North Zone champs

Aakash Chopra scores the winning runs in yet another impressive display; Warnapura8217;s ton goes in vain

North Zone8217;s painstaking two-day wait eventually ended today on a sunny Thursday afternoon here at the Eden Gardens, as the most successful team in the history of Duleep Trophy won the coveted title for yet another time, winning it a record 17 times now.

And in poetic justice of sorts, it was comeback hero Aakash Chopra 51 not out who hit the winnings runs against Sri Lanka 8216;A8217; 15 minutes before tea on Day V, and walked off the ground with his characteristic laid-back swagger.

The day8217;s proceedings were no more than mere formalities for the both the teams, with the islanders literally shut out of the match as early as late into the second day8217;s play of the five-day final.

Continuing on their overnight score of 259 for 4, Thilan Samaraweera8217;s boys 8212; despite lacking in motivation after conceding the all-important first-innings lead 8212; did, of course, have the scope to deny the North bowlers by putting their head down and fighting on.

They couldn8217;t, thanks to a combination of some aggressive, probing bowling and an over-ambitious Lankan batting approach. All that North needed for a win was to chase down 87 runs, which they did without too many hiccups. Only the in-form southpaw batsman Malintha Warnapura 149 not out stood tall among the ruins, carving out a well-deserved ton after a dogged 385-minute stay at the crease.

The rest of the batting folded up without much fuss 426 all out, as Ashish Nehra finally broke past the jinx of going wicketless and young off-spinner Rajesh Sharma completed his second first-class five-wicket haul.

In response, North, who last won the Duleep Trophy back in 2003-04, completed the visitors8217; humiliation with eight wickets to spare. And despite being set a small target on the much-criticised Eden batting beauty, opener Chopra did enough to point out that his 188-run knock in the first-innings was no fluke.

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North skipper Manhas put it best, saying: 8220;We won the match on the first two days 8212; that part was the turning point. First, we won the toss and bowled well to dismiss them for 296 in the first-innings. And then, we batted in such a way that we ensured that they didn8217;t dismiss us early.8221;

North batsmen matched their bowlers8217; impressive showing on Day I piling a huge 340-run first-innings lead. It was from that point on that Sri Lanka A couldn8217;t recover.

Brief score: North Zone 636/7 dec. 038; 87/2 Aakash Chopra not out 51 beat Sri Lanka 8216;A8217; 296 038; 426 Malintha Warnapura not out 149; Rajesh Sharma 5/119 by 8 wickets.

I wasn8217;t expecting this: Ganegama

kolkata: Young pacer Akalanka Ganegama8217;s success at the Duleep Trophy was surely to have been noticed back home in Sri Lanka. Expectedly called up for the Lankan Test squad for the Islanders8217; tour of New Zealand next month, Ganegama8217;s excitement is palpable: 8220;I am just too excited with the news, I wasn8217;t expecting the Test call so soon. I know how helpful the pitches in New Zealand are, and I am really looking forward to start with the new ball,8221; the 25-year-old said. 8220;I didn8217;t have a good time in the four ODIs I played. That8217;s another reason why this Test call comes as a surprise,8221; explained Ganegama. 8220;I learnt a lot of things from Chaminda Vaas his idol. I still can8217;t believe it that in a few weeks8217; time I will tour New Zealand with him.8221;