Ifira Sharks v MT Bulls Match 3 23 May 2020

Right! That's it from us here at Sportskeeda for this encounter! Do join me (Shashwat Kumar) and Prasen Moudgal as we bring to you the second match of the day in a few minutes' time! Till then, this is us signing off! Goodbye!

Sharks post their first victory!
The Sharks, led by Nalin Nipiko, held their nerve towards the end to stave off a potential wobble and emerge victorious. The captain was brilliant with both bat and ball and ensured that his team got over the line. As for the Bulls, they were probably guilty of going hammer and tongs at the start, only to leave themselves gasping for air towards the second half of their batting essay. Furthermore, in hindsight, they could've brought Matautaava back into the attack a little earlier to prize out Nipiko and throw the Sharks' chase into turmoil.

Yet, nothing of the sort materialized, meaning that the Bulls have now lost two on the bounce. The Sharks, meanwhile, get a much-needed victory under their belt.

Four balls into the eighth over, Nipiko is stuck at the non-striker's end! Sharks need two more runs to win.

A boundary off the final delivery of the 8th over by Nipiko and the Sharks require just two runs off the final two overs.

Another Sharks batsman bites the dust as Eddie Mansale gets two in the 8th over. Sharks are now 56/5 after 7.5 overs. Nipiko is still at the crease though. And, that should be enough, one reckons

Eddie Mansale rips Stephen out to leave the Sharks at 54/4 after 7.2 overs. Is there a twist in the tale?

10 runs come off the 7th over and the Sharks now require only 10 runs off the final three overs. Surely it is the Sharks' game to lose now.

The Sharks now require only 20 runs off 24 deliveries, with Nipiko batting on 25. Moli has also accorded him good support so far.

I feel that the target could be within reach as long as the Sharks judiciously pick the bowlers they need to attack. Matautaava seems extremely difficult to get away and seeing him off could set the platform for victory. Reckon the Sharks are favourites here!

Yeah, for sure, I think Nipiko has applied himself really well here, mixing patience with aggression. I think getting 20-22 off the last four overs should be really easy for the Sharks.

What do you reckon, Shashwat?

Prasen, do you feel the Sharks can register their first victory of the tournament in this game? With Nipiko at the crease, I wouldn't put it past them.

Unfortunately, we are again experiencing a few technical glitches with respect to the stream. Our sources at the ground tell us that the Sharks are now 34/2 after 5.1 overs and look primed to hunt down the total, with Nipiko in charge of proceedings.

Do stay tuned as we will be back with the ball by ball commentary as soon as the stream is up and running!

22 runs have been scored by the Sharks in the first four overs, though they still have Nipiko at the crease. The Sharks' skipper holds the key today and he needs to bat through and guide his team past the finish line.

3.6 Godfrey Mangau to Nalin Nipiko, short and outside off, Nipiko swats it to mid-wicket for a single.

3.5 Godfrey Mangau to Bethan Moli, slower ball outside off from Mangau, Moli mistimes a drive down to long on. If efforts directly translated to runs, the batsman would've collected a maximum. Yet, that's not how cricket is played and another agricultural hoick only fetches a single

3.5 Godfrey Mangau to Bethan Moli, No-ball! Mangau oversteps and Moli will now have a free-hit! Seems to be a front-foot no ball and Mansale would be absolutely livid with his bowler

3.4 Godfrey Mangau to Nalin Nipiko, Mangau continues to bowl short, Nipiko is happy to guide to square leg for yet another single.

3.3 Godfrey Mangau to Nalin Nipiko, short ball again, Nipiko stands his ground and pulls it to mid-wicket for a brace. Nipiko has looked a cut above the rest so far and seems to be the Sharks' best hope today

3.2 Godfrey Mangau to Jamal Vira, OUT! Mangau strikes! Short of length delivery outside off, Vira took a few steps down the track for a pull shot but only managed to sky it high up in the air, the wicketkeeper completes a safe catch.
The Bulls are unnecessarily taking steps down the track and are putting themselves in all sorts of muddles courtesy that movement. Vira has paid the price and that could continue if other batsmen adopt the same modus operandi

3.1 Godfrey Mangau to Nalin Nipiko, short ball rising onto Nipiko who comes down the track and pulls it to square leg. Nipiko might be better off waiting in his crease before unfurling the extravagant shots

Another decent over by the Bulls. But, with the score they are defending, they need a few more wickets. Else, the Sharks would stroll their way to the target.

2.6 Darren Wotu to Jamal Vira, off pace delivery from Wotu, Vira dances down the tracks but fails to get to the pitch of the ball.

2.5 Darren Wotu to Nalin Nipiko, short and outside off, Nipiko cuts it fiercely to the man at point. Nipiko got that one sweetly but he just couldn't get the requisite placement to fetch himself a boundary

2.4 Darren Wotu to Jamal Vira, slightly fuller this time from Wotu, Vira flicks it to square leg to get off the mark. That would give Vira a bit of confidence as he hopes to aid his captain and put up a partnership

2.3 Darren Wotu to Jamal Vira, back of length again, Vira defends it back to the bowler.

2.2 Darren Wotu to Jamal Vira, short of length delivery outside off, Vira looks to poke it to the off-side but the ball beats the outside edge. The ball is still sticking in the wicket slightly

2.1 Darren Wotu to Nalin Nipiko, aggression from Nipiko! Comes charging down the track but only manages to under edge it to fine leg for a single.

