All posts by n8rngtd.top

The ICC’s proposal for a two-tier Test system has not been received well in Bangladesh with the BCB’s vice-president Mahbubul Anam the latest to voice dissent

Mohammad Isam27-Jun-2016The ICC’s proposal for a two-tier Test system has not been received well in Bangladesh with the BCB’s vice-president Mahbubul Anam the latest to voice dissent as he feared for the growth of cricket in the country.As part of a widespread overhaul, David Richardson, the ICC chief executive, had said they were contemplating an increase in the number of countries with Test status and then separating them into two groups – the top seven and the bottom five – based on performance. Should this happen, Bangladesh, who are ranked ninth, are likely to slip into Division Two and settle for lesser Tests against top cricketing nations.”We do not support this system,” Mahbubul said. “We believe that more we play against competitive sides, the better we will get. If we didn’t play against better standard sides in ODIs, we wouldn’t have come this far. We were the king of the jungle from where we achieved the Test status. We were given a reality check when we were promoted to the highest level. I feel that if we go backwards, our cricket will regress.”As a veteran official who has represented the Bangladesh board at ICC, Mahbubul was disappointed that the global governing body was thinking about creating a “special class” of teams.”It is the ICC’s responsibility to globalise the game and not create a special class,” he said. “Other sports are spreading while cricket is becoming limited. I don’t think this should be the target of a global organisation.”Bangladesh gained Test status in 2000, but if they are relegated, they may have go through a two-year grind in Division Two to earn a promotion.Mahbubul is the third of the BCB directors after Ahmed Sajjadul Alam and Tanjil Chowdhury to speak against the two-tier proposal. The views of Nazmul Hassan, the BCB president, are not public yet.

The New Zealanders’ batting line-up notched up four half-centuries on a solid day for the tourists against a Zimbabwe A attack who went without much reward on the first day of the tour match in Harare

The Report by Firdose Moonda22-Jul-2016
Scorecard2:20

‘Happy with time in the middle’ – Guptill

The New Zealanders’ batting line-up notched up four half-centuries on a solid day for the tourists against a Zimbabwe A attack who went without much reward on the first day of the tour match in Harare. They took four of the seven wickets that fell on the day with three New Zealand batsmen retiring out. Henry Nicholls and BJ Watling both made half-centuries but Mitchell Santner cut his innings short on just 32.That was only after Martin Guptill and Tom Latham laid a platform. They posted 44 and dealt well with the early swing – the only hint of assistance the bowlers got – before Latham was caught down the leg side off Victor Nyauchi. Guptill kept going, alongside uncapped Jeet Raval, and took the New Zealanders to 111 for 1 at lunch.Zimbabwe A’s best period followed in the middle session when Gerald Aliseni had Raval caught at midwicket and Guptill dismissed lbw. The twin wickets did not prompt the New Zealanders to send in Kane Williamson but rather allowed opportunity for the rest and they did not disappoint.Watling and Nicholls ensured Zimbabwe A could not celebrate too long. They scored 52 and 61 respectively and found the boundary 16 times between them to leave the bowlers frustrated.Tendai Chatara, who will lead Zimbabwe’s attack in the Tests, showed glimpses of what he can do when he had Luke Ronchi caught at slip without scoring but Ish Sodhi took New Zealand to the close in a comfortable position.Perhaps more concerning than the fact that the New Zealanders still have three wickets in hand will be the fortunes of two of Zimbabwe’s Test slower bowlers. Sean Williams bowled just two overs and conceded 20 runs while Sikandar Raza’s seven overs cost 39 runs. Nyauchi and Aliseni, who have not been included in the Test squad, were the most economical.

Adam Wheater’s second century of the season helped Hampshire pick up three batting points in their crucial Specsavers County Championship match against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge

ECB Reporters Network13-Aug-2016
ScorecardAdam Wheater made his second hundred of the season (file photo)•Getty Images

