BHUBANESWAR 05-Mar-2017
Odisha finished runners-up in the 16th Sakuntala Mishra National Blind Cricket Tournament, losing to Uttar Pradesh in the final by 13 runs at KD Singh Babu Stadium in Lucknow today. Earlier, Odisha won all three of their league matches to storm into the semifinals, where they defeated Himachal Pradesh.
Altogether eight teams participated in this tournament and they were divided into two groups. Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh and Jharkhand competed in Group-A. Pankaj Bhue led the Odisha team with T20 World Cup star Sukhram Majhi as his deputy.
The 17-member Odisha team was selected by Cricket Association for the Visually Impaired (CAVI). However, Mohammad Jafar Iqbal, the other T20 World Cup star of the state and the regular skipper, could not join the team this time as he was denied on-duty leave by his employers _Odisha Civil Supply Corporation.
ODISHA TEAM: Lalatendu Mohanta, Kalia Pradhan, Tapan Kumar Gauda, Siba Bhatra, Debaraj Behera, Lingraj Rautara, Nakula Badnayak, Pankaj Bhue (captain), Singrai Majhi, Sukharam Majhi (vice-captain), Biswanath Khara, Arjun Bhatra, Sukdev Soren, Raghuram Nayak, Lalprasad Soren. Manager: Jogendra Jani; Coach: Chandrasekhar Patnayak.
RESULTS OF ODISHA MATCHES:
March 1 (Match No 1): Haryana 104/8 in 20 overs (Tapan Kumar Gauda 2 wkts) lost to Odisha 105/0 in 9.4 overs (Pankaj Bhue 64*, Lalprasad Soren 24*) by 10 wkts.
March 2 (Match No 2): Odisha 199/2 in 15 overs (Sukhram Majhi 120*, Lalprasad Soren 28) beat Bihar 138/7; Singrai Majhi 2 wkts) by 61 runs.
March 3 (Match No 3): Odisha 209/1 in 15 overs (Lal Prasad Soren 70*, Sukdev Soren 57*) beat Rajasthan 48/10 (Raghuram Nayak and Arjun Bhatra each 2 wkts) by 161 runs.
March 4 (SF): Odisha beat Himachal Pradesh.
March 5 (Final): Uttar Pradesh 220/7 in 20 overs (Mohammad Saijal 39; Kalia Pradhan 2 wkts) beat Odisha 187/10 in 18.5 overs (Lingaraj Routray 39, Pankaj Bhue 29) by 13 runs.
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PHOTO: Odisha star Sukhram Majhi celebrates after scoring an unbeaten century against Bihar in Lucknow on March 2, 2017.
