By Our Reporter
Shillong, Oct 20: In a challenging day for cricket enthusiasts in Meghalaya, the state’s cricket teams faced resounding defeats against their more established counterparts from Maharashtra and Karnataka in two separate fixtures: the Vinoo Mankad Trophy and Senior Women’s T20 Trophy.
The U-19 men’s team, representing Meghalaya, suffered a staggering 391-run loss to the formidable Maharashtra squad in a match held at Vijayawada. On the same day, the senior women’s team from Meghalaya was outplayed by Karnataka, losing by ten wickets in a contest that took place in Vadodara.
In their final encounter of the season within the Vinoo Mankad Trophy, Meghalaya found themselves on the defensive after losing the toss and being asked to bowl first. Facing Maharashtra’s onslaught, they conceded an imposing 466/6 in a full quota of 50 overs. The star of the match was Digvijay Patil from Maharashtra, who showcased his incredible batting prowess by amassing 239 runs from just 139 deliveries before being caught by Charm Marbaniang, courtesy of Angkit Tamang’s bowling (3/85). Da-u-la-biang Shangpliang secured 2/88, while the lone wicket falling through a run-out was executed by Shavian Blah.
Meghalaya’s batting, however, struggled to gain momentum and could only manage to score 75 runs before being all-out in 26.4 overs.
Lensbirth Marak contributed 12 runs, Shubham Rasaily added 17 runs, and Angkit chipped in with 16 runs while batting at the eighth position. Despite suffering defeats in all five of their matches, this tournament has undoubtedly provided valuable learning experiences for the budding talents in the state.
In a parallel event, the senior women’s team of Meghalaya faced a formidable challenge when they were asked to bat first against Karnataka, following the coin toss. Their performance was far from satisfactory as they were bundled out for a mere 41 runs in just 12.2 overs out of the available 20, with none of the batters managing to score more than 7 runs.
Karnataka’s response was swift and efficient, as they reached the target in just 7.3 overs without losing a wicket.Looking ahead, Meghalaya will take on Tamil Nadu in their upcoming fixture scheduled for Sunday. Additionally, in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Meghalaya’s senior men’s T20 team will face Chhattisgarh.