Eagle Pro T20 championships: Kumar Joseph’s all-round effort helps Panthers to title win
Former Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club player Kumar Joseph had a solid all-round game to help Panthers beat Ninjas by 36 runs in the Eagle Pro T20 championships played at Wrentham, Massachusetts.
Kumar Joseph (centre) receiving his Player of the Match trophy at the presentation
Joseph was awarded Player of the Match for contributing 25 runs and taking 3 wickets for 16 runs in three overs, which included the game’s only maiden over.
With the match being reduced to 15 overs, Panthers batted first and made 133-4. Apurva Maheshram made 45 from 29 balls, his unbeaten innings including two fours and two sixes. Deepak Bahadur made 43 from 34 balls, while Joseph, who opened the batting, made 25 from 17 balls.
Earlier, Panthers lost Kishore Sajja and Bhautik Tapiwala early for three runs each, but Joseph dropped anchor to set a platform for both Maheshram and Bahadur.
In response, the Ninjas were restricted to 97-9 in 15 overs. Azher Ali top-scored with 43, while Karan Parikh made 13. Those were the only batsmen to pass double figures for the Ninjas.
During the chase, the Ninjas were wobbled early. After 3.2 overs, they had lost the first wicket for 26 runs, but Azher Ali stood tall, although he got little support. His top-score of 43 included three sixes. He watched Vineed Balan (05) and Pranav Patel (09) being blown away, along with opener Praikh, as his other top four batsmen fell cheaply.
Joshua Dhani claimed 4-14 from his three overs, and he was supported by off-spinner Joseph, who claimed 3-16.
