reached his halfcentury at the 12th over, when he deposited a full toss from off-spinner Krishnappa Gowtham on to the media centre, but departed two overs later when he holed out to deep point off seamer Dhawal Kulkarni. Barbadian Archer produced an incisive fourover spell, grabbing two wickets and conceding only 16 runs.
His opening two-over burst cost just seven runs while coughing up the wickets of Yadav and captain Rohit Sharma for a first-ball duck. He prised out Yadav to a catch at long leg after the right-hander failed to keep down a pull and claimed Rohit in identical fashion off the very next delivery. Archer’s second spell was a pacy one, rattling Mumbai’s lower order and conceding a mere nine runs.
In reply, Englishman Jos Buttler extended his fine run with his second straight half-century, stroking an unbeaten 94 from 53 balls at the top of the order to see Royals to victory. They lost D’Arcy Short cheaply for four with the score on nine in the opening over, but Buttler added 95 for the second wicket with Ajinkya Rahane (37) and a further 61 for the third wicket with Sanju Samson (26) to successfully revive the run chase.