Hyderabad fight Bengal for top spot

AHMEDABAD: Both Hyderabad Heroes and Royal Bengal Tigers, who do battle in their Indian Cricket League match at the Sardar Patel stadium here on Saturday, will be fighting for the top places in the pool since both have already made the semi-final grade.
But a victory for either will not be of much help, for in this most 'instant of instant cricket' formats, it is the team that performs well on the day that prevails.So if Heroes eventually qualify to meet Dhaka Warriors for example, in the semifinal, it won't make much difference to them. The same is the case with Tigers. Both teams can at best use new strategies and rest players in what has been a strenuous tournament.
On Thursday in Panchkula, Hyderabad Heroes showed their class when they knocked up the highest total in the ICL ��� 214 for 6. It was a score that helped them record a rollicking 79 runs win over Magicbricks.com Mumbai Champs and storm into the last four.
It was the fourth time that the 200-run mark was being breached in these championships and it reflected how the standard of the game has risen, with the batsman getting more and more experience in this format.
Niki Boje is proving to be a revelation. He smashed 88 runs with five sixes and eight fours and with Stuart Binny, who made 51, put on a blistering 92 runs for the fifth wicket. In fact their partnership was a match-saving one, for Heroes were precariously placed at 72 for for 4 when the two got together for the rescue act.