Persaud’s Ton-up as Cosmos Masters Win Against Connecticut Via D/L
By Shivnan Ramjattan
On a hot and humid day at the rejuvenated Bayswater Park in Far Rockaway, New York, the second-round match-up between Cosmos Masters and Connecticut Masters was expected to be another intriguing battle. However, it was not to be, as bad light stopped play with Connecticut Masters needing a daunting 155 from 14.1 overs, an asking rate of 10.9 per over, giving Cosmos Masters a victory by 50 runs via the D/L method.
Earlier, Cosmos skipper Sohan Dass was successful at the toss and opted to take the first strike. Openers Ganesh Ramsingh and Kawal Persaud put together 17 for the first wicket before Peter Heywood rattled the stumps of Ganesh Ramsingh. Royo Sankar came in at number three and joined Kawal Persaud. The duo posted an impressive second-wicket partnership of 135 from 21.3 overs, defying the opposition any momentum. Royo Sankar was at his best, picking the gaps with well-executed shots, keeping the scorecard moving along with smart running between the wickets.
Kawal Persaud, at the other end, put away anything loose to the fence and, in one over, pummeled four fours off Krishnakumar Vallur to reach his 50. Soon, Royo Sankar reached his 50 with a spanking square cut. With the score at 152, Royo Sankar was dismissed, lobbing a simple catch to square leg for 63.
This made way for the hard-hitting Aggrey Salmon to join Kawal Persaud. He wasted no time, walloping an entertaining 63 from 33 balls, sparing none of the finishing bowlers. His innings were peppered with five fours and five sixes. Kawal Persaud reached his century with a spanking drive to mid-on as the last 11 overs yielded 101 runs. Aggrey Salmon was caught in the 34th over, leaving Kawal Persaud not out on 103 and Lincoln Deonarine not out on 5, as the innings closed at 254 from 35 overs.
Needing an imposing 254 from 35 overs with an asking rate of 7.25 an over, Connecticut Masters openers Keith Lawrence and Peter Heywood put together a resolute 82 on the board from 18 overs, a rate of 4.5 compared to the required 7.25, due to consistent bowling from Sham Ali, Lincoln Deonarine, and Sunil Narine.
In the 18th over, Peter Heywood received a ripper from Sunil Narine. The ball turned, kept low, and spat at him before crashing into his stumps for 38. Timothy Sealy, coming in at number three, got a beauty from skipper Sohan Dass, a yorker that shattered his stumps for a duck. Krishnakumar Vallur at number four was left unbeaten on 10, along with Keith Lawrence on 30, as the umpires halted proceedings due to bad light, giving Cosmos victory by 50 runs via the D/L method.
