Vijay Hazare Trophy | Gaikwad continues purple patch, Baroda bowlers unleash masterclass

BBL 11 | Marsh-powered Scorchers demolish Hurricanes, gather third victory in a row

Perth Scorchers registered its third consecutive win in the Big Bash League 2021 as it defeated Hobart Hurricanes by a huge margin of 53 runs at the Blundstone Arena in Hobart to take the pole position in the points table. Mitchell Marsh was the hero for the Scorchers as he brought upon his first-ever BBL century in the league’s 11-year-old history. It was mainly due to his hundred that Perth was able to get such a huge total in the end. As far as the bowling is concerned, Tymal Mills was at the top of his game for the Hurricanes as he took three wickets including those of Caleb Jewell, Ben McDermott and Nathan Ellis to bling the chase of the Hobart team. The chase of 183, difficult in its own way, become more difficult as it actually never got going with Hurricanes skipper Matthew Wade getting out in the very first over. Jewell followed suit in the very next over, declining any sort of platform for the latter batters to cash upon. However, a 69 run partnership developed between D’Arcy Short and McDermott to give Hurricanes some sort of hope. However, Mills came back and removed McDermott and in the very next over the Hurricanes’ English import Harry Brook got out for one run. From there on, it was all formalities as the wickets kept falling at regular intervals for the Hurricanes and they were eventually bowled out for 129 in the 19th over. Earlier in the evening, after winning the toss and deciding to bat first, Scorchers didn’t really have a good start as they lost Colin Munro, the centurion from the previous game for nought and by the beginning of the sixth over, they were 40-3. Mitchell Marsh tried to build a partnership with skipper Ashton Turner, but it was also broken at the end of the 10th over and Scorchers were 74-4. However, what unfolded after that was pure magic from Marsh as he struck 33 runs off his last 10 balls and along with Laurie Evans, took the team to 182. The Scorchers scored 57 runs in the last four overs.

Vijay Hazare Trophy | Gaikwad continues to knock selectors' doors, hits fourth ton in 5 matches

Maharashtra captain Ruturaj Gaikwad is in incredible form in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy. The right-hander, on Tuesday, 14 December, struck yet another hundred, making it his fourth in the competition. Chasing 310 in 50 overs against Chandigarh in Rajkot, Maharashtra had a good start to the chase as Gaikwad and Yash Nahar put 109 runs on the board for the first wicket before Nahar departed for 38 off 49 balls. His wicket broke the shackles and Maharashtra were soon reduced to 131/4. But Gaikwad was then joined by Azim Kazi and the two stitched a stand of 139 for the fifth wicket. While the skipper went on to score a 132-ball 168 which included six maximums and 12 fours. Kazi remained unbeaten at 73 off 19 and anchored the side to a win by 5 wickets in the 49th over. Earlier, Chandigarh rode on Manan Vohra’s 141 and fifties from Arslan Khan and Ankit Kaushik to post 309/7 in 50 overs. Dadhe scalped four wickets for 49 runs in 10 overs for his side.

BBL 11 | Mitchell Marsh hits his maiden Big Bash hundred

The T20 World Cup start for Australia finally struck gold in the Biga Bash League in his fourth match of the season as he scored a scintillating hundred against Hobart Hurricanes at the Blundstone Arena in Hobart. The hundred came on the fifth ball of the 20th over of the Perth Scorchers innings as Marsh took only a single to complete his first century in his 11-year long career as well as the history of the league. It never looked like it was going to be a hundred initially when he came on to bat and the way he was miscuing the shots. Batting at number three and coming on to bat in only the first over itself after the fall of the wicket of last match centurion Colin Munro, Marsh started getting into the groove but kept on losing partners at the other end. In the 13th over, he brought out his fifty off 37 balls when the team score was 97-4. This was after the team has fallen to 75-4 and Marsh has started to build the partnership with Laurie Evans. The partnership went on for 67 runs and it came in just 45 balls. Till that time, Marsh has reached 67 off 50 balls. But it was only after that Marsh exploded and scored 33 off the next 10 balls. Thanks to his hundred, Scorchers, who were once at 74-4, were able to get to 182-5 in the 20 overs. As far as the match is concerned, Hurricanes are 67-2, needing 116 to win from 66 balls.

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