da dobrowin： Chasing an eminently scorable target of 236 from 75 overs, MadhyaPradesh could only muster 158/7 as their final Ranji Trophy CentralZone clash against Uttar Pradesh ended in a draw at the Green Park inKanpur
Staff Reporter21-Jan-2001Chasing an eminently scorable target of 236 from 75 overs, MadhyaPradesh could only muster 158/7 as their final Ranji Trophy CentralZone clash against Uttar Pradesh ended in a draw at the Green Park inKanpur. MP collected five first innings points to take their finaltally to 19. They finished third in the group and qualified for theknockout phase unlike their opponents who bowed out of the competitionwith just 14 points to their credit.After having resumed at 296/6, UP declared 13 overs into the day at375/9, bidding for an elusive victory that would take them through tothe next round at MP’s expense. Rizwan Shamshad and Ashish Zaidiadeded 55 for the eighth wicket before the former was finallydislodged from the crease for 153 (242 balls, 16 fours). He fell tothe occasional bowling of MP skipper Chandrakant Pandit. Zaidi hit abrisk unbeaten 29 off 30 balls.MP slumped alarmingly to 98/6 in the 49th over and it looked as thoughUP might pull off a stunning coup as seamers Shalabh Sriwastava andAshish Zaidi struck blow after blow. Zaidi (3/38) got the crucialwicket of Jai P Yadav trapped leg before for 36 while skipper AmayKhurasiya was run out for 13. Needing to play out the last 25 overswith only four wickets in hand, MP found their crisis man in skipperChandrakant Pandit who made a battling unbeaten 47 to guide them outof harm’s way.