Rain,Rahul thwart Railways

Kartik called the coin right and decided to bat first,but with only four overs bowled in the first session of play due to overnight rains,Railways were on the blackfoot soon. Once the ground was declared fit to host a cricket match after lunch,Punjab’s fast bowling problems were exposed. Fast bowler Manpreet Singh Gony sat out due to injury — he joined Gagandeep Singh and Harmeet Singh on the bench — leaving debutant Rajwinder Singh and Love Ablish with the task of handling the new ball.

Fazal resumed the post lunch session with intent,putting on display his full array of strokes,while V Cheluvaraj played the waiting game. When the opening bowlers pitched the ball short,Fazal dismissed the ball square off the wicket on the leg side with elegant wrist work. When they pitched it up,he drove straight down the ground with ferocity. If the ball was any fuller,an angled bat awaited the leather to guide it down to the fine-leg boundary. The pair raced to a 50-run partnership by the 12th over.

Ablish was replaced by Rahul Sharma at the end of the twelfth over and Fazal greeted him by dancing down the track and smashing him into the Boxing Hall,which lies a few metres beyond the long-on boundary. He brought up his fifty with a deft sweep off Sharma in 58 balls,studded with nine boundaries and a six.

With the spinners getting smashed at both ends,Ablish was brought back on from the Pavilion end,but only to be whacked for 17 runs by Fazal. The openers brought up 100 in the 19th over,with Cheluvaraj scoring 18.

Thereafter though,it was all downhill for Railways,as they self-destructed with a little assistance from the pitch. Cheluvaraj’s sweep shot ricocheted back onto his back leg before hitting the off-stump. Fazal tried to keep the scoreboard ticking,but going for one shot too many,was caught and bowled by Sharma for his second wicket.

From 139/2,Railways were reduced to 140/5 in the space of seven balls. TP Singh was out for six to Sarabjit Ladda — the only wicket that Sharma did not claim on Tuesday.

Sanjay Bangar followed on the same score,bowled after he was beaten for pace for a 69-ball 17. The ball cleaned up Yere Goud’s timber an over later for a duck. Sharma brought up his five-for by dismissing Harshad Rawle soon after tea. Suresh played sensibly with the help of Karan Sharma for his unbeaten 31 before bad light called off play.

Brief scores: Railways 191/6 in 59 overs (Faiz Fazal 87; Rahul Sharma 5/58).