With a spectator-less echoes of Maharashtra Cricket Association here to bear witness, East Zone ended day one of the final of the Senior Women’s Inter Zonal Multi Day Trophy against South Zone with an advantage of bare margins on Tuesday.
South opted to bat in the hot and dry conditions. Young speedster Titas Sadhu came through immediately, cleaning up the South top four within the first 15 overs. The onus then fell on S. Sajana and Arundhati Reddy who looked to dead bat their way to safety to begin with. Deepti Sharma struck in the 25th over with a ball that rocked back into Sajana’s off stump.
Arundhati then found support in teenager Shabnam Shakil with a 44-run stand off 77 balls for the ninth wicket — the highest of the innings. The former also reached her fifty, her second in as many games, struggling with heat exhaustion all through. Sushree Dibyadarshini soon saw the back of Arundhati after she holed out to Uma Chetry. Deepti removed Shabnam to wrap up South’s innings for 133.
