A rude wake up call

4th July, 2010, IISc Gymkhana Ground, Bangalore: Sangam Cricketers handed IISc a rude wake up call just as the KSCA IV Division League comes knocking. With a bag-full of victories in the past few months, some complacency had crept into IISc's game which saw them putting up a rather weak show in all departments of the game. This defeat should spur IISc to iron out their flaws and be at their prime by the time the league matches arrive.

Batting first, IISc failed to stitch together meaningful partnerships. The entire line-up caved in for a paltry 175 in 35 overs. Shimjith (42) and Sounik (33) were the only ones to make sizable contributions. Kate was impressive for Sangam with his sharp in-swingers that troubled many of the IISc batsmen.

Sangam's reply featured a match-winning 107-run third-wicket partnership between opener Deepak (69) and two-down Vasanth (43). IISc helped Sangam's cause by generously conceding 25 wides and dropping as many as five catches. A flurry of wickets fell towards the end of the match, to make the margin of defeat look less menacing. Debajit picked up his second three-wicket haul in as many matches.

Brief Scores:

IISc - 175 allout in 35 overs

(Shimjith 42, Sounik 33, Satish 4/47, Kate 2/25, Shrinivas 2/50)

Sangam Cricketers - 178/7 in 45.1 overs

(Deepak 69, Vasanth 43, Debajit 3/54, Vikram 2/28)

Result: Sangam Cricketers won by 3 wickets

Man-of-the-match: Deepak