Cuttack: Hosts Odisha put up an all-round show to thrash hapless Arunachal Pradesh by eight wickets in a Group D match of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 cricket tournament here Monday. This is the second consecutive victory for the hosts after as many losses.
After opting to bat first the visitors faced a batting debacle and were bundled out for a paltry 75 runs in 13.1 overs. Techi Doria (26, 37b, 3×4) and Kshitiz Sharma (11) were the only batsmen to get into double figures. Debabrata Pradhan (3/10) was the most successful bowler for Odisha. Rajesh Mohanty (2/17) and Biplab Samantray (2/6) complemented him well with scalps of two wickets each.
In reply Odisha lost two quick wickets. But Abhishek Rout (41 n o, 43b, 6×4, 1×6) and Sandeep Patnaik (28 n o, 23b, 4×4) batted brilliantly to knock off the target in only 13.1 overs. They stitched together a partnership of 65 runs for the third wicket to seal the fate of the lop-sided match.
Brief scores: Arunachal Pradesh 75 (Debabrata Pradhan 3/10, Rajesh Mohanty 2/17) lost to Odisha 76/2 (Abhishek Raut 41 n o) by eight wickets.