UP, MP in high scoring draw

A high scoring Central Zone under-22 league match between Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh ended in a draw at Kanpur on Sunday. With not even the first innings being completed, the teams got three points each.

Put in to bat on the opening day (Friday), UP scored 397 off 102.4 overs. The total represented quite a recovery for at one stage they were 57 for four. Skipper P Singh and wicketkeeper J Anwar initiated the recovery process by adding 130 runs off 35 overs. Singh was out at this stage for 71. He faced 125 balls and hit ten of them to the ropes. The recovery process received further impetus with Anwar and M Tripathi adding 151 runs for the sixth wicket off 30.3 overs. Anwar, who had come in the 21st over, finally left in the 85th over for 117. In a stay of four hours, Anwar faced 186 balls and hit eleven fours. Tripathi who also got a century was eighth out at 379. For his 105, he faced 128 balls hitting 13 of them to the fence. Upadhyay (4 for 88) and Panchal (3 for 78) were the successful bowlers.

In the remaining time, MP batted for 160 overs to score 339 for eight. Opener Sunil Tomar (41) and M Pasha (61) added 89 runs for the second wicket and thereafter valuable contributions from Sunil Dholpure (36), Siddarth Kapoor (54) and Yogesh Golwalkar (53 not out) kept them in the hunt for the first innings lead. But they batted too slowly and at the end were 58 runs short with only two wickets in hand.