Jubilee Post News & Views
Ashok Bhambi
U.P did well to reach in the knock stage in the Capt Mushtaq Ali T-20 tournament.
It was possible because of some magical spell by the evergreen seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar. U.P lost 2 matches in the league stage to Delhi and J&K respectively and it was essential for us to win the match against Jharkhand to earn a place in the pre quarter finals. Both the teams were having equal points but U.P grabbed the second position in the group on the basis of better run rate.
We managed a score of 160 runs in the stipulated 20 overs and restricted them to 150 runs because of some exceptional and outstanding spell by captain Bhuvneshwar Kumar. He was the most economical in his 4 overs spell when he conceded just 6 runs and also changed the complexion of the match when he sent back well settled Ankul on the first ball of his 17th overs.
He was batting on 91 and firing all guns towards the target. Thereafter Bhuvi captured the next two wickets with the consecutive deliveries to ensure the victory.
He not only broke the backbone of the Jharkhand team and also took the Hat Trick in the process.
He has proved that he was still one of the best medium pacers in the country.It was a pity that Indian selectors have already made a red mark against his name.
Rinku Singh has also proved that why he has been considered as most reliable batsmen in T 20 cricket.
He was the most consistent scorer for his team throughout in the tournament. He amassed 240 runs in 7 matches whereas Priyam Garg was the next best with 131 runs. Most surprisingly Priyam played in only 3 matches. Nitish Rana , the guest artist from Delhi just couldn’t play a prominent role in the team’s success.
Sameer Rizvi did not play his natural game and all the time trying to cement his place in the team. Shivam Mavi proved that he was very useful cricketer in both the departments.
Vipraj Nigam proved his usefulness when he got the chance to play in place of Piyush Chawla. It seems that this is the end of career of a very versatile cricketer who gave yeoman service to the game for more than 20 years. His services should be taken by UPCA to improve the standard of the game in the state.
U.P will face Andhra Pradesh , a tough opponent in the pre quarter finals on 9th December. Let us hope and wish that our boys will excel in the knock out stage.
