Continuing his fine run in his comeback from ankle surgery, India pacer Mohammed Shami will be in the spotlight as Bengal faces strong challenge from a rampaging Baroda in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 quarterfinal here on Wednesday.
Shami played a key role in Bengal’s thrilling three-run win over Chandigarh to help it make the last-eight stage.
Batting at No. 10, Shami hit a crucial unbeaten 17-ball 32 to lift Bengal to 159 for 9. With the ball, he bowled a tight spell, taking 1/13 in his initial three overs.
In all, Shami has now played nine domestic games — one Ranji Trophy (42.3 overs) and eight SMAT T20 games (31.3 overs) — after returning to action. He has bowled a total of 74 overs and taken 16 wickets.
But, Baroda has sounded warning as it sizzled with the bat in the competition by setting a world record for the highest total in men’s T20 cricket, posting 349/5 against Sikkim to storm into the quarterfinals. It also broke the record for most sixes in a T20 innings, hitting 37 maximums.
Bhanu Pania led the charge with a blistering 134 off 51 balls, supported by Shivalik Sharma (55 off 17) and Vishnu Solanki (50 off 16).
Baroda’s bowlers, led by skipper Krunal Pandya, have been in fine form as well and Bengal will have their its cut out.
DELHI TAKES ON UTTAR PRADESH
The evening match here will see Delhi take on Uttar Pradesh which defeated Andhra to make the cut.
Rinku Singh and Vipraj Nigam have been in fine form for UP as the duo added 48 runs in just three overs to seal their four-wicket win.
Delhi has been dominant in the group stage, securing six wins from seven matches to confirm a last-eight berth.
Priyansh Arya, with one century and one fifty, has been the leading run-getter (252), while the likes of Yash Dhull (185), Himmat Singh (179) and Ayush Badoni (102) will also look to play a key role in batting.
At Alur, Madhya Pradesh will take on Saurashtra, while Mumbai will face Vidarbha.
All eyes would be on skipper Shreyas Iyer as Ranji giant Mumbai won five out of six to top their Group E. In-form Iyer has led from the front with 278 runs, including one century and one fifty, and averages 69.50 at a strike rate of 200. Mumbai has dropped all-rounder Shams Mulani for the knockout stage.
Saurashtra, which secured direct qualification by being the best second-placed side in the group stages, will face Madhya Pradesh, led by India batter Rajat Patidar. He has been in fine form with three fifties in the tournament to be the leading run-getter (253) for his side.
Venkatesh Iyer will also be in focus, having become the third most expensive buy at Rs 23.75 crore in the IPL Mega Auction.
SMAT 2024 QUARTERFINAL MATCHES
- Bengal vs Baroda
- Mumbai vs Vidarbha
- Madhya Pradesh vs Saurashtra
- Delhi vs Uttar Pradesh