Shillong, Dec 20: Meghalaya pulled out 206-run first innings lead on day one of their Ranji Trophy plate group match against Mizoram at the MCA Cricket Ground here today.
This match was originally scheduled to begin on 22nd December, but the Meghalaya Cricket Association successfully appealed to the BCCI to bring it forward so that it did not overlap with Christmas.
Meghalaya won the toss and put the visitors in to bat and that decision paid dividends as they dismissed Mizoram for just 86 before lunch.
Guest/professional Gurinder Singh took 5/15 with his left-arm spin, while Abhay Negi (2/12) and Dipu Sangma (2/22) both picked up two wickets each. Aditya Singhania (1/19) also took one scalp for Meghalaya.
The hosts then had a fine time with the bat, scoring at 5.62 an over to finish the day on 292/4 in 52 overs. All six of the Meghalaya batsmen who batted today managed to get into double figures, though it was the guest/professionals who made the most of the fine and sunny conditions.
Yogesh Nagar hit 15 fours in his innings of 91 not out off just 84 deliveries, while Punit Bisht fell for 83 off 80 balls (13 fours, 1 six). This pair put on 112 runs for the fourth wicket.
Bisht’s dismissal brought Gurinder to the crease and he made a run-a-ball 52 by the end of the day’s play in an ongoing 107-run partnership with Nagar. Earlier Raj Biswa made 27 at the top of the order, while L Chettri (19) and captain Jason Lamare (13) also made a few runs before losing their wickets.
SENIOR WOMEN’S ONE DAY LEAGUE
Meanwhile, in Cuttack, Meghalaya suffered their first defeat in the Senior Women’s One Day League, losing their last plate group match by five wickets to Puducherry.
Meghalaya won the toss and chose to bat first, but were restricted to 167/7 in 50 overs. Opening batsman Debasmita Dutta top-scored with 51, while Vandana Mahajan made 40.
Puducherry started the chase slowly and Meghalaya were able to pick up a couple of early wickets, reducing their opponents to 30/2. However, Puducherry managed to pick up the pace and made the required runs in 44.5 overs for the loss of five wickets to win the game.
Trisha Bera took 2/22 for Meghalaya, while there were also wickets for L Tamang (1/9), Dutta (1/27) and Mahajan (1/40).
Meghalaya won five of their eight matches in the tournament and earned 24 points to finish an impressive third in the group.
(Photos contributed by the Meghalaya Cricket Association. The featured photo is of Meghalaya Ranji Trophy captain Jason Lamare batting)