Adam Wheater’s second century of the season helped Hampshire pick up three batting points in their crucial Specsavers County Championship match against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge. The 26-year old scored 102, getting his runs from 147 balls, with 12 fours and a six as his side reached 319 before bowled out in 83 overs.Half-centuries from Lewis McManus and Liam Dawson backed up Wheater’s fine effort, with Luke Wood taking 3 for 53 for the hosts. Nottinghamshire responded with 39 for 1 in the final 11 overs of the day.With the two county sides entering this round of matches occupying the bottom two places in the Division One table, the opening stages were inevitably important after Hampshire had won the toss and opted to bat first.Wood, playing his first Championship match of the season, led Nottinghamshire’s charge by nipping out both openers and then returned to the attack to dismiss Liam Dawson just before lunch. The 21-year old struck early, capturing the wicket of Jimmy Adams in his second over. The batsman caressed his second boundary through the covers off the young left-arm seamer but then lost his off bail to a perfectly-pitched away-swinger.Will Smith, skippering Hants against his former county, made 12 but was then pinned on the crease by Wood and was given out lbw. Dawson dominated the third-wicket stand of 65 but lost his partner as the first session drew towards a close. Tom Alsop, who had battled for 92 minutes in making 17, fell lbw whilst trying to sweep in Samit Patel’s first over.Notts skipper Chris Read brought back Wood and his first delivery prompted Dawson to pop up a simple catch to Michael Lumb at short midwicket.Harry Gurney took the only wicket to fall during the middle session, pinning Ryan McLaren lbw for 16 but the sixth-wicket pair of Wheater and McManus steadied the ship during a stand of 123. McManus, who reached his fifty from 101 balls, was superbly caught for 56 by Chris Read after being surprised by a short-pitched ball from Steven Mullaney.Wheater’s fine knock ended shortly after he had reach three figures, tamely chipping Imran Tahir to midwicket. Hampshire’s last four wickets fell for 15 as Mason Crane and Brad Wheal departed without scoring, before Andy Carter, on his Hampshire debut, was mopped up by Ball for 4.When Notts batted, Jake Libby became the fifth batsmen to be dismissed lbw when he was pinned by McLaren for 11. Jake Ball, sent in as nightwatchman, was put down by Adams at second slip, leaving the first day honours just about even.

ESPNcricinfo previews the second one-day international as Bangladesh try to bounce back from their latest collapse

Mohammad Isam08-Oct-2016

Match facts

October 9, Mirpur
Start time 2.30pm (0830GMT)

Big picture

The first game was a timely advertisement for ODI cricket. It had recovery acts from both sides that turned into domination, debutants giving a great early account of themselves, a batsman who redefined his style and an allrounder taking giant strides. Then of course there was Bangladesh having batting and fielding calamities, but it all added up to the spectacle.The Mirpur crowd felt enthralled for much of the game. Given how Bangladesh floundered during the final scene, they can expect another dramatic encounter in the second match given how they will be desperate to level the series.England will push to secure the series, and to do so they first needed Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow to be fit for Sunday. Roy suffered a shoulder injury while diving in the outfield but was passed fit while Bairstow has a hip flexor strain and will be assessed on the morning of the game. Jake Ball, who took the debut five-for, also felt the physical pressure of bowling a late spell in the climbing humidity. The England support staff will have had their hands full on Saturday.Ben Stokes will once again be expected to weigh in with his burgeoning role of the batting enforcer at No. 5. He will be pleased to see how he thwarted the spinners with different skills, a further sign of his evolution as an international batman in conditions that previously he – and England – could have lost their way in.Bangladesh will be going through the customary soul-searching that accompanies such collapses. They will also have to find a way to stretch their batting order because Mashrafe Mortaza, for all his good form with the ball, can’t buy a run at No. 8. Mushfiqur Rahim’s form is also starting to be a worry while their fielding has room for improvement.

Form guide

(completed matches, most recent first)Bangladesh LWLWW
England WLWWW

In the spotlight

He made a scintillating hundred in the first ODI, to follow his ton in the warm-up match for the BCB XI, but Imrul Kayes suffered cramps and ultimately was dismissed at a critical stage. The England bowlers will now have a better idea to bowl at him, which will be Imrul’s next challenge.Jake Ball only made his debut on Friday after Liam Plunkett couldn’t recover from his toe injury. Barring fitness worries, Ball will certainly be involved in the remaining two games after his five-wicket haul secured an improbable win and built on the positive reputation he has forged in his early days around the England set-up. As he sat in a drenched shirt after his match-winning spell on Friday, he said he had never felt his knees sweat before.

