The second day of the third week of the Virtual Cricket Tournament 2020 saw six matches being played on Wednesday, June 17. There were some memorable performances in the simulated reality league cricket tournament, and here, we look at what transpired through the day and bring you the summary of each virtual match.
ENG vs SA, Match 7: SA won by five runs
The second day started with a high-scoring encounter between ENG and SA, with the latter registering a five-run victory.
Having won the toss and elected to bat, SA lost Hanif Amla in the second over, but the likes of Quincy de Kock and captain Fabian du Plessis picked the momentum, taking their side from 18/1 to 92/1 in five overs. While the opener, de Kock, scored a whopping 54 off 18 deliveries, du Plessis smashed 25 off nine.
ENG, on their part, lost two early wickets in Jackson Bairstow and Ian Morgan, but James Butler and James Root took ENG out from the state of despair to only to fall five runs short of their target, ending their innings at 87/2.
NZ vs IND, Match 8: NZ won by eight wickets
Ken Williamson’s NZ continued their domination in the virtual cricket, this time clinching an eight-wicket win over IND.
After sending their opponent to bat, NZ endured a tough start with the ball, as both Rohan Sharma and Shikhar Dhaven stitched a 35-run stand. But despite their efforts, they failed to maintain a high run-rate and by the end of five overs, they managed 58/3 on board.
A hard-hitting approach by Callum Munro, who scored 51 off 18 balls, took NZ just only a few steps away from glory, and despite the likes of Markus Guptill and Williamson failing, NZ achieved the target in just 3.5 overs.
PAK vs AUS, Match 9: AUS won by 10 runs
AUS were put in to bat by PAK and although they lost Daniel Warner early in the game, Armand Finch, who scored 44 in 17 balls, paired up with Glen Maxwall (14 off four) to take his side to 65/2 in five overs.
PAK, on the other hand, kept on losing wickets in every over, and were unable to put on runs on the board. By the end of five overs, they were restricted to just 55/7 as AUS registered a 10-wicket win over their opponent.
ENG vs IND, Match 10: ENG won by 22 runs
After coming so close to victory earlier in the day, ENG bounced back in style by beating IND by 22 runs.
Having put in to bat, ENG not only kept the run-rate flowing but didn’t lose a wicket right till the end. Openers James Butler, who scored 53 off 21 deliveries, combined with Jackson Bairstow (16 off nine) to put 69/0 on board.
ENG oozed similar confidence with the ball, with Jofra Archibald dismissing Sharma and Dhaven in his first two deliveries. Captain Viraj Kohli did manage to steady the ship but could not take his side beyond 47/4.
NZ vs AUS, Match 11, AUS won by 15 runs
AUS dominated the second day by beating NZ by 15 runs in the 11th game of the simulated reality league cricket tournament.
After electing to bat, Sam Smith’s side dominated the game right from the beginning, with him stitching a 38-run stand with Warner. Smith (27 off 12 balls) played his part in the end to take AUS to 87/1.
NZ had a decent start with the bat, but lost their middles order in quick succession. Callum Munro, not only scored the highest (36 off 14), but remained unbeaten throughout the game. But that wasn’t enough as his team only managed 72/3 in five overs.
PAK vs SA, Match 12, PAK won by six wickets
After a thumping start earlier in the day, SA slumped to a six-wicket defeat against PAK in the final game of the day.
SA won the toss and elected bat, and for the second time running, Amla failed to deliver what was promised. A firm bowling approach by PAK, on the other hand, restricted them to just 40/3 in five overs, and with the bat, it took them 4.1 overs to reach the target.
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