Wankhede pitch will be good to bat on says Shashank Singh, who played a crucial role in Victory CC's win over Fort Vijay in the MCA T20 final at Churchgate yesterday
Wankhede pitch will be good to bat on says Shashank Singh, who played a crucial role in Victory CC's win over Fort Vijay in the MCA T20 final at Churchgate yesterday
When medium pacer Ashay Palkar stepped on the newly laid pitch at the Wankhede stadium, he had goose bumps. Sure, he had played at the historic venue earlier in junior matches. But yesterday, the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) T20 Championship final between Victory CC and Fort Vijay, was different.
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| The MCA T20 Championship final being played under lights at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai yesterday.
PIC/SHADAB KHAN |
He was playing at the ground under lights for the first time. And playing in the game that was as a 'test' of the renovated stadium ahead of the World Cup matches including the final in just over a month's time, made it even more special.
Palkar claimed the first ever hat-trick in the tournament's history by grabbing 5-26.u00a0 It was his second career hat-trick, the previous one coming in the Under-17 Kalpesh Kohli tournament in 2006. "That was also a big game, the semi-final. But obviously this is special because it's an 'A' division final and a much better opponent," Palkar, who got his hat-trick in the last three balls of Victory CC's innings, told MiD DAY.
But despite his brilliant performance, Palkar ended on the losing side courtesy a superb all-round show by Shashank Singh. Singh slammed a 39-ball 52 to help Victory CC post a challenging 151. Then, the seamer bowled an immaculate spell to return with 3-14 to restrict Fort Vijay to 112 for nine. That medium pacers were the wreckers-in-chief for both the teams should be noteworthy. "The white ball moves a lot because of the breeze. But it's a true pitch as the ball comes on the bat.
"It will be good to bat. The initial 10 overs of both innings will be crucial," Singh summed up his assessment of the pitch.
Sudhir Naik, the curator, was glad that yesterday's final and the semi-final on Saturday, went off without any hiccup. The only issue is that the shadow of the roof on the western stand falls on the pitch during the hours before sunset.
"That would be a concern during winter. In March-April, the shadow would fall after 5.15 pm, so it won't be a worry," Naik said.
Wankhede is set to host Canada and New Zealand on March 13, a day game, and New Zealand and Sri Lanka on March 18, a day-nighter, apart from the final on April 2.
