Vanuatu overcome Singapore in Low-Scoring Thriller |
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03/12/2022POSTED BY Malaysian Cricket Association Admin |
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The opening day of the third leg of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Challenge League Group A saw Nalin Nipiko take 5-38 to propel Vanuatu to a memorable 21-run win over Singapore after his team was bowled out for 144 in the first innings. Winning the toss and choosing to bat first, Vanuatu got off to a quick start with Nipiko lofting Aryaman Uchil down the ground for six to close out the sixth over with the score on 35 for 1. Singapore, however, hit back with two quick wickets. Junior Kaltapau chopped Amjad Mahboob onto his stumps before Uchil had Nipiko caught at slip with the score on 37 for 3 in the eighth over. Skipper Patrick Matautaava and Ronald Tari then stabilized the innings with the former sweeping left-arm spinner Vinoth Bhaskaran for four before pulling him away to the deep mid wicket fence for consecutive boundaries. Yet, it was Bhaskaran who would have the last laugh. The Vanuatu skipper was caught behind when he charged down the track and tried to loft Bhaskaran over his head for six. This precipitated a slide that saw Vanuatu lose their last seven wickets for the addition of just 61 runs. Mahboob finished with four wickets while Bhaskaran would take a total of three to bowl Vanuatu out for 144 in 41 overs. In reply, Singapore lost Aritra Dutta early after the opener hit a Nalin Nipiko long hop straight to Joshua Rasu at mid wicket. Fellow opener Abdul Rahman Bhadelia was next to depart after he top edged a full toss to Bettan Viraliliu at mid on. Matautaava then trapped Sidhant Srikanth plumb in front before Jarryd Allan pulled off a blinder at square leg to dismiss Amartya Kaul, leaving Singapore struggling at 48 for 5. Viraliliu was into the action again when he took a smart catch at mid off to give Joshua Rasu his first wicket. Aryaman Uchil walked to the crease and smashed three maximums to seemingly tilt the scales in Singapore’s favour. However, when he found the safe hands of Nipiko at deep mid wicket, Singapore were reduced to 101 for 7. Shortly after hitting his first boundary to a wide long on region, Amjad Mahboob perished trying to repeat the dose with Singapore still needing a further 31 runs to win with just one wicket in hand. Bhaskaran and number eleven batter Akshay Puri showed plenty of application surviving a further 8.2 overs. Yet, Singapore would eventually fall 21 runs short when Puri was run out attempting a suicidal run. When asked about his five-wicket haul, Player-of-the-match Nalin Nipiko said, “I’ve taken three wickets and four wickets before [in List A cricket], but I’ve never taken five. I think this is my best bowling performance of my career.” Singapore and Vanuatu will both be in action on Tuesday when they face Canada and Malaysia, respectively. Brief Scores: Vanuatu 144 All Out in 41 Overs (Ronald Tari 30, Amjad Mahboob 4/20) beat Singapore 123 All Out in 38 Overs (Uchil 23, Nipiko 5-38) by 21 runs Player of the match: Nalin Nipiko (Vanuatu) |
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