Shahbaz Ahmed’s commanding 167 and Anukul Roy’s five-wicket haul powered East Zone to an innings-and-210-run victory over North East Zone in the Duleep Trophy quarterfinal at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 2 on Tuesday.East Zone first posted a massive 467 before Abhijit Sarkar’s five-wicket haul helped dismiss North East Zone for 111 in their first innings. Forced to follow on, North East Zone were bowled out for 146, with Anukul claiming five wickets as East Zone completed a dominant win.
Shahbaz, Gharami build huge total
Shahbaz was at the centre of East Zone’s big first-innings total, scoring 167 off 244 balls with 17 fours and four sixes. Sudip Kumar Gharami also played a major role, hitting 146 off 185 balls, with 25 fours and a six.East Zone had slipped to 138 for five, but Gharami and Shahbaz put the innings back on track with a crucial partnership. Shahbaz continued to take the team towards a commanding total even after Gharami was dismissed.East Zone eventually finished on 467 in 112.5 overs.
Sarkar sparks collapse
North East Zone struggled to deal with East Zone’s bowling attack and were bowled out for 111 in 42.5 overs.Sarkar was the pick of the bowlers, returning impressive figures of 5-20 in 9.5 overs. Shahbaz also made a significant contribution with 3-20.Arpit Bhatewara top-scored with 32, while captain Rongsen Jonathan made 21. The rest of the North East Zone batting line-up failed to put up much resistance.
Anukul completes the job
Forced to follow on, North East Zone were soon in trouble again at 10 for one. Pheiroijam Jotin offered some resistance with 39, while Akash Choudhary scored 27 and Kishan Lyngdoh made 25.Anukul then took charge of the attack, finishing with 5-37 from 15 overs. Youngster Vaibhav Sooryavanshi also impressed with two wickets, while Mukesh Kumar and Sarkar picked up one each.North East Zone were eventually dismissed for 146 in 50 overs, handing East Zone a comprehensive innings-and-210-run victory.
Shami looks for better outing
While the younger bowlers impressed with disciplined lengths and regular breakthroughs, East Zone’s most experienced pacer Mohammed Shami had a quiet outing.The India quick went wicketless in both innings and will be hoping for a stronger performance when East Zone return to action in the semifinal.
