Liyanage hat-trick headlines vibrant first day at RBCC World Final

The more established Asian cricket powers of Sri Lanka, India and Pakistan flexed their muscles to begin their Red Bull Campus Cricket World Final campaigns, each registering commanding victories over teams from UAE, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe respectively, on the first day of competition in Colombo. 

All three winning teams had star performers, but also saw vital cameos from all over their batting orders, while several part-time bowlers also delivered important overs.

With each team playing five round-robin matches in this year’s competition though, the losing teams from day one have plenty of time to regroup and hit back over the course of the week.

The morning was lit-up by a hat-trick from local boy and Business Management School (BMS) opening bowler Janith Liyanage, who claimed stunning figures of 4 for 6 as BMS dismissed UAE’s Herriot-Watt University for 91. 

Liyanage had taken the first wicket of the tournament to set Herriot-Watt’s collapse in motion, before returning towards the end of the innings to wipe out the opposition’s tail. He bowled Ram Narayan and Prateek Hiranandani off successive deliveries at the end of the third over, before having No. 11 Ihtisham Sabir caught behind with the first ball of his next. Liyanage also had the honour of hitting his team’s winning runs, batting at No 5, after opener Madushan Ravichandrakumar hit a 25-ball 44 to set BMS racing towards the target.

While that match was going on at the NCC ground, middle-order batsman Umkar Khatpe was providing an MS Dhoni-esque finish to Marathwada Mitra Mandal College of Commerce’s (MMMC College) innings at the neighbouring SSC venue, against University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB). The MMMC College team, who hail from Pune, had been winless in the 2017 World Final, but could not have made a stronger statement to kick off this year’s campaign, as they rode on Khatpe’s 30-ball 61 not out to an imposing 181 for 6, before their bowlers – led by Rohan Dhamle – stymied ULAB’s chase, and secured a 26-run victory. 

Khatpe had come to the crease with MMMC College stuttering in the middle overs, at 61 for 3, but after initially batting unambitiously in order to get the measure of the pitch and the opposition attack, he unleashed in the last four overs, hitting seven fours and three sixes in all. The final over of the innings was especially fruitful for Khatpe, as he hit three fours and two sixes off the seam bowling of Shariful Islam, as MMMC College plundered 26 from that over.

The afternoon match at SSC was memorable for perhaps the best batting partnership of the day, as Karachi University’s opener Abdur Rahman and No. 3 batsman Arsalan Farzand put on 72 runs together, using up only 45 balls, against Zimbabwe’s National University of Science and Technology (NUST). That stand formed the backbone of Karachi’s 183 for 5, which was the highest total of the day, and set up a rollicking 92-run victory. 

The NUST side lost early wickets, and were unable to break free, as the Karachi bowlers delivered tight and incisive early spells. They found their chase derailed at 6 for 56 in the 12th over, and were eventually 91 all out. 

Day two sees the team from Sri Lanka take on India in the morning game – a mouthwatering clash that could help establish who the early favourite for the title may be. Bangladesh also plays Zimbabwe and Pakistan take on the UAE.

MMMC College v. BMS at SSC

Marathwada Mitra Mandal College of Commerce (MMMC College), out of Pune, secured an authoritative seven-wicket victory over locals Business Management School (BMS), after dismissing the home team for 105. Left-arm spinner Rohan Damle, who had also starred in MMMC College’s day one victory over the team from Bangladesh, claimed exceptional figures of four wickets for 10 runs. MMMC College made short work of the small chase, surging to victory by the 15th over. This was despite the efforts of BMS legspinner Madushan Ravichandrakumar, who claimed three wickets. 

MMMC College won by seven wickets with 36 balls to spare.

BMS 105 all out in 17.5 overs (Malindu Maduranga 32, Dinuk Wikramanayaka 32, Koshan Danushka 10, Shubhnam Taiswal 2/9)

MMMC College 106/3 in 14.2 overs (Murtaza Shabbir 46, Shubhnam Nagawade 25, Digvijay Deshmukh 10 not out, Madushan Ravichandrakumar 3/34)

ULAB v. NUST at NCC

At the NCC ground, University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) recorded the first 200-plus score of the World Final, amassing 218 for 6 against Zimbabwe’s National University of Sports and Technology (NUST) before eventually going on to complete a domineering 140-run victory. Wicketkeeper, batsman and opener Sabit Hossain was ULAB’s primary batting weapon, clobbering 89 runs off 45 balls in an electric innings that featured five sixes and eight fours. The NUST team could mount only a modest chase as they stumbled to 78 for 9 in their 20 overs. ULAB seamer Anjum Ahmed proved effective against the NUST middle order, taking 3 for 9 from his four overs. 

ULAB won by 140 runs

ULAB 218/6 in 20 overs (Sabit Hossain 89, Eyasin Arafat 42, M. Shafiul Islam 23 not out, Bill Kwambana 2/32, Mzingaye Mdlongwa 2/35)

NUST 78 for 9 in 20 overs (Bill Kwambana 26, Anele Ngwenya 8, Anjum Ahmed 3/9, Shariful Islam 2/6)

Heriot-Watt v. Karachi University at SSC

Heriot-Watt UAE’s star batsman Chirag Suri and Captain Rohit Jamwal hit aggressive half centuries as the team stormed to 179 for 6 in their 20 overs, but Karachi University orchestrated an outstanding chase to run down the target with four wickets in hand and an over to spare. Karachi’s bowlers struck four times in the last five overs to stymy Herriot-Watt through the death overs, ensuring that despite the excellent early partnerships for the UAE team, the target remained gettable. They then ran down the target comfortably, as Arsalan Farzand, Khurram Shahzad and Suleman Ghani all made quick runs. 

Karachi won by four wickets, with six balls to spare

Heriot-Watt 179/6 in 20 overs (Rohit Jamwal 62, Chirag Suri 53, Imaad Mushtak 37, Mahmood Ali 3/22, Muhammad Asad 1/33)

Karachi 180/6 in 19 overs (Khurram Shahzad 41, Arsalan Farzand 31, Suleman Ghani 31, Mehdi Asaria 3/26, Ram Narayan 1/26)