-NCN humbled by East Bank XI
Rangers XI humiliated Regal XI by nine wickets to claim the Guyana Softball League (GSL)/Banks DIH-sponsored 15-overs-a side competition while the National Communications Network (NCN) team was humbled by an East Bank Select XI in the first game Saturday night at the Banks DIH Thirst Park ground.
Playing in the feature match of the night’s double header Rangers XI were led by a magnificent 32-ball 77 from Man-of-the-Match Riaz Karim.
Karim and Zaheer Haniff (60*) shared an unbroken 130-run second wicket partnership steering their team to 146-1 from 11.4 overs replying to Regal XI’s 143-5 of which Kapildev Singh made an unbeaten 70.
Rangers XI won the toss and invited their opponents to take first strike and even though Singh and Wasim Haslim (41) posted 96 runs for the first wicket from eight overs, they would have to blame their poor batting display for their inadequate total.
Haslim, who was given two lives by Haniff when on 12 and 32, struck four fours and two sixes from 22 balls while Singh struck the same amount of fours as Haslim and five sixes from 43 balls.
Rangers XI, in reply, lost their first wicket in the second over at 16.
But Haniff, who struck six fours and four sixes and Karim, whose innings included two fours and eight sixes, attacked the Regal XI bowlers.
They belted the ball around and out of the small venue to steer their team to a comfortable nine-wicket victory with 3.2 overs to spare.
In the first game of the night’s proceedings, East Bank XI led by an unbeaten 72 which included five sixes and six fours, from Neville Persaud aided by Anand Khemraj’s unbeaten 52 with eight fours and two sixes guided their team to 188-3 from 15 overs.
Ossie Adams took 2-22 for NCN who made a spirited recovery after being 6-2, before being limited to 126-5 from their 15 overs thanks to an unbeaten 28 with three fours from skipper John Ramsingh while Ravi Persaud was unbeaten on 26 with two sixes and one four.
Jadon Samuels had earlier top scored with 32 which was decorated with four fours and one six.
But Ramsingh and Persaud spared NCN’s blushes by adding 58 valuable runs during their unbroken sixth wicket partnership.
Anand Khemraj bagged 2-10.
