Commonwealth Cricket League
A sparkling maiden century, full of elegant strokes by Ashutosh Sharma ensured an easy, yet crushing win for Packers in their Commonwealth Cricket League game against Vipers on Sunday.
Ashutosh Sharma struck his maiden ton last weekend.
Packers won the toss on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon at Kissena Park and decided to bat first. Ashutosh Sharma opened the batting with Sarun Zacharia for Packers. Packers lost the early wicket of Sarun, bowled by Ryan. Tibin Thayil came in next and started to belt the Vipers bowlers all over the park. What followed was a run riot by both Tibin and Ashutosh. Tibin smashed the bowlers to all corners of the field, while Ashutosh elegantly picked the gaps and displayed an array of classy shots.
The second-wicket partnership between Ashutosh and Tibin put on more than 100 runs. Tibin was finally caught out for 62 off just 37 balls. Ashutosh continued to guide the Packers innings with Rahul (10 off 11), John (24 off 17), and Noble (26 off 19). Ashutosh eventually scored his maiden ton in just 73 balls. By the time Ashutosh was dismissed by Mickey, the Packers score was over 200. Those who followed continued to make merry and Packers eventually put up a monstrous total of 260/8 in 30 overs.
It looked like a good wicket to bat on until the Vipers batsmen came out to bat. Packers bowlers didn’t let the batsmen settle down and picked up wickets at regular intervals. Both openers were dismissed early by John without too many runs on the board. Though Sanjay and Mickey tried to build a partnership, it was an uphill task for the Vipers batsmen. Sanjay was dismissed for 25 and Mickey scored 42. Ryan came out and put up a good fight, scoring 42 off 35 balls. But it was all in vain as the Packers bowlers kept plucking wickets constantly.
In the end, it was a facile win for Packers. Vipers were only able to put up 182/7 in 30 overs. Packers won the match by 78 runs. Opening bowler John was the star for Packers with the ball, picking up 2 crucial wickets up front. Varun, Sarun, Manu Thomas, and Tibin picked up 1 wicket each to derail the Vipers.