Syed Mushtaq Ali Inter-Zonal Trophy 2017, Day 2 Review: Irfan Pathan special helps West Zone ease past North Zone

After a closely contested opening day of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Inter-Zonal T20, the second day had a double header in the store again. East Zone were lined up for their first match of the tournament as they took on Central Zone. Central Zone had won their first game yesterday and were looking to continue to build on the momentum. However, it was not to be the same this day. A fighting fifty from skipper Naman Ojha saw Central Zone post a decent score on the board. But the effort was overshadowed by a whirlwind quick fifty by Ishan Kishan as East Zone started off their campaign on a winning note.

In the other match, North Zone took on the West Zone. North Zone had registered a key win yesterday riding on the fifties from Shikhar Dhawan and Gautam Gambhir. Gambhir continued his good form today as well but the team could not bat enough to support him. North Zone managed to score a mere 107, which was easily chased down by the West Zone batsmen.

Here is a brief look at both the matches played on Day 2 of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2017:

East Zone v Central Zone – East Zone won by 7 wickets

East Zone skipper Manoj Tiwary had no hesitation in opting to bowl first after winning the toss. Central Zone captain Naman Ojha walked in to open the innings with Mahipal Lomror. Lomror’s poor run continued as he was run out on 1 in the very first over. Veteran batsman Ambati Rayudu lasted just two deliveries before being dismissed for a duck on the last ball of the first over. At 2/2, Harpreet Singh walked in to join Ojha. Harpreet had scored a gritty fifty yesterday. He continued his good form as the duo stitched a 75 run stand in 71 deliveries.

The partnership was broken when Writtick Chatterjee dismissed Harpreet on 48 (43 balls, 4 fours and a six). Wickets kept tumbling from one end as Ojha paraded along his steady knock. Ojha reached his fifty in the last over before being dismissed on the last delivery of the innings. He scored 51 off 48 balls with 3 fours and a six as Central Zone posted 151/7 in their 20 overs. Ashok Dinda and Sayan Ghosh bagged two wickets each for the East Zone.

The run chase began with Shreevats Goswami and Ishan Kishan walking to the crease. Goswami was run out on 15 in the last over of the powerplay but Kishan looked to be on a different note. He smacked a brilliant 36-ball 67 before being dismissed by Mahipal Lomror. Ishan hit 7 sixes and a four in his knock. He was well supported by Ishank Jaggi’s unbeaten 37-ball 51. Their efforts saw East Zone win the match by 7 wickets and 17 balls to spare.

Brief Scores:

Central Zone 151/7 in 20 overs (Ojha 51, Harpreet 48, Dinda 2/24, Ghosh 2/38)

East Zone 154/3 in 17.1 overs (Ishan Kishan 67, Ishank Jaggi 51*, Lomror 2/31)

Also read – Syed Mushtaq Ali Inter-Zonal Trophy 2017, Day 1, Review: Gambhir, Dhawan power North Zone to powerful win

North Zone v West Zone – West Zone won by 8 wickets

West Zone bowlers, spearheaded by Irfan Pathan, made a mockery of the star-studded North Zone batting lineup. After being put into bat, North Zone had a horrid start with Dhawan departing in the third over bowled by Irfan. Pathan, in his next over, scalped two wickets in successive deliveries to dismiss hard hitting batsman Rishabh Pant and Yuvraj Singh. Yuvraj managed a golden duck to his name. Things only got worse as the middle order collapsed, leaving North Zone struggling at 57/6 in 10.5 overs.

It was Gambhir, who held the fort from one end and notched up a fighting fifty. He eventually departed on the penultimate delivery of the innings on 60 (58 balls, 4 fours, 1 six). His efforts saw North Zone put up 107/8 in their 20 overs. Irfan Pathan returned with stupendous figures of 3/10 in his 4 overs. West Zone openers, on the contrary, seemed to be batting on a different wicket altogether.

Shreyas Iyer and Parthiv Patel were off to a flying start. The openers added 80 runs for the first wicket in 54 deliveries. Both batsmen then departed in quick succession to let the middle order complete the formalities. Iyer scored 30 off 26 balls with 4 fours and a six. Parthiv hit a classy 56 off 35 deliveries with 9 boundaries to his name.

Brief Scores:

North Zone 107/8 in 20 overs (Gambhir 60, Dagar 11, Irfan Pathan 3/10, Nayar 1/18)

West Zone 108/2 in 12.4 overs (Parthiv 56, Iyer 30, Rasool 1/7)