East Central Zone stop North Zone to win Over 50s Masters Cricket USA title

By K.R. Nayar
From Sevens Stadium, Dubai

A half-century from Sandeep Karwa for the team composed of those who had crossed the half-century mark in their life, and a fine bowling spell of 3 for 34 from Himanshu Patadia helped East Central Zone emerge as the Over 50s Dubai Zonal Champions of Masters Cricket USA. In the final held at Sevens Stadium, East Central Zone beat North Zone by 36 runs.

East Central Zone Over 50s team celebrates after receiving the trophy. Photo by K.R. Nayar   

East Central Zone won the toss and opted to bat at the Oval 1 ground. Parak Ananta, one of the founders of Masters Cricket USA, shone in his role as wicketkeeper. He took the first catch of the finals to dismiss opener Masud Rana off Sanjay Pandya for 17. He also caught one-down Ketan Patel, again off Sanjay Pandya, for 3 and contributed to the run-out of opener Amir Kiani alongside Nirav Valia for 7.

Wicketkeeper Parak Ananta (centre) and Syed Shanawaz being congratulated by Arun Vittala for their vision and contribution  towards the  huge success of the tournament . Photo by K.R. Nayar  

North Zone bowlers thus got off to an excellent start, but a steady partnership between Apparsamy Balaji and Sandeep Karwa lifted East Central Zone from 27 for 3 past the 100-run mark.  Balaji scored 34, while Karwa contributed a well-compiled 55 off 65 balls, including four boundaries and a six.  

Sandeep Karwa... match winning half century 

Jwalant Vakil chipped in with a measured 30 through singles and doubles, giving East Central Zone a fighting total of 182 in 39.4 overs. A tight spell from Dharma Gade, who took 4 for 33 from eight overs, helped restrict East Central Zone's score.

Dharma Gade...fine four-wicket spell 

North Zone began their chase on a positive note, with openers Monty Mathanda and Paresh Deshmukh adding 35 runs in nine overs. Ketan Patel ran out Deshmukh for 11, and Himanshu Patadia, later awarded Man of the Final, trapped Mathanda leg-before for 19. 

Himanshu Patadia speaks after receiving the Player of the Final award from Dr Sangeeta Parashar of Cocoona Clinics, one of the sponsors of the event. Photo by K.R. Nayar  

East Central Zone tightened their grip when North Zone’s star batsman and former Jammu and Kashmir Ranji Trophy player Amjad Khan was adjudged caught behind by wicketkeeper Mahesh Suryanarayanan off Patadia for 7. At the same score of 43, Patadia also trapped Nirav Valia leg-before for a duck.

Captains Rizwan Mohammed and Fazal Alam during the toss 

Things went from bad to worse for North Zone when their captain Fazal Alam fell leg-before to Nasir Javed, affectionately called "Charlie," for 7. Experienced player Parak Ananta also fell, trapped leg-before by Ranga Rajan for a duck. While East Central Zone seemed heading towards a comfortable win, Gani Ganisshan and Naseer Islam built a resilient partnership that brought their score to 89. However, Rizwan ended Gani’s knock by having him caught by Ketan Patel for 20.

Naseer Islam after his fighting knock of 45. Photo by K.R. Nayar

Naseer Islam revived North Zone's hopes with a knock packed with powerful shots. Partnering with Sanjay Patel, Naseer took the score to 130. He scored a brisk run-a-ball 45, featuring two boundaries and three consecutive sixes, before being caught and bowled by Ranga Rajan.  North Zone’s resistance ended when Sanjay Patel, who scored a fighting 21, was run out.

Brief scores:
Over 50 final: East Central Zone bt North Zone by 36 runs. East Central Zone 182 in 39.4 overs (Apparsamy Balaji 34, Sandeep Karwa 55, Jwalant Vakil 30, Dharma Gade 4 for 33, Sanjay Pandya 2 for 38, Hitesh R Patel 2 for 30). North Zone 146 in 35 overs (Gani Ganisshan 20, Naseer Islam 45, Sanjay Patel 21, Himanshu Patadia 3 for 34, Ranga Rajan 2 for 12, Nasir Javed 2 for 25)
Player of the final: Himanshu Patadia