Cricket Events

The outstanding batting performance by opener Rajkumar Gurung has propelled Laligurans to Final. Rival Intouch Sagarmatha played their best to conquer though Laligurans edged out with last wicket. Dubbed as the ‘thriller’ of GNC Series, the match took several twists and turns. In the vital match, both teams provided great performance to keep spectators on the edge of their seats. With grey sky and chilly conditions, bowling would have been ideal. Therefore, winning toss Laligurans invited to bat. However, Robin Tamrakar (10) and Atul Shrestha (21) batted cautiously. Both batsmen had enough experience of dual paced pitch at Lees Park, playing naturally with each ball on its merit. Atul displayed sound judgement with pull and cuts on his way to 21. Bowlers Gunjan Shrestha and Uddhav Chalise shared the new ‘cherry’, bowling impeccable line with hint of swing. Rajmani Dhakal also bowled with plenty of prowess. However, all three bowlers shared one common theme by remaining wicketless. Captain Ganesh DC went for experienced Sudhir Shrestha to break drought. Sudhir bowled cleverly, mixing the pace up deceived Robin to play false shot at mid on, where Rajmani took a comfortable catch. Sagarmatha lost its first wicket with 35 runs on board. Shashi Keshari (7) failed to surpass bowling, while Atul’s promising start ended with death trapping run out and Aakash Bhattarai could not live up to the hype. Rajendra Shrestha played with fluency and authority adding 28 runs to the total, partnering with him, Abnish Nepal conjoint innings for Sagarmatha. Abnish batted with ambition collecting singles and hitting loose balls to boundary on his way to polished 45. Laligurans bowling draw card- Ajay Kshatry stamped out batsmen with his tweakers. Even Rajendra Shrestha and Abnish Nepal failed to use their judgement attempting to attack. With good foundation of runs, Sagarmatha failed to capitalise posting a record target. With 4 for 117 runs in 24th over, the next 11 overs only produced 52 runs losing 6 wickets at 169, was sorry tale for Sagarmatha. Chasing 170 on a big stage always going to be tough and only consolation Laligurans could have was their batting strength. Once rain halted, Nabin Gurung (4) lost his wicket off Ruben Singh’s full toss delivery leaving Rajkumar. Sudhir Shrestha also lost his off stumps to a ferocious delivery from Aashish Shrestha hastily. The delivery of the innings-an inswinger pitched on good length, zipped off track to breach the stumps. Ashish Siwakoti (2) adjudged run-out as Laligurans dream chase had reality checked. Debutant Neil (8) failed to read sharp bounce from Shashi Keshari. Rajkumar Gurung led the spirited chase. The early struggle only boasted his determination. His timing and stroke play returned, which saw him driving crisply, lofting powerfully, sweeping timely and more importantly accumulating runs. His shots tapped perfection as he basked 2 effortless sixes off spinners. Raj Kumar continued his battle alone as wickets tumbled other end. Him and Ganesh DC met at precarious position of 4 for 69 and made sure the team could provide solid fight. Captain Ganesh DC led from the front batting sensibly for his 29. Assignment seemed too much as Ganesh departed 133 on board. Gunjan Shrestha, Rajmani and Ajay Kshatry headed to shade At 9 for 163 Laligurans were on the verge of defeat. However, Uddhav Chalise and Ujjwol Subedi took 7 required runs of 35th over to claim the victory. Sagarmatha’s pick of the bowler was Aashish Shrestha claiming 3 wickets. The beauty of these wickets was the varieties and pace he produced. During turbulent time, he bowled with maturity, aspiration and skills. His opponents had high praises for him. His raw talent surely will be an asset to Sagarmatha for a long haul. Abnish Nepal was another gifted protagonist in Sagarmatha’s camp with temperament and intensity required for game. Winner Laligurans must be jubilant as they enter finals. Their joyous chorus though has glimpses of cautious meekness as celebrated batting line up failed to live up to the hype. More than that, as a winner they need compactness with sharp bowling, efficient fielding and solid batting, basics Laligurans eluded quite often. Ajay Kshatry stands tall and proud as his wicket taking ability landed him leading wicket taker ladder. Laligurans anxiously waits for next Sundays’ game between Mirchi Lumbini and Myagdi United, one of which will enter the final frontier.