Cricket: Titans storm Swaminarayan Pro20 tournament semis
Mafuko Mavericks' Irfan Karim makes a run against Mahadev Strikers during Swaminarayan Pro20 tournament at Shree Cutchi Leva Samaj Patel ground on November 6, 2022.
What you need to know:
- Titans crushed Purple Dot Ndovus by 41 runs Sunday night to take their points tally to eight from five matches and earn a place in the penultimate stage of the competition
- Indian Aezaz Kothariya has been one of Titans' outstanding players thus far, top scoring in their clash against Strikers with 73 runs off 36 balls including eight fours and four sixes
- Still remaining with two matches, Strikers is the only team with the chance of tying at the top with Titans on eight points
After becoming the first team to qualify for the semi-finals of Swaminarayan Pro20 tournament, Hari Om Titans are confident of lifting the title.
Titans crushed Purple Dot Ndovus by 41 runs Sunday night to take their points tally to eight from five matches and earn a place in the penultimate stage of the competition.
Six teams are competing in the tournament, with the matches being played at the Shree Cutchi Leva Patel Samaj ground in Nairobi at night.
For Ndovus, the loss to Titans extinguished their semi-finals hopes in the competition that seeks to raise funds to cater for the surgeries of at least 200 needy patients in Nairobi.
After their three-wicket loss to Mahadev Strikers in the opening match of the competition on October 29, Titans have been superb, winning all their next four matches.
They beat Mafuko Mavericks, Play Master Warriors and Mombasa Cement Giants by five runs, six wickets and two wickets respectively, before completing their impressive run with the victory over Ndovus.
Indian Aezaz Kothariya has been one of Titans' outstanding players thus far, top scoring in their clash against Strikers with 73 runs off 36 balls including eight fours and four sixes.
Mahadev Strikers's Lucas Oluoch bowls against Mafuko Mavericks during Swaminarayan Pro20 tournament at Shree Cutchi Leva Samaj Patel ground on November 6, 2022.
He smashed the first century of the tournament when he hit 117 from 48 balls with 10 fours and nine sixes in their win over Warriors.
“Definitely we stand a good chance of winning the tournament,” said Titans' captain Sachin Bhudia. “We will not be in action for three days. We will use that time to work on our bowling and fielding. The most important thing is to enjoy our game, we do not want to be under any pressure.”
Bhudia said it was “just a bad day for us” when they lost to Strikers on October 29.
Ensuring that they finish all the 20 overs in their innings and avoiding an early collapse of their top-order batting, he said, are some of the factors which have propelled them to the semi-finals.
Only the top four teams progress to the semi-finals of the tournament.
Earlier at the same venue, Strikers defeated Mavericks by 11 runs to increase their chances of making it to the next round of the competition.
Strikers’ Lucas Oluoch was crowned the man-of-the match after taking four wickets and conceding 24 runs in four overs.
Strikers’ captain Rakep Patel said they were lucky to win the toss, because they wanted to bat first since it was their only sure way of playing the match as they had planned.
Mahadev Strikers Rakep Patel plays a delivery against Mafuko Mavericks during Swaminarayan Pro20 tournament at Shree Cutchi Leva Samaj Patel ground on November 6, 2022.
“We know the depth we have in both batting and bowling, we knew if we batted first and put up a high score, we were certain of winning. We wanted to avoid any long partnership of our opponents on the crease. Thanks to Oluoch’s superb bowling he dismissed Irfan Karim left at the right time which was very good to us,” said Patel.
Still remaining with two matches, Strikers is the only team with the chance of tying at the top with Titans on eight points.
Strikers, Mavericks, Giants and Warriors are all currently on four points .
Strikers will clash with Giants Monday night in the latter’s last match of the first round.
Mavericks, Warriors and Ndovus are also left with one match each.
But even if winless Ndovus beat Strikers Wednesday night, still they cannot progress to the semi-finals stage since they have no point from four matches.
A win in the competition earns you two points.
