 | « Back to article | Print this article |
Kerala batted out the entire fifth and final day to draw the match against Jammu and Kashmir and advance to the Ranji Trophy semi-finals on basis of the first innings lead, in Pune, on Wednesday.
Salman Nizar, who hit an unbeaten century (112) in the first innings to give Kerala the crucial one-run lead, played another vital knock with the bat. He made an unbeaten 44 from 162 balls, while
Mohammed Azharuddeen made 67 not out from 118 balls.
Kerala, who resumed Day 5 on 100/2, finished on 295/6 in 126 overs to draw the contest.
The duo put on an unbroken stand of 115 runs for the seventh wicket while, batting out 42.4 overs to deny Jammu and Kashmir victory.
This is only the second time in their history that Kerala have advanced to the Ranji Trophy semis since 2018-19.
Yudhvir Singh, Sahil Lotra and Abid Mushtaq picked up two wickets each for J&K, who narrowly missed out on making it to the semi-finals for the first time.
Kerala will take on Gujarat in the first semi-final, while champions Mumbai clash against Vidarbha in Nagpur, with both matches played from February 17 to 21
Brief scores:
Kerala: 295/6 in 126 ovs (M Azharuddeen 67 not out, S Nizar 44 not out) and 281.
Jammu and Kashmir: 280 and 399/9 decl in 100.2 overs (Paras Dogra 132, Kanhaiya Wadhawan 64, Sahil Lotra 59; MD Nidheesh 4/89).