Team news

While Soumya Sarkar will have a hard time returning to the XI because Imrul’s hundred has blocked his path, there is now a stronger argument for Nasir Hossain and Al-Amin Hossain. They could take the places of Mosaddek Hossain and Mosharraf Hossain, the latter who also injured his hand in the last game.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Imrul Kayes, 3 Sabbir Rahman, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Mahmudullah, 7 Mosaddek Hossain, 8 Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), 9 Mosharraf Hossain, 10 Shafiul Islam, 11 Taskin AhmedIf Bairstow does not come through his morning fitness test that could open the door for Sam Billings. Another option, should England like an extra spinner to call on, would be allrounder Liam Dawson. Plunkett will also be assessed on Sunday morning, but if he has recovered from his toe injury could find it difficult to regain his spot after Ball’s display.England (probable) 1 Jason Roy, 2 James Vince, 3 Ben Duckett, 4 Jonny Bairstow/Sam Billings, 5 Ben Stokes, 6 Jos Buttler (capt & wk), 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Adil Rashid, 10 David Willey, 11 Jake Ball

Pitch and conditions

Mirpur offered a typically slow batting pitch for the first contest, and it is unlikely the next pitch used will be any different. Rain also remains in the weather forecast, particularly late in the afternoon.

Stats and trivia

• Tamim Iqbal is 52 runs away from becoming the first Bangladesh batsman to score 5,000 runs in ODIs; Mushfiqur needs 12 runs for 4000.
• Stokes needs 13 runs to reach 1000 in ODIs
• Ball became the first England bowler to take a five-wicket haul on ODI debut.

Quotes

“I think a lot of guys will take confidence from the way we played. We have proved ourselves that we can play in the fashion we want to in these conditions. We were brave to do that we took it on and that was probably one of the most pleasing things.”
“We have every chance to return to the series. I think we have no alternative but to think positively.”

The ICC is keen on having an edge-detection tool to go with the existing ball-tracking tool as minimum requirements for DRS

Alagappan Muthu03-Nov-2016The ICC is keen on having an edge-detection tool – Realtime Snicko, UltraEdge or HotSpot – to go with the existing ball-tracking tool as minimum requirements for DRS. However, that depends on the ICC cricket committee headed by Anil Kumble, and a planned meeting with the member boards in February 2017 to “prepare a road map for the use of technology moving forward”. For the ICC, the ideal outcome of the meeting will be some sort of agreement to have DRS for every Test no matter where it takes place, with the decided minimum requirements in place.As it stands now, DRS is employed even in those Tests where no edge-detection technology is available whereas India have been playing without DRS even with the required technology available. That India have agreed to use it on a trial basis against England is a step forward, but ICC’s general manager of cricket operations Geoff Allardice knows there is some way to go.”I look at matches in different parts of the world, and I see the different levels of technology and you see umpires are left without conclusive evidence in one series where in another series they might have conclusive evidence with all tools available,” Allardice said. “There are some logistical challenges as well about having every type of technology in every match but I think overall we should be striving for a more consistent delivery of technology at all international matches.”Ball-tracking is standard in DRS at the moment, and we won’t see that changing. I think you certainly need an edge-detection tool as a standard. If you go back to times gone by with the umpires listening to the stump microphone audio and trying to judge whether that was the sound of bat on ball or bat on pad or whatever, it was very difficult to make a decision [for the umpire] and also for the people watching at home to know what the umpire was thinking. And sound-based edge detection systems like Realtime Snicko and UltraEdge have simplified those kinds of decisions.”HotSpot is another tool that helps in edge detection, and while Allardice said it “has a lot to add to a DRS system”, its inclusion posed “logistical challenges”. India’s home Tests against England, for example, could have had HotSpot but the BCCI was told it would take too long for the equipment to arrive in the country. The cameras used by HotSpot are high-end military cameras, whose shipping needs special permissions from governments.The BCCI’s opposition to DRS arose from a perception that it wasn’t 100% fool proof. Some other boards do not employ it because of the high cost of equipment. As such there has been pressure on the ICC to assume control of the system itself. Allardice was open to the possibility.”If we get the support of members for the ICC to take a greater role in providing consistent technology at every game, we think that’s the right way to go forward. If we can map that out to the countries, and they like that, then the plan will be to start putting it in place.” he said. “Generally in DRS series, we deliver 98 to 99% correct decisions, and what that does is provide a consistency of correct decisions, whether the conditions are difficult for umpiring, or whether the umpire is having a good day or a bad day.”There has also been protest against DRS because of the possibility of human error. When asked if the ICC might be interested in training people to operate the various technologies to assuage that concern, Allardice said it was the technology provider who was best placed to understand the nuances of the system and implement it correctly. He did, however, admit there was a need for the ICC to oversee operations.”At this stage, I wouldn’t see us wanting to be technology providers ourselves, because the expertise and product development work that’s taken place over a long period of time, has been conducted by the technology providers. But I think there is a greater role for the ICC in the coordination of technology that goes to each match, and the oversight of the performance at matches.”DRS’s impact on the umpires is also a point of debate. In the Chittagong Test between England and Bangladesh, eight out of 18 decisions made by Kumar Dharmasena were overturned. Allardice said the number of incorrect calls an umpire makes factors into his assessment by the ICC, but he is judged over a longer term than just one match.”It’s quite a test for an umpire in those conditions, because you can often be making good umpiring decisions that are later proven to be incorrect,” Allardice said. “Like getting a glove on a sweep shot that then leads to an lbw being overturned.”One of the skills of an umpire at all levels, whether there is DRS or not, is his resilience to mistakes. In the old days, you used to find out when you came off the field whether you had made a mistake or not, and now that feedback is a little bit more immediate. And being able to process feedback about your decisions, and then try to either use it to improve your decision‑making, or to not let it affect your decision making, is the thing that determines an elite umpire from the next level down.”

