Tait and Watson sink Pune
Three key wickets from Shaun Tait and a whirlwind knock from Shane Watson saw the Rajasthan Royals scream to a resounding seven-wicket victory over the Pune Warriors in Tuesday's Indian Premier League clash at the Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium.
Three key wickets from Shaun Tait and a whirlwind knock from Shane Watson saw the Rajasthan Royals scream to a seven-wicket victory over the Pune Warriors in Tuesday's Indian Premier League clash at the Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium.
Rajasthan's win, which saw them climb to fourth spot in the nine-team standings, was an easy one over a Pune outfit languishing at second-last as the Australian duo took their cue to cash in.
Tait, for his raw pace, had little trouble in removing Sourav Ganguly, Robin Uthappa and Mithun Manhas in relatively quick succession. Each of Pune's top seven made it to double figures, not one graduated beyond Anustup Majumdar's 30.
Majumdar, playing his first game of the 2012, outshone his team-mates entirely, with big-name signings Michael Clarke, Angelo Mathews and Steven Smith all taking a back seat to the homegrown talent's 20-delivery defiance.
Eventually bowled by Johan Botha, he added a semblance of respectability to a total that otherwise wouldn't have reached three figures.
The Royals' reply was a swift, thorough affair, banked on the professionalism and brutality of Watson.
The hard-hitting Aussie wasted little time in tucking to a 90 not out blitz from just 51 deliveries, 10 fours and four mighty sixes included. He struck more than twice the amount of boundaries managed by the entire Pune order earlier and, for his hefty effort, landed the Man of the Match award.
Rajasthan's innings was not without blemish. Captain Rahul Dravid perished for 14, while Ajinkya Rahane was out for a duck.
In a match lined with Australians, Clarke and Steven Smith also bowled. Neither succeed well enough to stave off heavy defeat, which arrived with 22 balls to spare when Watson pounded his countryman Smith to the long-on fence to seal the one-sided deal.
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