UP BOUNCE BACK TO BEAT MP BY THREE WICKETS

NAGPUR: Akshdeep Nath scored a half-century as Uttar Pradesh got the better of Madhya Pradesh by three wickets in a Central Zone match of the Vijay Hazare oneday tournament here on Saturday. Riding on Anand Bais and Jatin S Saxena’s half-centuries, MP scored 250 for six in their allotted 50 overs, which UP achieved in 48 overs after losing seven wickets.

Put in to bat, MP lost four wickets for just 79 runs on the board, but Udit Birla (26) and Bais managed to consolidate the innings for a brief period by putting on a 43-run stand for the fifth wicket. For UP, Piyush Chawla was the pick of the bowlers with figures of three for 37 from his 10 overs, while Ankit Rajpoot claimed two for 42. In reply, UP openers Praveen Kumar (38) and Mukul Dagar (44) gave the team a good start. Although, in the middle UP lost as many as five wickets for just 69 runs, Akshdeep and Eklavya Dwivedi (48 not out, 35b, 6X4) joined hand to bring the campaign back on track. Akshdeep scored a superb 55 off 63 balls that included two fours and as many sixes. UP reached 252 for seven with 12 balls to spare.