Producing a brilliant display of medium pace bowling, Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India defeated defending champions Chemplast by 32 runs in the final of the BCCI Corporate Trophy here today.
Put in to bat on a pacy and bouncy Wankhede Stadium wicket that also afforded copious turn to the spin bowlers, CAG managed a modest total of 210 all out in 46.4 overs, but defended with aplomb to skittle out Chemplast for 178 in 46.3 overs.
Uttar Pradesh Ranji Trophy pacer Imtiyaz Ahmed produced a deadly stint of bowling and took 5 for 21 in two spells to earn the Man of the Match award worth Rs 25,000. He was given splendid support by new ball partner Rituraj Singh (3 for 32), the Rajasthan bowler.
These two medium pacers grabbed two wickets apiece in their first spells to reduce Chemplast to 30 for 4.
The southern outfit recovered through two useful half century stands, both featuring C Hemant Kumar who top scored for the losers with 49 in 85 balls with three fours.
Chemplast were cruising along and needed 54 in the last ten overs after the power play got them 31 runs in ten overs, but CAG captain Jalaj Saxena, who bowled an excellent 12-over spell on the trot, sent Kumar back through a return catch in his 11th over to turn the match around.
Biplab Samantary then dismissed danger man Piyush Chawla for 24 while Rituraj got rid off the other big hitter, R Satish for 34 to virtually end Chemplast's hopes.
Imtiyaz came back for his second spell to get rid of the last two batsmen - Sandeep Sharma and P Parameswaran - to end the match and help CAG bag the winners' top prize of Rs one crore. Chemplast received Rs 50 lakh.
Earlier, CAG recovered from 56 for 4 through partnerships of 47 and 41 for the 5th and 8th wickets. Rameez Khan was the top scorer with 41. For Chemplast, Sandeep Sharma picked up five wickets for 26 runs.
Brief scores: CAG 210 all out in 46.4 overs (Rameez Khan 41, Avi Barot 35; S Sharma 5 for 26, R Suthesh 2 for 45) beat Chemplast 178 all out in 46.3 overs (C Hemant Kumar 49, R Satish 34; Rituraj Singh 3 for 34, Imtiyaz Ahmed 5 for 21).
