Marshall, Vincent lead Academy recovery

The contest between Hyderabad Cricket Association and New Zealand Cricket Academy was rather delicately poised at the end of the second day's play in this MRF-Buchi Babu quarterfinal game at the Guru Nanak College ground in Chennai today. The Academy boys had replied with 208/4 to Hyderabad's first innings total of 392, still 184 in arrears.

In the morning fast medium bowler Kerry Walmsley added one more wicket to his kitty (5/102) as Hyderabad, resuming at 353/7, were bowled out in the 109th over. Overnight batsmen Yadav and Sabharwal added another 30 runs today before being separated, the last three wickets falling for nine runs. Left arm seamer James Franklin, 19, took the remaining two wickets to fall today.

The Academy made a disastrous start as Canterbury right hander Michael Papps fell for a third ball duck in the first over of the innings, bowled by Fiaz Ahmed. When Jarrod Englefield had his stumps disarranged by off spinner Jogam Yadav for 7, the visitors had slid to 45/2. That set the stage for a fightback by James Marshall of Northern Districts and Lou Vincent of Auckland, both 21, who added 130 for the third wicket in a little over 57 overs.

Fiaz Ahmed finally bowled Vincent for 72 (176 balls, 6 fours, 1 six) and Hyderabad pulled back another late wicket when Aaron Redmond was dismissed by Parth Satwalkar for six, six overs before stumps were drawn. Marshall's powers of concentration did not wane until the very end and he trudged back undefeated at close, having negotiated 87 overs without accident, on a personal tally of 95 (256 balls, 7 fours).