Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Cricket Tournament
Excelsior Sports Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 12: Opening batsman Suryansh Raina’s power-packed 33 off just 25 balls, studded with 5 fours and one six, coupled with disciplined bowling performance by almost all the bowlers, powered Jammu and Kashmir to 7-wicket victory over comparatively weaker team Tripura in a low scoring Elite Group A match of the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Cricket Tournament at Alur Cricket Stadium, Bangalore today.
Earlier, batting first, Tripura bundled out for a paltry total of 93 runs in 18.1 overs as all the bowlers of J&K hit good areas and bowled with a disciplined line and length, keeping the rival batsmen guessing all the way. UU Bose (28) and Sankar Paul (27) were the main contributors for Tripura.
For J&K, though right-arm seam bowler Auqib Nabi was the most successful bowler, capturing 3 wickets by conceding 10 runs in his 2.1 overs, yet young left-arm medium pacer Mujtaba Yousuf was the most economical and pick of the bowlers, claiming 1 wicket by conceding just 8 runs in his 4 overs. Speedster Ram Dayal and left-arm spinner Abid Mushtaq bagged 2 wickets each by giving away 18 and 13 runs respectively, while skipper Parvez Rasool picked 1 wicket by spending 30 runs in his 4 overs. Young Abdul Samad also bowled 2 overs giving 11 runs without taking a wicket.
Chasing a meagre total of 94 runs, J&K rode on a quick-fire innings of 33 runs by Suryansh Raina, who set the tempo from the word go in this low scoring affair. J&K chased the target in 14.5 overs, losing 3 wickets in the process. Otherwise, low scoring matches prove disaster for the teams batting second if not handled well in the beginning. That is why Suryansh’s brisk innings carries much significance. Stylish Shubham Singh Pundir contributed unbeaten sedate 21 off 35 balls, hitting 1 crispy boundary, while Parvez Rasool scored unbeaten 19 off 17 balls with the help of 2 fours. Skipper and speedster MB Mura Singh took 2 wickets for Tripura by conceding 19 runs in his 3 overs, while Sankar Paul claimed the other wicket to fall.
In other two Elite Group-A Round-II matches, Punjab defeated Karnataka by 9 wickets and Railways got the better of Uttar Pradesh in an easy contest.
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