Cricket: Unlike the opening week where it was mostly the batsman who highlighted the on-going BCCB T20 championship, last week it was a bowler’s showdown during the second week of the championship at the Pelkhil school ground.

Of the total four matches played over the weekend, three man-of-the-match (MoM) titles went to the bowlers.

Having won their opening match with a big margin last week, team BTCL entered their second match hoping to display a similar performance on Saturday against True Warriors.

For Warriors it was an important match having lost their opening game to TYT last week.

BTCL started off well getting 28 runs off 17 balls from their opening pair but after the fall of the first wicket at the score of 28 runs, wickets kept falling at regular intervals for BTCL.

The team could not cope up against the combination of the right-arm medium pacer Tashi Tshering and the team’s foreign player Jonathan’s bowling who broke through BTCLS’s batting line. Jonathan went on to pick up three wickets while Tashi bagged four wickets, closing BTCL’s innings to 78 runs.

The thrill didn’t end with the Warriors’ brilliant bowling. Down but not out, BTCL were not only strong with the bat but with ball as well.

Opening bowler and medium pacer Tandin gave the start BTCL needed picking up Warriors’ opening batsman Kinga on the fourth ball. Off-spinner Phuntsho picked up the other opener Sanjay in the fifth over and got rid of Munna in the same over. Tenzin a leg-spinner picked up two wickets for his team.

A nail-biting situation was reached when BTCL required one wicket to win, while the Warriors needing six more runs. It was the Warriors at the end who picked up their first win of the tournament. Warriors’ Tashi was named man of the match.

In the afternoon, debutant team Chhukha Central School (CCS) faced Youth XI. Youth XI batsman were tested by the CCS’s young and unpredictable bowlers as CCS went on to pick up a wicket in the very first over.

CCS picked up wickets at regular intervals restricting Youth XI to 112 at the cost of six wickets. It was in the last 18 balls of the game that the scenario changed as Youth XI managed to score 51 runs from it, of which 44 runs was contributed by lower order batsman Amit. CCS needed 164 to win off 120 balls.

However, at the end, the much-experienced Youth XI overpowered the new entries when they were dismissed at 90 runs. Amit was declared the MoM.

On Sunday, Youth XI faced Blue Diamond.  Youth XI dominated the match when  Blue Diamond were wrapped up for just 55 runs. It was a one-man show as Youth XI’s left arm pacer Ramesh Limbu bagged the tournament’s first hat trick in his second over. Ramesh was the MoM.

The afternoon match ended up with a similar scenario when TYT opted to field first against BTCL. BTCL having lost their match the previous day were looking for redemption.

Opening bowler Tandin picked up Arpan from his very first ball. Captain Jigme Singye and Phuntsho Wangdi maintained the pressure on TYT, picking up five wickets (two for Phuntsho Wangdi and three for Jigme Singye). Eventually, TYT were bundled up for the tournament’s lowest runs of 54. TYT did manage to pick up three wickets but couldn’t help BTCL from winning their second match by seven wickets. Jigme Singye was declared the MoM.

The man-of-the-match are given a cash prize of Nu 1,000 by the India-Bhutan Foundation.

Takin City will play Blue Diamond while BYPCC will take on Druk Rising Stars on May 28.  On May 29, Takin City will play their third match against PHPA while BYPCC will play TYT.

Contributed by 

Tandin Wangchuk 

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