Hardik Pandya continued his rich vein of form by smashing five sixes and scoring 28 runs in an over bowled by left-arm spinner Parvez Sultan as Baroda crushed Tripura by seven wickets in a Group B game of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy here on Friday. Chasing a meagre target of 110, Baroda rode on Hardik’s 47 off 23 balls to complete the task in just 11.2 overs, after elder brother Krunal Pandya did well with the new ball to finish with figures of 2/22. The highlight for the sparse crowd was the entertainment provided by Hardik as he launched into Sultan, hitting him for three sixes between long-off and extra cover region and another two in the cow corner.
Hardik has had a fantastic Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament so far with contributions in all four wins for Baroda. His sequence of scores read 74 not out, 41 not out, 69 and 47, and he has also picked up a couple of wickets along the way.
Brief Scores: Tripura 109/9 in 20 overs (Mandeep Singh 50, Krunal Pandya 2/22). Baroda 115/3 in 11.2 overs (Hardik Pandya 47). Baroda won by 7 wickets.
Shardul Thakur records worst bowling figures
Snubbed at the IPL auction, Shardul Thakur recorded the worst bowling figures in the history of SMAT T20 by going for 69 runs in four overs in Mumbai’s 43-run defeat in a Group E match against Kerala in Hyderabad.
Shardul was hit for six sixes and five fours even as he got Sanju Samson’s (4) wicket early in the game.
Unheralded Salman Nizar blitzed his way to an unbeaten 99 off 49 balls, which completely overshadowed Ajinkya Rahane’s stroke-filled 68 off 35 balls in this high-scoring game.
Batting first at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Kerala piled up 234 for 5 riding on Salman and Rohan Kunnummal’s (87 off 48 balls) 140-run stand for the third wicket in just 13.2 overs. Salman hit eight sixes and Kunnummal had seven maximums to his credit.
In reply, Mumbai were restricted to 191 for 9 despite Rahane’s efforts. Prithvi Shaw started well with two fours and two sixes but could only contribute 23 off 13 balls, while skipper Shreyas Iyer, despite a good beginning, could contribute only 32 off 18 balls. Pacer MD Nidheesh took 4 for 30.
Brief Scores: Kerala 234/5 in 20 overs (Rohan Kunnummal 87, Salman Nizar 99 not out). Mumbai 191/9 in 20 overs (Ajinkya Rahane 68, Shreyas Iyer 32, Prithvi Shaw 23, MD Nidheesh 4/30). Kerala won by 43 runs.
Delhi use 11 bowlers vs Manipur
A confident Delhi used all their 11 players, including regular wicketkeeper Anuj Rawat, for bowling during an easy four-wicket victory over Manipur headlined by opener Yash Dhull’s patient 59 off 51 balls in a Group C game in Mumbai.
Opting to bat, inexperienced Manipur could manage only 120 for 8 in their 20 overs with keeper-batter Ahmed Shah scoring 32. Shah’s 52-run stand with skipper Rex Singh (23) helped Manipur get past 100-run mark after being reduced to 41 for 6 in the 10th over.
Delhi skipper Ayush Badoni, in an unusual move, even used his keeper Rawat for an over while donning the big gloves himself. This was after he got a wicket with his off-breaks.
Left-arm spinner Harsh Tyagi (2/11) and off-spinner Digvesh Singh (2/8) got a couple of wickets apiece.
Delhi took 18.3 overs to compete the chase with Dhull anchoring it with eight boundaries and a six over deep mid-wicket off Kishan Singha. However, seasoned T20 players like Badoni and Priyansh Arya fell cheaply. Himmat Singh’s poor run of form also continued.
Brief Scores: Manipur 120/8 in 20 overs (Ahmed Shah 32, Digvesh Singh 2/8, Harsh Tyagi 2/11).
Delhi 124/6 in 18.3 overs (Yash Dhull 59 not out). Delhi won by 4 wickets. PTI KHS KHS AH AH
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