Punjab, MP enter semis

Post News Network

Cuttack, Jan 15: Punjab and Madhya Pradesh (MP) made it to the semifinals of the All India U-16 Vijay Merchant Trophy cricket tournament by winning their respective quarterfinal matches at different grounds here, Thursday.

At the Ravenshaw Ground, Punjab beat Gujarat by 83 runs. Chasing a victory target of 240 runs, Gujarat were bundled out for 156 runs. Barring LM Cocher (61, 153b, 9×4) none of the batters could contribute substantially.

At the Nimpur Ground, MP beat Himachal Pradesh (HP) by two wickets in a keenly contested tie. RS Rana (3/28) and RS Thakur (2/15) bowled their heart out to give the MP batters a good run for their money on a difficult fourth day wicket. MP took 62.4 overs to overhaul the target of 130, losing eight wickets in the process thanks to a gutsy innings by Musid Bhargav (35, 137b, 5×4).