Dreary Day Five puts Bengal in final

When fast fading light at the Eden forced the umpires to call off play 15 minutes before time, it was a welcome relief. Not just for a belea...

When fast fading light at the Eden forced the umpires to call off play 15 minutes before time, it was a welcome relief. Not just for a beleaguered Baroda, but more for hosts Bengal who waited and waited, till, literally, the cows came home.

Second day on the trot of excruciating cricket saw Bengal come within sniffing distance of outright victory before finishing with a draw. Paras Mhambrey8217;s boys today did no more than complete the formalities for securing the final berth. The Ranji Trophy semi-final and the hosts set up a title-clash with Uttar Pradesh from January 29 in Lucknow.

It will be UP8217;s second Ranji final. Twice champions Bengal are set for a title showdown for the 12th time. Bengal pressed hard for a win, but missed. The visitors kept at it, on an exasperatingly slow track, finishing with 252/8 in their second innings 8211; 126 runs behind Bengal8217;s first innings 619.

The fact that somebody went out and scored an unbeaten 135-run knock and yet went unnoticed, shows how insignificant the final day had become. The only point of expectation was in Bengal8217;s attempt at an innings victory. Connor Williams8217; dour ton, denying all the bowlers8217; efforts, became secondary.

Brief scores

Baroda: 241 and 252/8 Williams 135no, Martin 34; Bose 2/54, SS Singh 4/66 vs Bengal: 619. Match drawn.

100 deliveries to a 0

Kolkata: The Bengal-Baroda semi-final had a spot of interest in a bit of weird statistic generated. Yawns were stifled as Baroda quick Shekhar Joshi made everybody sit up and take notice. The stocky player went out to bat at No. 10 and came up with a unique knock 8211; 100 balls, 120 minutes, 0 not out! Batting alongside No. 3 batsman Connor Williams, who struck an unbeaten 135, the tailender hung around for two long hours without scoring a run on a dying wicket. It was that 8216;0 not out8217;, and Williams, who bailed Baroda out of innings-loss danger. The duo8217;s persistence helped Williams put on 47 runs for the ninth-wicket off 31.2 overs to deny the Bengal bowlers victory. ENS