Mumbai qualify for Wills Trophy

Mumbai qualified for the Wills Trophy from the West Zone on Wednesday by topping the table with the maximum eight points from their four games. In their last league encounter of the Ranji Trophy one day tournament, they registered a nine wicket victory over Baroda at the Motibaug ground in Baroda.

Jacob Martin and Sameer Dighe, skippers of Baroda and Mumbai strolled out for a crucial toss as both Baroda and Mumbai were unbeaten in their matches so far.

Dighe won the toss and decided to chase a target as they had done in all their matches this season. Santosh Saxena (3/39) pushed Baroda on the backfoot scalping Connor Williams (5) and Daulat Thorat (9) in quick succession. Kiran Powar ran out keeper Milap Mewada who did not face a delivery. Baroda were tottering on 33 for three.

Jacob Martin (66) and veteran Tushar Arothe (76) put on a rescue act with a 105-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Santosh Saxena broke the partnership having Martin caught by Vinod Kambli and it was all downhill for Baroda from there on. They folded up for 203 in 47.1 overs. Allrounder Robin Morris chipped in with three for 30.

Mumbai openers Robin Morris (56) and Wasim Jaffer (116 not out) continued their good form with the bat putting up their second consecutive hundred run partnership for the first wicket. Robin kept his good form scoring his third half century of the tournament.

Wasim's 98-ball innings had two towering sixes and 15 hits to the fence. Robin put up two sixes and six boundaries in his innings. Mumbai romped home in 29.2 overs scoring at a rate of seven runs an over.