Daredevils slump to their fourth straight defeat

NEW DELHI: Dale Steyn's reputation precedes him wherever he goes. The Delhi Daredevils paid the ultimate tribute to the world's best speedster with the track they laid out for the Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Feroz Shah Kotla. In complete contrast to their opening match against Rajasthan Royals, there was hardly a blade of grass on the track on Friday even though the Daredevils' strength lies in their pace attack. What the hosts didn't bargain for was that Steyn's craft doesn't need much assistance from the pitch as the South African prized out Delhi's in-form batsman David Warner for nought. Warner's dismissal set the tone for the innings as Daredevils could only muster 114/8 after electing to bat first. The Sunrisers, however, made heavy weather of an easy chase, dragging it to the final over of the innings before completing a three-wicket win with four balls to spare. Steyn had to come out and finish the job with the willow as well, smashing the winning boundary down the ground. Daredevils' spinners Johan Botha and Shahbaz Nadeem kept the opposition batters on a tight leash and the home side did seems to have an outside chance when Sunrisers were reduced 100/7. The visitors, though, managed to reach the target, thanks to lower-order batsmen Ashish Reddy (16, 9b) and Amit Mishra (16, 14b). It was Sunrisers' third win in the tournament. On the other hand, the Daredevils, with four losses in four games, are now firmly stuck in the bottom of the pile. Earlier, the Daredevils seemed to have lost all their 'dare' when confronted with the pace of Steyn. The South African's figures after his opening spell, 2-1-2-1, told the entire tale. Steyn's opening partner Ishant Sharma has grown up on the bald Kotla track and it was a successful return to his home town for him. His second over (fifth of the innings) practically ended all the fight in the Daredevils when he sent back skipper Mahela Jayawardene (12) and Virender Sehwag (12) off successive deliveries. Delhi managed to cross the 100-run mark thanks to the efforts of Kedar Jadhav, who hit an unbeaten 30.   TOI