First matches end in draws

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Jan. 7: The Jay Trophy Men's Elite Cup saw its four participating teams playing out draws in their opening matches of the multi-day cricket tournament on Monday.

In Janakpur, despite Mayan Yadav's century, Madhesh Province drew with Bagmati Province. Meanwhile, the match between Nepal Police Club and Tribhuvan Army Club in Birgunj also ended in a draw.

Although the game ended in a draw, Bagmati gained a total of 22 points, including seven regular points and 15 bonus points, due to their lead in the first innings. Madhesh, being behind in the first innings, gained a total of 17 points, including three regular points and 14 bonus points.

Due to their first innings lead, the Police secured a total of 21 points, including seven regular points and 14 bonus points. The Army, being behind in the first innings, secured a total of 16 points, including three regular points and 13 bonus points.

At the Ram Janaki ground in Janakpur, Bagmati, chasing a target of 164 runs set by Madhesh, managed to score only 97 runs for the loss of six wickets by the end of the second and final day. For Bagmati, Rit Gautam scored 25 runs, Shubh Kashankar 23 runs, Ashutosh Ghiraiya 17 runs, and Pratish G.C. 16 runs. For Madhesh, captain Harishankar Shah took three wickets, while Ranjit Kumar, Abhishek Tiwari, and Rupesh Singh took one wicket each.

Inspired by Mayan Yadav's century, Madhesh scored 211 runs in their second innings. Madhesh captain Harishankar Shah declared the innings at 211 for 9. Mayan contributed the highest for Madhesh with 106 runs off 108 balls, including 12 boundaries and two sixes, making the first century in the history of the Jai Trophy. Abhishek Tiwari scored 19 runs, Niraj Yadav 17 runs, and Bishal Patel and Rupesh Singh each scored 14 runs. For Bagmati, Captain Sandeep Lamichhane took five wickets. Having taken five wickets in the first innings as well, Sandeep became the first player to complete ten wickets in a single match. He was also declared player of the match. Surya Tamang took two wickets, while Nandan Yadav and Rijan Dhakal took one wicket each.

Earlier, winning the toss and choosing to bat first, Madhesh was all out for 102 runs in their first innings. Bagmati scored 150 runs, taking a lead of 48 runs.

At the Narayani Cricket Ground in Birgunj, the Police, chasing a target of 172 runs set by the Army, could only manage to score 85 runs for the loss of five wickets. For the Police, Amit Shrestha scored 36 runs, Arjun Saud remained unbeaten with 19 runs, and Rashid Khan scored 10 runs. For the Army, Akash Chand and Shahab Alam took two wickets each, while Pawan Karki took one wicket. Shahab became the second player to take ten wickets in a single match, having taken eight wickets in the first innings. For his bowling feat, Alam was also named Player of the match. 

Inspired by Sompal Kami's half-century, the Army was all out for 175 runs in their second innings, setting a target of 171 runs for the Police. For the Army, Sompal contributed the highest with 82 runs off 138 balls, including ten boundaries and one six. Trit Raj Das scored 34 runs, Bhim Sarki 15 runs, and Bivek Yadav 11 runs. For the Police, Kushal Bhurtel took four wickets, Gulshan Kumar Jha took three wickets, Lalit Narayan Rajbanshi took two wickets, and Rashid Khan took one wicket. Earlier, winning the toss and opting to bat first, the Army was all out for 121 runs in their first innings. The Police managed to take a slim lead of four runs, scoring 125 runs.

Madhesh will face the departmental team Nepal Police Club in their second match on Wednesday in Birgunj, while Bagmati will play against the departmental team Tribhuvan Army Club in Janakpur on Wednesday.