LiveSport Open T20 Challenge, Matchdays 6 and 7

Matchday 6 started on a disappointing note, as the first match between Invincible XI and West Warriors was decided by a walkover. Team West Warriors could not make it to the ground, since a few of their players were unavailable. We used the match time for an open wicket practice session with Team Invincible XI. This turned out to be a lot of fun, and soon we were all set for the only match of the day – a group B match between Stoners and CSCA.

Match 12: Stoners vs CSCA

Both the teams had started of with a win on the previous day, and we expected this to be a close match. Team CSCA had other ideas, however.

Abhishek the Man of Match

Bowling first, they came with a genuine fast bowler in their team – Abhishek. He bowled a rapid opening spell, knocking out four Stoners batsmen in no time. At the end of the Powerplay overs, Stoners were staring down the barrel at 30 for 5. Things got a little easier, though, after Abhishek’s spell, and Ayush started to open his arms after surviving the opening burst. He scored an excellent 56, and managed to lead his team to a somewhat competitive 123 from 20 overs.

Stoners knew they would have to bowl well to make a match of this, and CSCA’s trouble chasing 99 the previous day gave them hope. There was to be no repeat of that performance, however, as openers Dinesh and Devender took the match away from their opposition in no time. Averaging 2 sixes every over, CSCA got one of the fastest starts of the season, and chased down the target in 14.2 overs. Dinesh scored the fastest fifty of the tournament so far in 18 balls! The man of the match deservingly went to Abhishek for his match-winning bowling

Stoners:                      123 all out in 19.5 overs

                              Ayush 56

                              Abhishek 4/9 (4)

                              Chirag 4/27 (4)

           

CSCA:                         4/127 in 14.2 overs

                              Dinesh 51 (18)

                              Devender 38

                              Mustafa 2/32 (4)

                             

SPARTAN Man of the Match:     Abhishek

Match 13: Vedic Naturals vs Foreway

Saturday morning finally brought what T20 cricket is all about – runs! This match was a virtual knockout, with the winning team earning a place in the next round. Vedic Naturals batted first, and captain and opener Cristy seemed to have come all set for a slam bang performance.

Star performer Kuldeep

It was raining sixes everywhere as he blasted 81 from 33 balls. Kuldeep gave the innings a rocket boost towards the end, with 30 not out from 13 balls. The Vedic Naturals innings, that ironically began with a maiden over, ended at a whopping 229 for 4 from 20 overs.

Could this kind of a score be chased down? Top order batsman Sachin certainly believed so, scoring 78 from 39 balls. However, he got no support from the rest of his teams, and bowlers Arun and Rashid combined for 34 for 6 from 6 overs. That sealed the match and a place in the next round for Vedic Naturals. Cristy was the obvious choice for the SPARTAN Man of the Match award.

Vedic Naturals:               4/229 in 20 overs

                              Cristy 81 (33)

                              Kuldeep 30* (13)

                             

Foreway:                      178 all out in 20 overs

                              Sachin 78 (39)

                              Arun 1/11 (3)

                              Rashid 3/23 (3)

SPARTAN Man of the Match: Cristy