BMS College take down MCC Pune after steep chase

BMS College, Sri Lanka chased down the highest target of the day at the NCC Ground in Colombo to register a morale-boosting seven-wicket win over MMCC, Pune, India on the first day of the 5th Red Bull Campus Cricket T20 World Finals yesterday.   

Four games took place at neighbouring venues at Maitland Place. In the afternoon session, the Indian team elected to bat and posted an impressive 169/8 in  20 overs with opener Omkar Khapte hitting 46 off 26 balls and Saurabh Sanklecha 27 off 18 balls in a 75-run stand. But the loss of three wickets for the addition of eight runs halted their momentum. Atul Vitkar scored 34 with Geshan Wimaladharma taking 3-30.

In reply the Sri Lankan side manufactured an unbroken 88-run stand for the fourth wicket between Shehan Jayasuriya (56 not out from 30 balls) and Janith Liyanage (28 not out from 25 balls) who guided the home team to victory. Niroshan Dickwella scored 24 and Geshan Wimaladharma 28, with MMCC bowler Yash Nahar taking 2-25. 

In the other game at the SSC in the afternoon, ATC UOP South Africa registered the highest total for the day against LU England. They amassed 199/5 in 20 overs. Rubin Hermann 70 (5 sixes, 5 fours) top-scored with Tony De Zovzi 36 and Evan Jones 31 keeping the scoreboard ticking along. Samuel Grant had figures of 3-28. The English team were never in the game and were restricted to 145/7 in 20 overs to lose by 54 runs.

Nitish Kumar scored 33, Elliot Hooper 29 not out and Mohammad Hassan Azad 27. Substitute fielder Blake Schraader held on to three catches while Lungi Nidi, who took 3-16, and Thomas Kaber, who took 3-18, were the pick of the bowlers for the South African outfit.

In the morning session, the University of Sydney, Australia suffered a heavy defeat at the SSC. Put into bat, they were bowled out for 74 in 18.1 overs, losing their last nine wickets for the addition of 38 runs inside 10 overs. 

ULA Bangladesh’s openers smashed 75/0 in 6.4 overs to win by 10 wickets. M.D. Hasanuzzaman led with 52 not out, hitting a six and 9 fours. 

In the other game at the NCC, HWU Dubai lost to the University of Central Punjab, Lahore by seven wickets. The Middle Eastern team, put into bat, made 135/9 (20 overs) with Rohit Jamwal scoring 40 not out, Ali Sultan taking 3-14 and Aftab Azwer 3-39. In reply, the Pakistani team hit 138-3 in the 18th over with Junaid Ali 56 and Usman Khalid 44 not out, adding 89 runs for the third wicket to get them home.