Debo Sankar Powers Everest Into Final As Allen Fifer Went In Vain

By Shivnan S. Ramjattan
Not very often a team has been tottering at 30 for 5 and came to back to stun the opposition by posting an improbable 188 and then snatching victory by 12 runs.

Debo Sankar produced a winning knock of 61 in Everest win. Photo by Shiek Mohamed

Well, at Van Cortlandt Park last Saturday, with tension and anxiety of both Crusaders and Everest—Veteran Joseph Allen and D. Blake wobbled the top order of Everest with seam and swing, nonetheless, Debo ‘Sachin’ Sankar batted with poise and aspiration to produce a match winning 61—that included five well-executed boundaries and made sure his team were able to move from a modest total to a competitive one. As Joe Allen fifer went futile.

Earlier, Crusaders choose to bowl on a propitious surface as Allen and Blake sent down an astounding spell of seam and swing—Sankar watched five of his teammates trek back to their seats. However, he held his ground, carefully negotiating the veteran swing bowlers and gradually began to rebuild the innings with support from Zamin Amin (23), David Mohamed (14) and Cyril Choy (34) as they closed off at 188 all out in 32.1

At the halfway mark and a competitive target to chase, Crusaders found themselves in the same situation as their counterpart—struggling at 38 for 4, this time around with one wicket less, compliments of a superintend spell from another stalwart of the game—Trevor Walke. Despite the loss, J. Campbell stuck around for 16 to give some glimmer of hope in the chase, but a positive, common-sense partnership came from J. Buffong (54) and E. Loten (35) as they grafted what was needed per over to keep abreast or at least close to it . As the game hangs in the balance, but then bogged down by pressure—veteran spinner David Mohamed nailed the two along with the prize scalp of Garfield Wildman, 162 for 9 in the 30th, to put Everest right back in the game.

And with a further 26 needed from 18, Blake was run out for 3, leaving the last pair to muster 14 from the final over, Vijay Seonarine then rattled the stumps of Allen, giving Everest the victory by 12 as they finally defeated their nemesis after several close encounters.