Indian colts in Plate final

India qualified for the final of the Plate competition in the Costcutter under-15 World Cup in England after the organisers held a mini-league for teams which did not qualify for the semi-finals of the main tournament.

The teams which battled it out for the Plate were India, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and The Netherlands.

India beat Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe to top the mini-league and qualify for the final, while Sri Lanka finished second to also qualify for the final.

In their first match of the mini-league, India beat Sri Lanka by 17 runs. Batting first, India amassed a huge score of 264 for eight in their alloted 50 overs. P Das scored 86. He was well supported by A Rayudu 34, Ashraf Ali 35 not out and Abhinav Kumar 35 not out.

In reply, the Sri Lankans were bowled out for 247, with N Rathod and S Dixit picking a couple of wickets each.

In the match against Zimbabwe, India bowled out Zimbabwe for 193, with Irfan Pathan taking three for 33. In reply, India knocked off the runs losing only three wickets, with P Das once again shining with a well-made 59.

Bombay lad Swapnoj Thakur made 27.

The final for the Plate championship will be played on August 9.

UNI

Mail Cricket Editor