Bravo first to 300 T20 wickets
MOHALI, India (CMC): ALL-ROUNDER DWAYNE Bravo produced a four-wicket haul to become the first bowler to take 300 Twenty20 career wickets as new side Gujarat Lions trounced Kings XI Punjab by five wickets in the Indian Premier League here yesterday.
The right-arm seamer finished with four for 22 from his four overs to restrict Kings XI to 161 for six off their 20 overs, after they were sent in at the PCA Stadium.
Kings XI then cruised to their target with 14 balls remaining in the innings, thanks to a top score of 74 off 47 deliveries from Australian opener Aaron Finch. Dinesh Karthik struck an unbeaten 41 from 26 balls.
The hosts got away to a great start, thanks to openers Murali Vijay, who stroked 42 and Manan Vohra, who scored 38, in a 78-run stand.
Left-arm spinner Ravi Jadeja (2-30) claimed both before Bravo went to work on the remainder of the innings.
Bravo, who was vital to West Indies’ capture of the Twenty20 World Cup last week, bowled Australian Glenn Maxwell for two with a yorker at 101 for three in the 12th over to move to 299 wickets and two balls later, also shattered South African David Miller’s stumps for 15 with a slow yorker that dipped.
In reaching 300 wickets, the 32-year-old Bravo surpassed Sri Lankan speedster Lasith Malinga, who sits on 299 wickets.
NARINE RETURNS TO IPL
Meanwhile, champion off-spinner Sunil Narine is set to return to India today and could make a highly anticipated appearance for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in tomorrow’s mega clash against Mumbai Indians.
KKR team officials confirmed yesterday that the 27-year-old off-spinner was scheduled to arrive this morning from Trinidad and Tobago, after returning home over a week ago following the death of his father.
While in Trinidad, Narine was cleared by cricket’s world governing body, the ICC, to resume bowling in international cricket, a development that provided a huge boost to KKR ahead of the current IPL season.
Narine had been banned by the ICC last November, after tests showed his action on all deliveries, exceeded the 15 degree level of tolerance permitted under regulations.
He was forced to remodel his action and late last month successfully underwent a retest at the Sri Ramachandra University in Chennai.