Misbah-ul-Haq is expected to leave New Zealand on Sunday evening following the death of his father-in-law

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Christchurch20-Nov-2016Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq will miss the second Test in Hamilton, as he returns to Pakistan following the death of his father-in-law. Batsman Azhar Ali will lead the side in Misbah’ absence, the Pakistan Cricket Board has announced.Misbah and his family, who were also in Christchurch, had received news of his father-in-law being admitted to intensive care early on Sunday morning. They will make the trip back to Pakistan together. Misbah had only briefly taken the field during New Zealand’s chase, and is scheduled to leave the country on Sunday evening.His departure is a significant blow to Pakistan. Apart from having led the team in 50 Tests, Misbah has been a middle-order rock, never averaging less than 40 across the six most recent calendar years.”Misbah’s been exceptional throughout the years and we’ll miss him definitely,” Azhar said following the loss in the first Test at Hagley Oval. “We have to cope with that now and whoever comes into the side will take that opportunity and give us runs, as well as the stability he gives us in the middle.”No replacement has yet been named to the squad, but Misbah’s place in the XI is likely to be filled by either Mohammad Rizwan or Sharjeel Khan, who are the extra batsmen with the squad in New Zealand.Misbah had previously missed only one Test since he was appointed captain in 2010: he was unavailable for a 2012 Test in Galle, due to a suspension for slow over-rates. He had made scores of 31 and 13 in the Christchurch Test.

Mumbai sealed a 30-run victory to set up a semi-final clash against Tamil Nadu, while Gujarat eliminated Odisha on first-innings lead and will play Jharkhand on New Year’s day

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Dec-2016
ScorecardFile photo – Abhishek Nayar starred in Mumbai’s quarter-final triumph with his career-best match haul and a half-century•Fotocorp

Abhishek Nayar took the three wickets that Hyderabad had standing, at the start of the fifth day in Raipur, to lead defending champions Mumbai into the semi-finals of the 2016-17 Ranji Trophy. Nayar finished with 5 for 40, which took his match haul to 9 for 100, a personal best in first-class cricket. He had also scored a valuable 59 in the first innings which took Mumbai from 139 for 5 to 294.The final day began with Hyderabad on 121 for 7 in pursuit of 232. Five of those wickets were taken by Vijay Gohil, the left-arm spinner playing only his fifth first-class match.The overnight batsmen B Anirudh and Chama Milind put up hardy resistance and even entertained thoughts of victory with their 64-run stand for the eighth wicket. Mumbai might have felt nervous considering the first 22 overs of the morning went by wicketless. Hyderabad might have felt optimistic considering Anirudh, their No. 3 batsman, was still in the middle, well past his fifty.Under pressure, Nayar pulled off the star turn, much like he did in Mumbai’s season opener. He had Milind caught behind, two balls later he had Mohammad Siraj lbw and then polished off the last man Ravi Kiran to seal a tense 30-run victory.Hyderabad were bowled out for 201, Anirudh was stranded on 84 and Mumbai set up a knockout clash with Tamil Nadu on New Year’s day 2017.
Scorecard0:46

