S.P. Barooah Trophy
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Guwahati, Oct. 8: Brilliant bowling by paceman Sujay Tarafdar and spinners Bik-ram Chetry and Pankaj Tamuly put Secretary XI in the driver’s seat with a 79-run first-innings lead against Assam-B on day two of the final of the first S.P. Barooah Challenger Trophy cricket meet today.
Chasing a first-innings target of 187, Assam-B, who resumed at overnight three for one, were bundled out for 107 in 54.5 overs in the first innings. Secretary XI stood at 95 for three in 30 overs in their second innings at the end of the day’s play. Yesterday, Secretary XI elected to bat and were all out for 83.5 overs.
Teenaged medium pacer Tarafdar ripped through the Assam-B top order, taking the crucial wickets of openers Mriganka Jyoti Sarma (0) and Abhijit Singha Roy (15), skipper Chandan Rawat (2) and Sourav Bhagawati (9). He returned with the figures of four for 26 off 16 overs.
With the scoreboard reading only three for 22, Bhagawati shared a 27-run partnership for the fourth wicket with wicketkeeper-batsman Sumit Ranjan Das, who topscored for the side with 26.
The middle and lower orders fell to the spinners’ combination of left-armer Bikram Chetry, with three for 31 off 17 overs and offie Pankaj Tamuly with three for 18 off 5.5 overs.
Karnataka recruit Ryan Ninan and Pritam Das scored 19 runs each.
On Saturday, Secretary XI lost its openers with only four runs on the board. Parag Das fell for seven runs. Skipper Swarupam Purkayastha shared a 57-run partnership with Tauhid Ali Talukdar for the fifth wicket. Purkayastha topscored with 49 runs, while Talukdar chipped in with 30.
Pritam Das was the Assam-B demolition man, having scalped five for 50 off 19 overs. Paceman Mark Ingty took three for 24 off 14 overs and spinner Bhaskar Jyoti Barman captured two for 49.
Ingty served two quick blows in Secretary XI’s second innings too, claiming Arijit Sengupta and Tazinder Singh. Parag Das (21) was the third man to go back. Jason Lamare (44) and nightwatchman Pankaj Tamuly (10) were at the crease at the end of day two.
