Bengaluru, Aug 31 Delhi all-rounder Ayush Badoni scored his second double century in first-class cricket as North Zone qualified for the semi-finals of the Duleep Trophy on the basis of taking the first-innings lead over East Zone in the quarter-final at the BCCI COE Ground 1 on Sunday.
Resuming from 388/2 in 90 overs, North Zone amassed 658/4 in 146.2 overs, with their lead standing at 833 runs. Once it was clear that the game would end in a draw, the umpires called off the match, leading to both teams shaking hands.
The result means North Zone will meet South Zone in the semi-final starting on September 4. Apart from Badoni making 204 not out, laced with 13 fours and three sixes, skipper Ankit Kumar made 198 off 321 balls, including hitting 19 fours and a six.
In the morning, despite East Zone employing Utkarsh Singh and Manishi from both ends, it didn’t affect North Zone’s run-making spree as Ankit quickly moved past his previous highest first-class score and inched closer towards a maiden double-century, even as Badoni adopted an aggressive batting approach.
But there was heartbreak in store for Ankit, fell two short of a double hundred when he miscued a pull off Mukhtar Hussain and was caught at mid-on. Badoni, however, carried on the momentum by reaching his century in 123 balls and even reached his 150 by lunch.
Despite Nishant Sindhu eventually holing out to long-on off Utkarsh, Badoni continued to find boundaries as, North Zone’s lead surged past 800. Badoni eventually reached his maiden double hundred in a simple fashion and with a commanding lead of 833 runs, the match was called off as a draw, with North Zone confirmed to go into the semi-finals.
Brief Scores: North Zone 405 and 658/4 in 146.2 overs (Ayush Badoni 204 not out, Ankit Kumar 198; Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal 1-77, Riyan Parag 1-78) draw with East Zone 230 in 56.1 overs (Virat Singh 69; Auqib Nabi 5-28)
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