Mumbai Under-19 and Delhi Under-19 emerged winners in the pre quarter-finals of the ongoing Vinoo Mankad Under-19 Trophy. Here is a brief recap of the matches from today:
Mumbai U-19 vs Andhra U-19: Mumbai Under-19 beat Andhra Under-19 by 28 runs in Ahmedabad. Asked to bat first, the Mumbai lads were propelled to 259 by SN Khan. The middle-order batsman made a 75-ball 95, after Mumbai U19 were left tottering on 69 for four. Useful contributions by the lower-middle order helped the team post a competitive total on the board, before being bowled out with seven balls remaining in the innings. The Mumbai U-19 attack led by IS Kazi then struck at regular intervals to bowl Andhra U-19 out for 231. Kazi finished with a five-wicket haul, while JG Bista claimed two, and TU Deshpande and DU Matkar picked a wicket apiece.
Delhi U-19 vs Karnataka U-19: In the other game of the knockout phase, the Delhi colts beat Karnataka U-19 by seven wickets to progress to the semi-finals. After opting to bowl first in Ahmedabad, Delhi U-19 skittled the opposition out for 159 in 46.5 overs. SD Mathur claimed five wickets, while SS Rawat, PS Vijayran, PB Bhandari and RR Sharma picked a wicket each. A Manohar was the leading run-getter for Karnataka-U19 with 46, while the rest of the batsmen succumbed to the Delhi attack.
In reply, the Delhi U-19 batsmen reached the modest target in 27.1 overs. Opener SR Ranjan led the chase with a 79-ball 96, before departing in the 27th over with the target within sniffing distance.
