Duleep Trophy: SZone beat NZone to qualify for final
South Zone beat North Zone by two wickets in the thrilling second semi-final of the 2023 Duleep Trophy to qualify for the final clash. While Mayank Agarwal stood out with twin fifties, pacers Vidwath Kaverappa and Vijaykumar Vyshak claimed fifers in the first and third innings, respectively. Notably, NZone had a narrow three-run lead in the first innings. Here are further details.
How did the game pan out?
On Day 1, Kaverappa claimed a magnificent fifer as North Zone dismissed South Zone for 198. Prabhsimran Singh was the top scorer with a 49-run effort. In response, South Zone could only manage 195 as Agarwal scored 76. Thanks to Vyshak's fifer, NZone were folded for 211 in their final outing. SZone successfully chased down the 215-run target though they faced a few hurdles.
Third fifer for Kaverappa
Pacer Kaverappa was the pick of South Zone's bowlers in the first innings, having taken his third five-wicket haul in First-Class cricket. He ran through the opposition's batting order and claimed figures worth 5/28 in 17.3 overs. As he claimed two more wickets in his second outing, he has raced to 41 wickets in 11 games at a 21-plus average.
Fifty for Mayank Agarwal
Extending his purple patch in red-ball cricket, Agarwal smoked twin fifties in the contest, recording scores of 76 and 54. He batted with intent in both innings and completed his 39th half-century in the format. He also owns 15 tons. In 92 appearances, Mayank has raced past 6,950 runs with his average being over 45.
Second fifer for Vyshak
Vyshak, who claimed just one wicket in the first innings, breathed fire in his second outing as he returned with 5/76 in 17 overs. In 11 First-Class matches, Vyshak has raced to 44 wickets at a 24-plus average. This was his second fifer in the format. 31 of his wickets came in the 2022-23 Ranji Trophy season for Karnataka.
Fifty for Prabhsimran
NZone's total in both innings would have been even lower had Prabhsimran Singh not contributed with crucial runs. The wicketkeeper-batter backed his fiery 52-ball 49 from the first innings with another important knock, 63 off 93 balls. It was his third fifty in 13 FC games (100s: 3). In 13 FC matches, the 22-year-old has raced past 890 runs at a 48-plus average.
SZone's thrilling chase
Chasing 215, SZone were well placed at 141/3 as Agarwal (54) and skipper Hanuma Vihari (43) contributed with crucial runs. Youngsters Ricky Bhui (34) and Tilak Varma (25) played quick-fire knocks. However, the fall of three wickets inside 10 runs intensified the chase as SZone required 14 more runs with three wickets in hand. Nevertheless, the lower-order batters eventually guided SZone over the line.
