Despite sacking, changes, UP’s poor show is on
LUCKNOW : Much before the start of domestic season this September, think tank of the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) sat down for a serious business and chose to change the captain of its senior team in all formats besides giving marching orders to coach Mansur Ali Khan as they found the showing of these two ‘unsatisfactory’.
Changes were obvious then and they roped in outsiders but tried and tested former India spinner Sunil Joshi from Karnataka and experienced Samarth Singh from Delhi (as his profile says) for the betterment of the game in the state. But all efforts came to an end at least in the season opener Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Last season too, Uttar Pradesh didn’t qualify for the knockouts, finishing eighth in nine-team Elite Group B with just one win.
This year too, they failed to make it to the quarterfinals even they won four matches. In fact, they missed out the cut by a whisker as after losing to Haryana in their last game by 20 runs at the Railways Ground in Vadodara on Thursday, UP (+0.724) failed to beat the net run rate of Mumbai (+0.832) with both the teams having 20 points each.
Uttar Pradesh had their maiden Hazare Trophy though a shared one with Tamil Nadu in 2004-05, before finishing runners up in 2005-06. But thereafter despite having big names in the ranks like Suresh Raina, Praveen Kumar, RP Singh, Mohd Kaif, Piyush Chawla, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, they could never cross the quarterfinal hurdle.
Before losing to Tamil Nadu in the quarterfinals in 2015-16, Uttar Pradesh had lost to Karnataka in the pre-quarters in 2012-13 and to Haryana in 2010-11. Undoubtedly, the loss in the season opener event on
Thursday has nullified the decision of ‘big changes’ by the UPCA bosses as well as turned out to be a ‘bad start’ for former Bangladeshi bowling coach Joshi.
Now, Uttar Pradesh would be aiming for a better showing at the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Twenty20 Trophy, beginning next month.
BATTING FAILURE!
Thursday’s loss was the story of a batting failure of Uttar Pradesh as barring Rinku Singh (68, 74b, 8x4, 1x6) and Akshdeep Nath (37, 75b, 2x4) no other batsman could offer any resistance before the Haryana bowlers before being bowled out for 188 in 44.1 overs while chasing 209.
Madhav Kaushik (0) and Samarth Singh (10) were back to pavilion in the fifth over with team reeling at 2/12. Umang Sharma (9), Upendra Yadav (12) and Sauarbh Kumar (13) and Priyam Garg (14) too failed to show character with willow.
The 74-run fourth wicket stand between Rinku and Akshdeep helped the side cross 100-run mark, but as soon as the two departed in regular intervals, things became difficult for UP. Harshel Patel took 3/34, whereas India discard Amit Mishra and Team India spinner Yuzvendra Chahal shared four wickets between them.
Earlier, it turned out to be a bad decision to field first after winning the toss as Haryana openers Ankit Kumar (30) and Nitin Saini (60) gave a sound start to the innings stitching together 47-run for the first wicket. At one moment, they were reduced to 7/140, but 56-run eight-wicket stand between Jayant Yadav (32) and Amit Mishra (25) changed the complexion of the game as Haryana finished at 208 in 49.1 overs.
Saurabh Kumar remained the most successful bowler with 3/30, Mohsin Khan and Rinku Singh had two wickets each.