A good comeback by the Bulls who concede only 2 runs off the second over. Can they build on this now?

1.6 Patrick Matautaava to William Yamak, OUT! Short ball works for Matautaava! Angling away from Yamak, batter looks to pull the ball away but only manages to glove it to the keeper. Poor choice of shot by the batsman. There was no way he was ever going to get anything but a glove at that and he still proceeded to carve his own downfall. Not the greatest delivery Matautaava would ever bowl but he wouldn't really mind

1.5 Patrick Matautaava to Nalin Nipiko, length ball on the stumps, Nipiko turns it to mid-wicket and the batsmen hare across for a single

1.4 Patrick Matautaava to Nalin Nipiko, beauty! Length ball from Matautaava draws Nipiko into the drive, just manages to beat the outside edge. The bowler has been unfortunate not to get a wicket so far.

1.3 Patrick Matautaava to William Yamak, length ball angling into the pads, Yamak drops it to the leg side and the batsmen cross for a single. Nipiko on striek now

1.2 Patrick Matautaava to William Yamak, bumper at some pace, Yamak is beaten for pace. A sharp bouncer ties the batsman in knots

1.1 Patrick Matautaava to William Yamak, length ball swinging away from Yamak, misses a swipe over long on. The ball was outside off-stump and was swinging away. What prompted the batsman to swing over long on remains beyond me

A good start for the Sharks, who have gotten 10 off the first over and are just 25 runs away from bettering their best tally at this tournament.

0.6 Andrew Mansale to William Yamak, fantastic running from the duo! Shortish ball outside off, Yamak drops it to point and takes a single to retain strike.

0.5 Andrew Mansale to Nalin Nipiko, length ball on the stumps, Nipiko gets a leading edge to cover, quick single. A bit of sluggishness still exists in the track as Nipiko mistimes his shot

0.4 Andrew Mansale to Nalin Nipiko, SIX! Smashed! Length ball given a lot of air by Mansale, Nipiko kneels down and belts it over mid-wicket. The ball was in the arc and Nipiko absolutely walloped it over cow corner

0.3 Andrew Mansale to William Yamak, quicker and sliding into Yamak, he manages to get some bat on it, quick single to mid-wicket.

0.2 Andrew Mansale to Nalin Nipiko, length ball outside leg, Nipiko turns it away to short fine leg for a single. Nipiko tidily turns the ball round the corner and scampers across to get off the mark

0.1 Andrew Mansale to Nalin Nipiko, length ball defended onto the pitch by Nipiko. A bit of an anti-climactic start after all the attempted hitting that ensued in the first innings and indeed, the first over of that essay

The Sharks have to scale a 62-run target within 10 overs to register their first win of the competition, but that could be an arduous task, given that the Nalin Nipiko-led side were skittled out for just 35 against the Panthers.

However, with some experience in their ranks, the Sharks might just be backing themselves to come good in this chase.

Nalin Nipiko and W Yamak are out to bat for the Sharks. MT Bulls' captain Andrew Mansale has the new ball in hand.

We're back for the chase!

The MT Bulls were dented early and lost a couple of wickets in the opening over itself. Thereafter, Eddie Mansale and Philip Tsione tried hard (a bit too hard actually) to resurrect the innings. Though the lack of runs wasn't for a lack of effort, the tackiness of the pitch meant that they couldn't get their shots away. The Sharks kept themselves in the hunt throughout with some good bowling and they now have a 62-run target in front of them. Can they register their first victory of the tournament? Well, the Sharks were bowled out for 35 in their last encounter so I would suggest everyone remains in their seats and waits for this narrative to unfold!

Do join us in a bit for the second innings!

Nalin Nipiko bowls a tidy final over and the MT Bulls have only managed 61 in their allotted 10 overs. Not a score that would send shivers down the opponents' spine but one that could be extremely handy on this strip.

The Bulls have found their way to 59/5 after 9 overs. Can they get to the 65-run mark?

Looks like Eddie Mansale's approach to throw the kitchen sink at everything has eventually brought about his dismissal!

MT Bulls are 52/4 at the end of 8 overs, Mansale is gone for a 25-ball 23.
Does that mean their innings will also go down the drain now? Let's see!

We've been receiving updates from the ground that the Bulls have negotiated their way to 47/3 after 7.2 overs. Suddenly, that score of 65-70 doesn't seem entirely out of bounds.

Also, Prasen, the good score I was talking about is under normative circumstances. What the Bulls might actually end up getting is anyone's guess though currently. So far, the off-side has not been utilized at all and that bit of the ground hasn't seen a lot of action.

My good friend Shashwat Kumar feels 65-70 on this pitch is a good score. I, Prasen Moudgal, feel that the way these guys are going for broke they might not get that far!

But then again, cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties and the random swishes from Tsione and Mansale have managed to run away to the boundary at times.

Ifira Sharks v MT Bulls Match 3 23 May 2020

This match will begin at 7.30 AM IST.