Team West Dominates Team East with a Convincing 91-Run Victory in the USAC 2024 - Men's National Championship

Dominant batting and disciplined bowling effort lead West’s win over East, despite Achilles Browne’s valiant century

Team East players celebrate as they acknowledge a well-earned half-century / Rifat Malik.

By Rifat Malik and Abdullah Ghauri

In another showdown, Team West claimed a 91-run victory over Team East in a match with impressive performances from both sides. East won the toss and elected to bowl first,
hoping to take advantage of early conditions. However, this decision quickly backfired as West’s middle and lower order rose to the occasion, posting a strong total despite early setbacks.

Playing XI’s
Team  West: Zahid Zakhi, Rahul Jariwala (C) (WK), Skanda Rohit Sharma,  Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Abhishek Paradkar, Abheyender Singh, Shadley Van Schalkwyk, Vatsal Vaghela, Ayan Desa, Umang Parikh, Devam Shrivastava

Team  East: Sachin Mylavarapu (C), Karanjit Singh, Earl Henningham, Javein Thomas, Imran Uddin, Apurva Maheshram, Achilles Brown, Tanveer Ahmed, Rahim Dipu, Juanoy Drysdale, Samarth Tiwari,

Batting first, Team West faced immediate pressure as they lost their captain, Rahul Jariwala, for a duck, putting them on the back foot. However, West’s middle order stepped up in style, with Sanjay Krishnamurthy leading the comeback. Krishnamurthy played an aggressive knock, scoring 64 off just 49 balls, shifting the momentum back in West's favor with a mix of boundaries and well-timed shots. Abhishek Paradkar further stabilized the innings with a solid 47 off 50 balls, keeping the scoreboard ticking.

In the lower order, Shadley Van Schalkwyk played a pivotal role, scoring a well-crafted 52 off 47 balls. His half-century ensured that Team West reached a competitive total of 288 runs in their 44 overs. East’s bowlers managed to take wickets at regular intervals, with captain Sachin Mylavarapu, Juanoy Drysdale, and Achilles Browne each taking 2 wickets, but they struggled to contain West’s batsmen in the middle and lower order.

Chasing 288, East’s innings got off to a disastrous start as they lost both opening batsmen for ducks, putting them in early trouble. Imran Uddin tried to steady the innings with a fighting 56, providing some hope for a comeback. But it was Achilles Browne who truly stood out, playing a remarkable knock of 103 off 106 balls, almost single-handedly keeping East in the game. Despite Browne’s heroics, the rest of East’s batting lineup struggled, with only three players reaching double figures. Lacking support, Browne’s efforts fell short, and East could only manage 197 runs in their 44 overs.

Van Schalkwyk was sensational with the ball, conceding just 7 runs in his 5 overs and claiming 3 key wickets, making him nearly unplayable. His disciplined bowling effort helped West restrict East to well below the target.

Despite the loss, Browne was named Player of the Match for his brilliant all-round performance, scoring a century and taking 2 wickets. However, Team West's collective strength ultimately proved too much for East, securing them a convincing victory.