Mangalore: Streak all praise for local pacers

DHNS

Mangalore, 29 April 2012: Zimbabwe African Captain Heath Streak said that weak bowling attack of his team and pitch, which ‘behaved strangely,’ resulted in his team’s defeat against the hosts Karnataka Indians in the one-off Twenty-20 match at NMPT Ground in City on Sunday.

 

Streak admitted that his bowling team is weak. “We do not have good bowlers. Many have not played competitive cricket for past few years,” he said and added that playing in matting also proved costly for them. “In Zimbabwe, we have only turf wickets. Even at junior level, we play in turf wicket. Almost all are playing matting wicket for first time,” he revealed and said that the ball kept low and uneven bounce in the pitch troubled the Africans. Players like Grant Flower, Elton Chigumbura struggled to keep the bat properly as the ball kept low, even pitching twice in some deliveries.

 

Streak praised the bowling by the Karnataka Indians. He congratulated Karnataka Indian bowlers during his innings. “They are bowling very good deliveries. Some balls are extraordinary”.

 

He even went near the bowlers after facing the deliveries and pat them on shoulder to show his gesture.

 

Heath Streak said that Government and Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) should be taking a note on the Cricket ground in Mangalore. ‘Here you have every facility like airport, hotels etc. One cricket ground is essential for a place like Mangalore, which is a developing city,” he opined.

 

 Karnataka Indians beat Zimbabwe

 

‘Heath Streak Corporation Bank Mohtisham T-20 International Cricket Cup-2012’ ended into a one-side affair with Karnataka Indians sabotage the mighty Zimbabwean Africans by 38 runs in the charity match at NMPT Ground at Panambur on Sunday afternoon.

 

Heath Streak might not have expected such a response from the boys of Karnataka Indians when they padded on to the ground after winning the toss.

 

Karnataka Indians cleared their point from the very first ball of the innings, which was guided to boundary in a flash of a second by opener Noushad. Bowling by the Zimbabweans in front of more than 2,000 spectators was too poor as they lacked quality fast bowlers. The Karnataka Indians found plenty of boundaries and doubles from the field.

 

Opener Noushad was the most destructive batsman in the side as the short man took 72 runs from 44 deliveries, decorated with 10 fours and two sixes. Wicket Keeper Gurudeep Madhyastha gave Noushad a strong company, scoring 50 out of 37 balls (5x4, 2x6). Both built a partnership of 61 runs. In the allocated 20 overs, Karnataka Indians posed a target of 194 for the visitors, losing six wickets.

 

In reply, the Africans started with caution, but the matting wicket acted madly as they struggled to find the rhythm. Most of the Zimbabwean players, who never played in matting wicket were failed to secure their ground safe due to the strangely behaved pitch.

 

Sampath Kumar took five wicket haul in the match (4-0-22-5).  Zimbabweans were 40 for five wickets in 8 overs at one stage. Heath Streak came for the rescue operations scoring 59 but Zimbabweans eventually ended to 155 for the lose of nine wickets in 20 overs gifting the hosts a comfortable 38 run victory.