Who is to blame for UP’s pathetic show?
LUCKNOW : Selectors don’t dare to speak to media even after picking up a team in Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association. One simply gets a note sheet carrying the names of the selected players and even the signatory to the note the CEO Deepak Sharma doesn’t entertain anyone’s call even if someone wants to know about the dropping or inclusion of anyone in the team.
This happened even when the UPCA first announced the probables, and then the team for the BCCI’s only event in the post lockdown time, the Syed Mushtaq Ali Twenty20 Trophy early this month. The five-member selection committee led by Saharanpur’s Arvind Kapoor chose to “drop” all-rounders Akshdeep Nath, Saurabh Kumar, keeper-batsman Upendra Yadav and leggie Zeeshan Ansari and that too without assigning any reason. Opening batsman Almas Shaukat was “not considered” after “testing corona positive”.
Interestingly, Upendra faced the exit this season despite being the highest run getter for the side last season as he scored 128 runs in six matches with 21 being his highest. But the third in the list last season (as per the average) Rinku Singh (6/114) got selected and second-best Akshdeep (6/105) with 30 being his highest was dropped.
Repeated phone calls to all the key officials, including Kapoor and even to the UPCA’s secretary Yudhveer Singh over the “pick and choose” of the 22-member squad for the event didn’t bear any fruit even as “star-studded” UP lost their third consecutive match thereby knocking out of the knockout race on Thursday at Bengaluru.
“It’s a pathetic cricket by UP”, a member in the selection committee said on the condition of anonymity when asked for his reaction over UP’s eight-wicket loss to lowly J & K in an Elite Group A match at the Alur Stadium.
“It’s an old-age system in UP cricket where selectors act like puppets and there to sign the list of the pre-decided list of players,” he added.
“The biggest irony of the UP cricket this season is the selection of Samarth Singh, who was not only named captain of the team last season, but this time picked up in the side even though he could score just 39 in six matches at an average of 6.5 last season. The man hasn’t got a chance to play this season at Bengaluru so far,” he further said.
On Thursday, for yet another time, Uttar Pradesh’s batting remained “pathetic” as they could score 124/5 in 20 overs after being sent to bat first. Unlike in the first two matches, India Under-19 World Cupper early this year and UP’s skipper Priyam Garg though struck his
TEAM INDIA PACER BHUVNESHWAR KUMAR WAS STRUCK FOR 22 RUNS IN THREE OVERS, WHEREAS OTHER PACER ANKIT RAJPOOT GAVE AWAY 36 RUNS IN THREE OVERS AND LEFTARM ORTHODOX SPINNER SHANU SAINI CONCEDED 34 RUNS IN TWO OVERS
season’s best 35, he took 36 balls and hit just two boundaries before being caught by Mujtaba Yousuf off Abdul Samad.
Aging Suresh Raina could stay in the middle for two deliveries before being trapped leg by young left-arm pacer Mujtaba Yousuf, who also accounted for vice-captain and opener Karan Sharma (1). Madhav Kaushik (26, 25b, 4x4, 1x6), Shubham Chaubey (28, 33b, 2x4) and Aryan Juyal (22*, 15b, 2x4) tried their level best to lift the scoring-rate but to no avail as J& K bowlers kept UP batsmen in check with their accurate deliveries.
The pitch, which looked “tough to bat on” for UP batsmen in the beginning, suddenly turned into an easy hunting spot for J& K batsmen as they raced to target in 15 overs, losing just two wickets. Despite losing both the wickets by the seventh over, J& K batsmen especially Abdul Samad (54*, 35b, 2x4, 4x6) and Shubham Khajuria (34*, 25b, 3x4, 1x6) didn’t show any mercy to UP bowlers.
Team India pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar was struck for 22 runs in three overs, whereas other pacer Ankit Rajpoot gave away 36 runs in three overs and left-arm orthodox spinner Shanu Saini conceded 34 runs in two overs.
While playing his first match of the season left-arm pacer Mohsin Khan remained most successful with 2/17 in four overs.
To complete the formality in the event, Uttar Pradesh will now take on Tripura in their penultimate league match on Saturday before playing against the hosts and defending champions Karnataka in their last game on Monday.