‘The lower order gave me confidence to go after runs’ – Samit Gohel

Gujarat opener Samit Gohel scored an unbeaten 359 and broke the world-record for the highest score by an opener carrying his bat in first-class cricket on the final day against Odisha. Gujarat qualified for the semi-final on the basis of first-innings lead at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.Gujarat resumed the day on 514 for 8, with Gohel batting on 261 alongside Hardik Patel. The overnight pair added five more to their 61-run stand before Hardik retired hurt. Gohel then put on 50 with No. 11 Jasprit Bumrah, before Hardik returned and added a further 72 runs with Gohel to take Gujarat to 641. During the course of that partnership, Gohel brought up his triple-century, and subsequently went past the record set by Surrey opener Bobby Abel in 1899. The innings ended with the dismissal of Hardik who had played 174 balls for his 18. Left-arm spinner Dhiraj Singh finished with figures of 6 for 147.Odisha lost captain Govinda Poddar early, before ending on 81 for 1 in 22 overs. Nineteen-year old opening batsman Subhranshu Senapati ended his maiden Ranji season with an unbeaten 57-ball 59.

South Africa Women made a strong start to the five-match ODI series on their tour of Bangladesh with an 86-run win in Cox’s Bazar

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jan-2017Handy contributions from their top-order, and legspinners Dane van Niekerk and Suné Luus, helped South Africa make a strong start to their five-match ODI series on their tour of Bangladesh, with an 86-run win in Cox’s Bazar. South Africa’s top-three struck half-centuries to lay the base for their 251 for 3 after they were invited to make first use of the surface at the Sheikh Kamal International Cricket Stadium. Luus and van Niekerk, the captain, then took five wickets between them, with the latter also proving economical, her nine-over spell costing South Africa just 23 runs, as Bangladesh were restricted to 165 for 6 in 50 overs.Lizelle Lee, South Africa’s wicketkeeper and opening batsman, razed the home team early with six fours and seven sixes as she zoomed to 87 off 71 balls. When she fell, she had scored the bulk of the 122 runs for the first wicket with Andrie Steyn, who was more sedate in her 68 off 123 balls. Following Lee’s dismissal, Steyn raised her maiden ODI half-century and added 79 more for the second wicket with Mignon du Preez. She was stumped off Salma Khatun, the offspinner, in the 43rd over. Khatun struck again, seventeen balls later, to have Chloe Tryon caught. But du Preez’s unbeaten 62, and a cameo of 20 from Marizanne Kapp, helped South Africa slap 37 runs off the last 25 balls.Khatun, despite her twin strikes, was expensive, ending her four-over spell with 2 for 30. Apart from her, only Nahida Akter, the left-arm spinner, was among the wickets. Akter was also economical, giving away just 45 in 10 overs in addition to the big scalp of Lee.Bangladesh crawled along for much of the first half of their chase. When Salma Khatun was caught behind of Luus, they had stumbled to 56 for 4. Rumana Ahmed, the Bangladesh captain, kept the fight alive with 37, but used up 80 balls. She added 52 for the fifth wicket with Nigar Sultana, the wicketkeeper-batsman. After Rumana’s dismissal, to a caught behind off van Niekerk, the onus fell on Sultana. She stayed till the end, finishing not out on 59. But despite her 90-ball effort that included seven fours and a six, Bangladesh fell a long way behind.While Luus (3 for 52 in 10) and van Niekerk dominated the wickets column, there were other impressive contributions. Opening bowler Marizanne Kapp and medium pacer Marcia Letsoalo stifled Bangladesh with economical spells of none for 10 in six overs, and none for 17 in 10 overs respectively.

The IPL 2017 auction date is close to being finalized for later this month in preparation for the tournament scheduled to begin on April 5

