ONGC edge past NZCA into title round

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation pipped New Zealand Cricket Academy at the post in their MRF-Buchi Babu tournament semifinal at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk today. Chasing NZCA's first innings total of 329, ONGC looked to be home and dry at 310/6 but leg spinner Aaron Redmond led a fierce counterattack, grabbing three wickets in three overs to leave the oilmen on the verge of elimination at 318/9. That they finally made it was due to a generous slice of luck, three chances offered by the last wicket pair just eluding the fieldsmen. ONGC closed at 344 and the game was called off at tea by which time NZCA had blasted 50 from six overs, losing three wickets in the bargain.

Resuming at their overnight score of 171/4, ONGC lost Rizwan Shamshad (47) in the ninth over of the day, after the addition of 18 runs. Rahul Sanghvi joined Mithun Minhas and over the next two and a half hours they resuscitated the cause with some adventurous play. Minhas gave left arm spinner Bruce Martin some rough treatment, hitting him for a six and a four straight down the ground. Sanghvi was playing a good foil to Minhas, now and then playing a pull shot with flourish that thudded into the pickets. The partnership had swelled to 71 when Minhas (43) was enticed into slashing a short of length delivery from Chris Martin to James Marshall at gully. The batsman was rooted to the crease in palpable disappointment.

It was anybody's call now with ONGC needing another 69 to seize the lead but Sanghvi and Mohammed Saif managed to whittle down the requirement to 47 by lunch and the oilmen appeared to hold the whiphand as both teams adjourned for refreshments. Although Jacob Oram was officially leading the NZCA and was on the field, wicketkeeper Martin Sigley had taken over the skipper's duties in midstream. Sigley persisted with the double spin attack after lunch and for a while it looked to have misfired. Soon enough, Saif square drove Bruce Martin through the covers for back to back boundaries to herald the 300.

At 310, Redmond won a bat-pad decision against Sanghvi, although the batsman was clearly miffed at the verdict, gesticulating in annoyance. In the same over, the visitors appealed for another catch against Sandeep Dogra by the same fielder, Michael Papps, but this time a wary umpire Murali turned it down. Dogra however didn't last much longer; in trying to cut Redmond he got an edge which travelled to James Marshall at slip off the wicketkeeper's gloves. Feroze Ghyas was in and out in the same over, going for an ambitious drive which was pouched by Lou Vincent at short gully.

It was Redmond's fifth wicket, leaving ONGC twelve runs short and the game had undergone one more somersault. Saif lived dangerously, edging Bruce Martin just wide of the lone slip for a couple. The score mounted to 325/9 when Redmond began what transpired to be the decisive over. Saif took a single off the first ball to expose last man Amit Bhandari who heaved the next delivery high into the onside and, as it turned out, into no man's land at square leg. Several figures including the wicketkeeper scurried in the direction of the ball but were foiled by the effects of gravity. At 327, Redmond was called for a wide. The batsman, Saif chanced his arm off the next ball, driving uppishly through the covers. The fielder thrust one arm up in a despairing attempt but failed to make contact. The ball found its way to the boundary. It was all over for the NZCA.

Saif and Bhandari hit a six each to celebrate the occasion before the innings came to a halt at 344 in the 110th over. The New Zealanders started their second knock in a frenzy of activity. Bhandari's first over went for 15 and he promptly disappeared into the comforting reaches of the dressing room. Ghyas was slapped around for 22 in two overs. Sanghvi had the intriguing analysis of 2-0-3-3 as NZCA reached 50/3 at tea when the contest was consigned to the pages of history.