Player-coach Shane Deitz top-scored - with an unbeaten 114-ball 71 over Bermuda - for the third time in four matches since his international debut at the start of WCL Division Four. Dietz's maiden half-century propelled Vanuatu to a four-wicket win - their first win in the tournament - and kept alive their slim hopes of avoiding relegation.
After their disastrous decision to bat second on a wearing track, Bermuda opted to go the other way on Thursday. But the slipped to 24 for 3 inside the Powerplay. The big scalp in that bunch was Kamau Leverock, who decimated Jersey with a belligerent 28-ball half-century.
Dion Stovell, who took four wickets on Wednesday, teamed with captain Terryn Fray to grind out a 110-run stand across 32.1 overs to get Bermuda back into the match. But Nalin Nipiko's medium pace broke the stand in the 38th over and new-ball bowler Patrick Matautaava returned at the death to claim three more wickets, including Fray for 77 to finish with 4 for 41.
Bermuda began their defence of 181 with spin and Stovell struck on his fifth delivery to claim Jonathon Dunn leg before. Matautaava was dismissed for 10 as his nightmarish tournament with the bat continued. And in walked Deitz. The former South Australian wicketkeeper added 54 for the third wicket with Joshua Rasu (31 off 67 balls) before Leverock and Stovell struck six balls apart to remove Rasu and then captain Andrew Mansale.
Deitz held firm, and with nuggety contributions from Nipiko (26 off 34 balls), Ronald Tari (15 off 39 balls) and Trevor Langa (13 not out off 25 balls) along the way, Vanuatu sealed victory with an over to spare and also put an end to Bermuda's chances of promotion.
Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma promoted himself to No. 3 to guide his team to an eight-wicket win against Chennai Super Kings, after walking in with a required rate at ten per over on a two-paced pitch. Rohit's well-paced, and unbeaten, half-century first took the pressure off a struggling Evin Lewis and then sealed a chase of 170 in comfortable fashion.
Earlier in the game, Mumbai had fought back after the tournament-leader for runs, Ambati Rayudu, and Suresh Raina, had set Super Kings up for a massive total at 91 for 1 in ten overs. The innings then spiralled downwards and even a late flourish from Raina, who was unbeaten on 75, couldn't get them enough on the evening.
Mumbai's changes
Mumbai had persisted with more or less the same team for each of their six games before Saturday. When they did decide to make changes, it didn't seem like too much would change. There was a good chance that the replacements - JP Duminy for Kieron Pollard and Ben Cutting for Mustafizur Rahman - wouldn't have prominent roles to play if a successful top order remained true to form.
This was doubly true for Cutting, who, despite replacing a specialist bowler, bowled only one over. Super Kings batsmen Rayudu and Raina took him for 14 and brought up a fifty-run stand for the second wicket.
Super Kings lose momentum
Shane Watson had fallen to Pawan Negi in the first over against Royal Challengers on Wednesday. Mumbai waited till the fifth over to bring on their left-arm spinner, but Krunal Pandya's introduction worked immediately as he induced a slice from Watson that was caught at square leg.
Before that, there was bounce early on that Jasprit Bumrah used to subdue Rayudu and was taken out of the attack, perhaps in a bid to preserve him for MS Dhoni and Dwayne Bravo later in the innings. So Hardik Pandya was given the ball in the Powerplay, despite an economy rate of 10.4 at this stage of an innings in the IPL. He was actually doing well, compensating for the absence of Mustafizur, until Rayudu took 10 runs off his last two deliveries and suddenly Super Kings were 51 for 1 in six overs.
Raina looked more fluent than he has ever been this season, kickstarting his innings with a slog over deep midwicket off the second ball he faced. Mumbai went after him with short ball. At one point, they had short third man, gully and backward point in place but the lines weren't right. Raina struck two boundaries past short fine, and made a comfortable six runs off three balls square on the off side. The rest of the time, he monopolised his favoured areas on the leg side, making 38 of his 75 at long-on and deep midwicket.
