Hue Strikers 204/8 in 20 Overs (Sunder 44, Akshay 41, Rahul 3/27) defeated Vishwa Falcons 150/10 in 17.4 Overs (Himanshu 37, Anuj 30, Amit 4/20) by 54 runs
By the time this article is being compiled, South Africa has defeated India by 9 wickets and has drawn the series. While the rest of India was waiting for Virat Kohli to destroy the Proteas, Strikers were already celebrating the exploits of their own Kohli. It was Amit Kohli’s spell of 4 for 20 that tore the Falcons middle order apart and they faltered in the chase of 204. Here we are talking about the final of T-20 Corporate Cricket Challenge which was organized at the Achievers ground, Noida.
The tournament was contested among 24 teams from across the national capital region. It began way back on June 15 and the two teams that made it to the finals were Hue Strikers and Vishwa Falcons. Vishwa Falcons topped the group C while Hue Strikers were ranked second in the Group D.
Earlier in the day, Hue Strikers won the toss and they elected to bat first. They lost Awana early and Tomar departed soon after. The pair of Akshay (41) and Sumit (37) added a quickfire 57 off 31 balls. Anil removed Sumit but Akshay consolidated the other end and enjoyed some nastier hitting from Sunder who compiled a magnificent 44 of just 23 balls. Their partnership was broken by Joginder when Akshay succumbed to a beautiful delivery in the 15th over.
With the help of some nasty hitting from Devesh and Karan, the Strikers piled on a massive 204 in their quota of 20 overs. The scorecard of their inning is an example of how cricket is a team sport. None of the Strikers went on to make a fifty, yet the team gunned down one of the highest totals of the tournament.
Falcons initiated their chase in an audacious manner. The opening pair of Himanshu and Anuj knocked off 69 runs in the powerplay overs. It was this point of time when it looked like those spectators are set for a great finale at the Achievers ground but as soon as Himanshu Departed, Falcons lost their way. The middle-order could not use the magnificent stage set by the openers and soon they found themselves 7 down for 97. Some late blows from Rahul Awana were not enough for the Falcons. They were bundled out for 150 in the eighteenth over with Amit Kohli being the chief destroyer. He finished with the magical figures of 3-0-20-4.