Nagraj Gollapudi02-Feb-2017The IPL 2017 player auction is likely to take place in the third week of February following a delay from the originally proposed date of February 4. Although the BCCI has not issued a final date yet, franchises understand it would be anywhere between February 20 and 25. Last November the IPL Governing Council decided to schedule the IPL 2017 tournament between April 5 and May 21.At that time, the player auction was slotted in tentatively for February 4 but that was ruled out as soon as the Supreme Court of India dismantled the BCCI house at the start of the year by removing its president Anurag Thakur and secretary Ajay Shirke and imposing various restrictions on the remaining eligible office bearers at the board. Although the BCCI management under its chief executive officer Rahul Johri was ready to stick to the timelines drawn last November, the court’s delay in appointing the committee of administrators put the IPL decisions on the backburner.However, with a four-member committee of administrators taking charge on Monday, the IPL is back on the priority list. The committee of administrators met with the BCCI management team to discuss the immediate decisions that need to be taken concerning IPL.”The Committee of Administrators (COA) met the concerned BCCI officials today to take stock of the urgent and important matters mainly concerning the successful conduct of IPL 2017,” a BCCI media release said. “The committee of administrators assured the franchises that it was overseeing the preparations for IPL and the ‘operational timelines’ will be sent out shortly.”On their part, the franchises have remained patient throughout the delay. Officials at several franchises said the main reason behind their confidence was the court had always made sure that cricket was never affected, both domestic and international. Also, the delay in the auction, one franchise chief executive officer said, would be an advantage because teams could scout for domestic talent in the ongoing Inter-State T20 tournament which finishes on February 18.If there is one thing the franchises are keen to get their hands on is the player roster – the final pool of players that will enter the auction. Normally the franchises get the roster two weeks ahead of the auction.”If we get the roster we can start making a shortlist of players we are after as then we come to know their availability which is always a big determining factor on which players teams pick,” one franchise CEO told ESPNcricinfo.This will be the last year of IPL before teams overhaul their rosters for the 2018 season. All existing player contracts will expire after IPL 2017 and it is expected most players will go under the hammer at the mega auction ahead of the 2018 season. There has been no decision yet on the player retention rules though.The current cycle of broadcasting rights, currently held by Sony Pictures Network India (SPNI), will expire after IPL 2017. Last September, the BCCI had announced that the next cycle of IPL rights would be sold via an open tender process. Eighteen companies including Facebook and Twitter bought the invitation to tender doucment for television and digital rights. The bids were meant to be opened on October 24, but the Lodha Committee deferred the process until the BCCI complied with the court order of July 18 last year.

A round-up of the Vijay Hazare Trophy games in Group A, played on March 3, 2017

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Mar-2017Gurkeerat Singh Mann led Punjab to a clinical, five-wicket win with a brisk 91 off 86 balls in their chase of 197 after Haryana had reduced them to 75 for 4. It was Harbhajan Singh’s figures with the ball – 10-0-33-4 – that put Punjab in a position of strength by bowling Haryana out for 196 in the penultimate over. After Siddarth Kaul removed Shubham Rohilla for a 12-ball duck, Nitin Saini and Chaitanya Bishnoi put on 68 for the second wicket in 109 balls, the biggest partnership of the innings. Punjab’s bowlers provided regular breakthroughs thereafter, led by Harbhajan, who had four batsmen lbw. Punjab’s chase got a steady start through U-19 opener Shubman Gill and Mandeep Singh, who added 47 in 81 balls. Legspinner Rahul Tewatia took three wickets and Harshal Patel had Yuvraj Singh bowled to pull Haryana back. Gurkeerat and Nikhil Chaudhary added an unbeaten 71 for the sixth wicket, of which the latter added 14.At the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi, Assam aced their chase of 216 against Railways to register a four-wicket win with 12 balls to spare. After being asked to bowl, Assam restricted Railways to 215. An 85-run third-wicket stand between Akash Verma and Pratham Singh – after Railways were reduced to 8 for 2 – was the only phase in the game that Railways dominated. Arup Das took three wickets, while Pritam Das, Amit Verma and Swarupam Purkayastha claimed two scalps each. Handy contributions from Assam’s top order – Pallavkumar Das (44), Arun Karthik (42), Verma (35) and Riyan Parag (32) – ensured there wasn’t much trouble in the chase.Akshay Karnewar, an ambidextrous bowler, led Vidarbha to a comfortable seven-wicket rout of Odisha with figures of 4 for 21 from 10 overs. Odisha chose to bat, and were given a steady start by Govinda Poddar’s 68-ball 58. However, a score of 87 for 2 in the 23rd over quickly turned to 162 all out in the 46th over as the Vidarbha bowlers took control of the game. No other batsman scored more than 30. After a stable base, Vidarbha’s chase was never in doubt. Jitesh Sharma struck a 71-ball 70 before he was lbw off Rajkishan Patel. A patient 30 from Ambati Rayudu took Vidarbha home with 59 balls to spare.