The second match of the day was just as one sided as the first, probably even more, some would say. The end result was a 96 run victory for the HS14 who to put it mildly, steamrolled the PhDs on their way to a great win.
The highlight of the match was the bruising, brutal, magnificent opening stand of 155 between Biyas and Nityanshu who obliterated the hapless PhD bowling attack in spectacular fashion. Nityanshu was the greater aggressor of the two managing to plunder 82 in double quick time while Biyas was no slouch often matching him shot for shot in his knock of 64. All in all, they made it rain sixes – a staggering 16 shots went into the stands, and no bowler was spared…the wealth was shared around as the two annihilated the bowlers. The two shared a particular fondness for the area between deep square leg and deep mid on, showing particular aptitude in cross batted shots. Biyas was using the sweep and the slog sweep to great effect while Nityanshu pulled and slog swept with disdain. Apart from a couple of straight hits over the long off and long on fielders for sixes and fours and one fierce cut over square for six by Biyas, the main area for boundary hitting was the short leg side fence between square leg and mid on. It has been the same story in other matches too, but never as skewed as this.
Sri Laxmi went for 30 and the over after her’s bowled by Shahid went for 20. It was a similar story elsewhere too, as the PhDs suffered a nightmare evening out on the field. Virtually nothing worked for them as the scoreboard went along like a virtual freight train. Even a last over maiden with a sudden collapse of wickets didn’t affect the scorecard in the least! HS14 finished up with an imposing 162, having lost some wickets at the end in a an ambitious attempt to score the maximum possible runs. It was however of no concern, as the target set was a herculean task to say the least and the PhDs wouldn’t have been looking forward to it in the slightest…
Demoralised and tired, the PhDs were never in the chase, and lost wickets at regular intervals. With their semifinal spot secure and a win in this match seeming inevitable, Biyas opted to bowl a number of different bowlers so as to give them some match practice. What wasn’t expected was that these bowlers would go on to take some wickets apiece sharing the wealth around. The PhDs fell prey to rash shots – seeking to up the run rate and some terrible decision making. Some batsmen hung around more than others but it was mostly a procession, a very long one to say the least. Prantik offered the most resistance by far, but his effort was far from enough, as the wickets tumbled like ninepins. They eventually finished on 66/8 which was perfectly in sync with the bowling effort of their opponents.
Aishwarya was the pick of the bowlers with 3 wickets, Joseph picked up two as the medium pacers made hay while the sun didn’t shine! Yes, HS14 did drop a few and commit a few fielding errors, but this display only reinforces the fact that they are still the team to beat – being the favourites for this tournament. Will they win it for a third time? Only time will tell. The PhDs meanwhile face a stiff test in the form of HS15 who are having a rollicking run a form lead by their main man Ashwin who is going through a purple patch of purple patches. They will have to pick the pieces quickly or they could be in serious danger of crashing out.
Report by Y.N. Simha
Article 19 