Kochi smash Rajastan

Superb bowling by Kochi restricted Rajastan to 97 ! Sreeshant and Puli ( Parameshwaran ) took two wickets each and Brad Hodge took four in a great display of bowling and Delhi paid the price for their inept batting.

Hodge took 4/13 and then Kochi batsmen blasted the hapless Rajastan bowlers and finished the match in 7.2 overs ! Rajastan are out of the tournament.

The dangerous McCullum and P Patel were at ease during their respective knocks of 29 and 21 not out.

After losing Mahela to Oram, McCullum blasted four sixes and a four to rattle the Raj bowlers in his 12 ball stint.

Then Patel and Hodge put in a fifty plus stand to take Kochi home.

Brendon hit Shaun Tait for a six over mid wicket and then danced down the wicket to hit Oram for another six. He hit his NZ team mate for two more sixes, knocking the stuffing out of Rajastan. Hodge hit two sixes and five fours and Patel smashed two fours and a six.

Hodge was superb with his off breaks and the combination of off spin plus the pace duo of Sreeshant and Puli wrought havoc on the hapless Rajastan batsmen.

Ashok Menaria was the pick of the Rajastan batsmen and he hit 31.

It was RP Singh who gave Kochi the first breakthrough, when he trapped Fazal lbw with a few toss. Sreeshant removed Rahul Dravid with a beauty of a delivery that moved away after pitching. Dravid went for it, only to be caught in the slips by Owais Shah. Rahane flicked Sreeshant for four, but then Sree fought back with a master delivery which trapped Rahane lbw.

Shane Watson was at his murderous best, hitting Prashant for three huge sixes. Then Parameshwaran shattered his stumps with a magnificent delivery and Rajastan were reeling ! The Hodge took over, removing Pinal Shah, Oram and Warne and the match was over ! The Aussie spinner got Shah with a faster delivery and shattered the stumps of Oram and Warne.

Even when Rajastan were in ruins, Menaria stood firm, like the rock of Gibralter, amidst the ruins of Carthage.

It was all over when Puli had last man Doshi skying an easy catch to Mahela !