Aclt20 day-12 result 1.Daredevils Vs Cape Cobras

Delhi Daredevils 114 for 6 (Shah 39*, Karthik 23, Ontong 2-8) beat Cape Cobras 84 (Nannes 3-19) by 30 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

	Dirk Nannes cracked a helmet during his fiery spell

The spate of low scores at the Feroz Shah Kotla continued, as the Cape Cobras faltered in their pursuit of a modest 115 to lose by 30 runs. As a result, they finished second in League B behind Victoria, and will be spared the tough batting conditions in Delhi as they take on Trinidad and Tobago in their semi-final in Hyderabad. Delhi Daredevils, who had little to gain from this game, finished on a high by giving their fans something to cheer in an otherwise disappointing tournament. Their spinners gave them crucial breakthroughs and the pace of Dirk Nannes shut out any chance of a Cobras fightback after the match had turned decisively in Delhi's favour. The Cobras were eventually dismissed for 84, the lowest total of the tournament.

While Delhi's batsmen struggled against pace, their spinners turned the tide against the Cobras with three important wickets - Herschelle Gibbs, JP Duminy and Justin Ontong. Gautam Gambhir, aware of the tricky pitch, opted to open the bowling with Tillakaratne Dilshan. The turn on offer was evident in his second delivery, as he trapped Herschelle Gibbs in front to one that shot in from outside off stump. Duminy, charged with the responsibility of guiding the innings after Davids' departure, was castled by Amit Mishra to one that kept extremely low, and Justin Ontong was bowled through the gate, deceived by Dilshan's flight.

With the pitch behaving as expected - the ball coming on slowly and the bounce uneven - bowlers from both teams stuck to a plan that followed a pattern adopted by other teams at the venue. But, strangely enough, the flow of each innings was altered by run-outs which prevented the possibility of a par-score on this track. Dinesh Karthik's attacking 23 was ended by a typical blunder from his partner Owais Shah, while Henry Davids' dismissal off a direct hit proved decisive in hauling Delhi back in the game. Davids had dominated a stand of 27 with Duminy, launching Dilshan into the stands and punching Rajat Bhatia for a boundary, but was found short by a steaming throw from Pradeep Sangwan at short third while responding to a single.

The spinners keeping one end in check, Nannes, who had uprooted Andrew Puttick's off stump in the fourth over, returned for his second spell and delivered immediately. The stumps continued to bear the brunt of his pace, as Ryan Canning was bowled while attempting a pull and Claude Henderson failed to dig one out of the blockhole. At 78 for 8, there was only one result possible and Yogesh Nagar hastened the end, cleaning up the tail.

Delhi's score was lent an element of respectability by Shah, who made amends for his lapse during Karthik's dismissal with some aggression at the death. He broke a 10-over boundary drought with a six over long-on off Ontong, and helped snatch 35 off the last four overs to give his bowlers a chance of challenging the Cobras.

Karthik had launched a counter-attack after the Cobras seamers - who kept a tight line and offered little width - had reined in Delhi by dismissing the openers. After seeing off three overs amid the pressure of a declining run-rate, he stepped up to dispatch Kleinveldt for three consecutive fours. Each delivery varied in length but Karthik adapted brilliantly; a short one was pulled over midwicket, a good-length delivery was driven on the up and a slower ball bowled full was clattered over extra cover.

But things soon turned bleak. The six overs after his run-out just yielded 26, with Claude Henderson and debutant Francois Plaatjies racing through their overs and restraining the batsmen from finding a release. But Ontong, despite taking two wickets in four balls, offered Shah an opportunity in the 17th over. Shah also struck Kleinveldt and Vernon Philander for boundaries in the next two overs, while stealing nine runs off the 20th with Mishra to take Delhi to what turned out to be a match-winning total.

While the Hyderabad semi-final between T&T and Cobras promises to be a high-scoring one, the two Australian teams, Victoria and New South Wales, will be wary of what is likely to be on offer in Delhi, with the pitch spoiling a game designed for big hits.