KATHMANDU, Jan 7: Spin twins Basant Regmi and Surya Tamang shared seven wickets between them as Armed Police Force Club raked first win of the Manmohan Memorial National One-Day Cricket Tournament defeating MMCC (Manmohan Memorial Cricket Club) Inaruwa by 83 runs during the second Group A match being played at Inaruwa cricket ground in Inaruwa, Sunsari on Monday.
Captain Regmi registered four wickets complemented by Tamang’s three to dismiss the local side for 121 runs after posting 204 runs in the first innings to seal the win and collect two points. Armed Police had lost to Tribhuvan Army Club by 108 runs during the first match of the group on Sunday.
Regmi conceded 25 runs off his 8.2 overs in the match whereas Tamang was more miserly costing 10 runs off his 7 overs. Similarly, fast bowler YagyamanKumal scalped a brace whereas his opening bowling partner Amar Singh Routel picked up a wicket to dismiss Inaruwa for 121 in 36.2 overs.
Ravi Roy top-scored for the local team with a patient 49-ball 26 runs including two boundaries and a six whereas all-rounder Rupesh Srivastava contributed 23 off 32 deliveries which included three boundaries. Bibek Meheta’s 15 runs off 64 deliveries was the only other double-digit score of the innings.
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Earlier, Armed Police won the toss and elected to bat first. Inaruwa kept the scoring on check as batsmen struggled throughout the innings except SumitMaharjan and Shankar Rana. The opening batsman Rana’s fluent innings of 33 deliveries ended on 36 runs which included five boundaries and a six.
Player-of-the-match SumitMaharjan, however, held the Armed Police batting innings together scoring 83 runs off 107 deliveries. He smashed seven boundaries during the innings. Pradeep Airee contributed 19 runs whereas Sandeep Jora and Regmi chipped in with 12 runs each.
Inaruwa captain Saroj Basnet was pick of the bowlers scalping four wickets. Basnet picked up the key wickets of Regmi, Jora and Rana whereas he dismissed PrithuBaskota for five runs. Baskota lasted 12 deliveries. Similarly, AlfazMansuri, SonuMandal and BhupalLuitel shared two wickets each. Armed Police was dismissed for 204 runs in 43.4 overs.
Both the Armed Police and Army Club has two points each after first two matches of the league stage. Armed Police’s qualification is unlikely despite the win today. In an ideal scenario, Army Club will have to lose by a heavy margin against Inaruwa on Tuesday to upset the superior net run-rate that Army Club recorded against Armed Police on Sunday after the 108 runs win. In worst case, a loss against Inaruwa with less margin will take Army Club to the semifinals.
Jora banned
Armed Police batsmen Sandeep Jora has been banned for a MM Cup match after showing discontent against field umpires decision upon his dismissal. Jora was found guilty under Player’s Code of Conduct violating Article 2.8. Jora will miss the next MM Cup match for his team Armed Police. He will miss the semifinal match if the team qualifies.
Jora was dismissed for 12 runs off 23 deliveries given LBW (leg-before wicket). Match Refree Budhi Pradhan sanctioned the player after the match.
Jora accepted his ban. Zaidan Taha and Rabindra Gupta were on-field umpires for the match.
