The opening day of the second week of Virtual Cricket Tournament 2020 saw six matches being played on Tuesday, June 9. 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 game.
IND vs PAK, Match 1: IND won by 8 wickets
The day began with a thrilling encounter between IND and PAK where the latter decided to bat, and riding on the back of a late blitz by captain Sarfaraz Ahmad and Mohd Hafiz, they posted 43/3 on board in five overs. Their innings, in fact, was dealt with a major blow after they lost three wickets for just 11 runs. But the duo made sure their team reaches a respectable total.
With the bat, IND opener Rohan Sharma smashed 32 off 12 deliveries, while KL Rajul scored 11 as IND registered an eight-wicket victory over their opponents.
ENG vs SA, Match 2: SA won by 1 run
SA were put in to bat by ENG, and their openers, Quincy de Kock and Hanif Amla, played all the way to guide their team to 46/1, with the former getting out on the final delivery of the innings.
ENG, on their part, had a shaky start as they lost both Jackson Bairstow and Ian Morgan in the second over, while James Butler and James Root soon followed suit. The wickets kept on falling till the final over and SA somehow managed to defend their score by a solitary run, as ENG were restricted to 45/6.
AUS vs NZ, Match 3: AUS won by eight wickets
The highest-scoring encounter of the day was the e-cricket match played between AUS and NZ where the latter registered 56/1 in five overs after the likes of Markus Guptill (27) and captain Ken Williamson (21) played an impeccable partnership of 48 runs.
For AUS, they had an identical start, losing one of their openers, Daniel Warner, in the fourth delivery of first over. But captain Armand Finch and hard-hitter Glen Maxwall combined brilliantly to reach the target in 4.3 overs, winning the game by eight wickets.
IND vs SA, Match 4: IND won by 7 runs
For the second time in a day, IND opener Rohan Sharma played an important innings (31 off 20 balls) as his side posted 51/2 in the fourth game of the simulated reality league cricket tournament. For SA, while Quincy de Kock reached the double figures, Hanif Amla failed to have any kind of impact.
A sturdy bowling effort from the IND bowlers eventually restricted SA at 44/2, as IND won the game by seven runs.
ENG vs NZ, Match 5: NZ won by five wickets
NZ registered their first victory in the second attempt after restricting ENG to just 39/1 in five overs. ENG, in fact, got off to a brilliant start and were wicketless in the opening three overs. However, as James Butler was shown his way back to the pavilion, the run-rate dwindled.
Contrary to ENG’s batting display, NZ looked nervous with the bat, as the wickets kept on falling. Regardless of that though, they did manage to add runs on the board and eventually won the game with a boundary and putting on 41/5 on board.
AUS vs PAK, Match 6: AUS won by 16 runs
AUS made it two in two with a sublime 16-run win over PAK after posting 48/2 in five overs in the final virtual cricket match of the day. After Warner and Finch had stitched a 19-run stand, Sam Smith took the mantle and took AUS to a respectable total.
PAK, on the other hand, stumbled early in the virtual match, losing three wickets for 14 in three overs. Captain Sarfaraz Ahmad and Mohd Hafiz once again tried to make things right, but it was too little too late as they were restricted to 32/3 in five overs.
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