Vijay Unni Brilliance not enough as Hong Kong Win by 97 |
|
|
18/03/2023POSTED BY Malaysian Cricket Association Admin |
|
 |
|
A composed century from Vijay Unni and figures of 3 for 48 weren’t enough for Malaysia to get over the line against Hong Kong who posted 318 for 7 courtesy of centuries from Anshuman Rath (130) and Nizakat Khan (111). After winning the toss and choosing to bowl, Malaysia began with a pair of loose deliveries in the first two overs, which were worked down to fine leg by Nizakat Khan and Anshuman Rath, respectively. Malaysia, to their credit, fought back on the back of two maidens from Vijay Unni. However, things started to go pear-shaped for Malaysia in the 12th over when Nizakat slog swept Unni into cow corner before Rath picked up a boundary in an over that went for 11. Rath stepped into second gear with a brace of boundaries through the covers combined with pull shots into the leg side boundary as Nizakat deposited Khizar Hayat over long on for his second maximum. Boundaries continued to flow either side of two drop catches, the second of which was a sharp chance for Wafiq Irfan in his follow through. Nizakat guided Amir Azim between gully and third man before tucking him down to deep fine leg to move closer to his hundred and propel the score to 192 after 34 overs. Rath brought up his hundred in the next over with a textbook on drive and Nizakat followed suit as Hong Kong approached the death overs. Malaysia finally took a wicket when Anshy Rath lofted Fitri Sham to Amir Azim at long off. In his next over, Sham picked up another wicket when Nizakat cut him to Ahmed Faiz at backward point. Vijay Unni then trapped Kinchit Shah in front before a series of smart catches allowed Malaysia to take another four quick wickets to limit Hong Kong to 318 for 7 in a spirited fight back. Chasing 6.38 runs an over for victory, Malaysia lost three wickets in their first ten overs. Syed Aziz was trapped in front by Ayush Shukla, Virandeep Singh chopped Shukla onto his stumps and Amir Azim was bowled when he tried to cut Ehsan Khan off his stumps. With Malaysia’s hopes of boosting their net run rate and making the finals all but dashed, Ahmed Faiz joined Unni at the crease in an effort to bat out the full 50 overs. Although slow at first, the pair began to find gaps in the field more regularly as their partnership went on. After Faiz’s dismissal, Unni took on the mantle of aggressor, pulling Kinchit Shah over wide long on for six before bunting him down the ground for the same result. Unni would go onto strike another two sixes in his innings before pushing a single to mid off to bring up a century that was appreciated by Malaysia’s dugout and Hong Kong’s fielders. Malaysia eventually finished on 221 for 7 as Rath was voted player-of-the-match with Vijay Unni finishing a close second. After ending the Hong Kong One Day Series in third position, Malaysia will now play Hong Kong ‘A’ on Monday. |
|
| You can also enter comments by CricClubs Login | ||
|
||