However, he seemed to lose his way. His scoring rate through the middle-overs fell to 138 after the high of 182 at the end of the 10th over. The team began to falter as well and when McClenaghan took out Dhoni and Bravo in the space of three balls, all hopes of a big finish were lost. Having been 91 for 1 at the end of 10 overs, Super Kings could manage only 169 for 5. Bumrah and McClenaghan conceded just 51 runs in their eight overs.
Rohit shows up
Lewis was dismissed for a duck by Deepak Chahar when these teams last played, but the head-to-head tonight lasted only one ball with the seamer walking off the field in the fifth over. At the post-match press conference, CSK coach Stephen Fleming confirmed that Chahar had suffered a hamstring injury and would be out for at least two weeks.
Lewis' struggle continued even as partner Suryakumar Yadav put his rich form to good use. When their lopsided opening stand of 69 ended through a brilliant take from Ravindra Jadeja at deep midwicket, Lewis was 21 off 26. Although a couple of swats against Imran Tahir got his scoring rate up, the opener's stay was a troubled one.
That it didn't hurt Mumbai was down to Rohit's performance. His one-handed six at long-off, off Watson's first ball in the 14th over, was the beginning of the phase where the required rate fell below nine. A couple of balls later, he showed that he would control the rest of the chase, getting down to scoop a full ball over fine leg for another six.
All of his boundaries from that point onwards showed a tremendous awareness of the field. A pull over square leg off Bravo, a lofted drive against Watson in the 18th set up for the big 19th over, with Mumbai needing 22 off 12.
At this juncture, Dhoni chose to change Bravo, whose 17th had gone for five, and handed the ball to Shardul Thakur. The bowler nailed only one yorker, the one that got Rohit back on strike. His attempted yorkers then flew over point, two went over square leg and the change-up length ball was expertly dabbed between short third man and point.
With that 17-run over, during which he brought up his fifty, Rohit made sure Mumbai didn't finish the weekend at the bottom of the table.
Kent 39 for 1 trail Pakistan 168 (Imam 61, Gidman 5-47) by 129 runs Scorecard
A half-century from Imam-ul-Haq was the one bright spot for Pakistan as they began their tour of the UK and Ireland with a warm-up match in Canterbury. The Pakistan XI were dismissed for 168 after electing to bat, Kent's Will Gidman taking five-for, with Imam the only member of the top order to pass 17.
Imam was sixth out, as Pakistan slid from 111 for 3 to 140 for 8, before Hasan Ali cracked 24 from just 11 balls to lift them to 168. Hasan then struck with his fourth ball, pinning Daniel Bell-Drummond lbw, as Kent moved to 39 for 1 in reply before bad light brought an early close.
The nephew of selector and former Pakistan batsman Inzamam-ul-Haq, Imam made his ODI debut last year, scoring a century on his first international appearance. Batting at No. 3 against Kent, he scored nine boundaries while spending almost three hours at the crease, pushing his case for inclusion in the Test side.
"It was difficult, it was a very rainy day and the conditions were favouring the bowlers," Imam said. "We were working very hard, had a good session the last two days. I was trying to adapt as quickly as I can, trying to have positive intent."
Pakistan lost both openers with the score on 28, Azhar Ali bowled driving at Gidman and Sami Aslam then trapped lbw by Harry Podmore. Haris Sohail was also out lbw, to Gidman, but Imam and Asad Shafiq added 58 for the fourth wicket.
However, after Shafiq was dismissed for 17, bowled by Ivan Thomas, Pakistan's lower-middle order melted away. Babar Azam and Sarfraz Ahmed were caught behind, Shadab Khan had his stumps disturbed by Calum Haggett and Gidman completed his five-wicket haul when he had Mohammad Amir lbw for 4.
Hasan was last out, a second wicket for Podmore, and although Pakistan struck early in Kent's reply, Sean Dickson and Joe Denly guided the home side to the close.
