Polly Umrigar (East Zone) Tourney

Assam boys take lead:

Nov 26: Assam took slender first innings lead of 10 runs against Tripura in the Polly Umrigar Trophy under-15 East Zone Cricket Tournament on the second day at Maligaon Railway Stadium at Guwahati on Monday.

In reply to Tripura’s first innings total of 154, Assam were all out for 164. Rahul Hazarika was top scorer with 55.

In their second innings, Tripura were 81 for 1.

U-15 East Zone Cricket

Assam facing defeat against Jharkhand

Nov 8: Assam are dacing defeat in the East Zone U-15 cricket tournament for the Polly Umrigar Trophy against Jharkhand at Guwahati.

On the second day of the three-day match at the Maligaon Railway Stadium here , in reply to Assam’s first innings total of 115, Jharkhand piled up 315 in 93.2 overs after resuming the day on 170 for three.

After conceding a first innings lead of 145, Assam were again in trouble losing three second innings wicket for 61 at the draw of stumps on the second day.

Brief Scores: Assam 1st innings: 115 (Sanzow Brahma 23, Dominic Rex 6/13)

Jharkhand 1st innings: 315 (Nazir Alam 69, Kumar Abhisek 39, Vishal Singh 37, Chirag Tekriwal 36, Babul Singh 32, Sanzow Brahma 4/45, Jogeswar Bhumez 2/55)

Assam 2nd innings: 61/3 (Jnan Boro 30 batting, Sanzow Brahma 11 batting, Manu Kumar 2/19)

Source: The Assam Tribune

Under-22 CK Nayudu Cricket

Humiliating defeat for Asom against Bengal:

Nov 7: Bengal defeated Asom by an innings and 79 runs on the second day of the Under-22 CK Nayudu Cricket Tournament played at the Dibrugarh District Sports Association (DDSA) Outdoor Stadium.

Asom were bowled out for 95 runs in their second innings after Bengal had compiled 225 in their first innings in reply to Asom’s 51 in their first essay.

Resuming the second day at the overnight 136 for 2, Bengal were all out for 225. Bengal then shot out the hosts for 95 in their second innings to win the match by an innings and 79 runs.

Asom now have four points from three outings. Bengal lead the East Zone tally with 16 points.

Scorecard: Asom 51 and 95; Bengal 225

Emulate Dhoni: Vengsarkar to NE cricketers

Chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar has said that cricketers from the North East would have to come of age to secure a berth in the Indian team and they would do well to take a leaf out of skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s book, who, in spite of coming from a small town, had made a mark in world cricket.

Vengsarkar said there was no dearth of talent in the North East, which was evident by the inclusion of players from Assam into the national U-19 and U-16 teams, but somewhere they had failed to retain the momentum just when it mattered most.

“In recent years, I have seen a couple of good players, especially from Assam, but after a few good performances, they sink into oblivion, which is unfortunate,” said Vengsarkar, who was at Guwahati for the opening match of the Indian Oil Cup between arch rivals India and Pakistan.

“There can’t be any other criteria than your performance on the field that would enable you to don the national colours. For the players of the region, the immediate goal should be to play well representing their respective states and then for the East Zone squad,” he said.

“If you perform, there is nothing that can stop you from making the cut. There can’t be any other reason, which is barring the region to produce any international cricketer till date,” stated Vengsarkar.

It is ironical that Assam, which boasts of several decades of cricket history and has, till date, hosted as many as 13 international matches, has failed to produce any cricketer of national standing.

The former Indian skipper also said that the Assam Cricket Association, being the dominant force in the region, has a greater role to play in making the North East a force to reckon with in Indian cricket.

“The fact that many talented players are coming out from smaller cities should motivate the players here to work that bit harder. Success does not come easy,” he asserted.

It may be mentioned here that in recent years, paceman Abu Naschim Ahmed, who eventually joined the Indian Cricket League, was the only player to manage a berth in the East Zone team, though he could not find a place in the playing eleven.

The chief selector categorically said that at present there were no such players in view from the region, who could immediately make it to the big league.

When asked whether he was happy with the facilities on the ground, the former stylish middle order batsman refused to make any comment.

Source: The Assam Tribune

Image: www.cricinfo.com