Duleep Trophy: Mushtaq’s Match-Winning Spell Sends North Zone Through

Jammu & Kashmir left-arm spinner Abid Mushtaq produced a match-winning spell to take North Zone into the Duleep Trophy semi-finals, guiding them to a 52-run win over a strong West Zone side in Bengaluru. Chasing 287 on the final morning, West Zone lost their last 3 wickets in just 28 minutes as Mushtaq ended with match figures of 9 for 99.

West Zone resumed at 220/7 and needed another 67 runs for victory. Urvil Patel and Tanush Kotian were still at the crease, but their resistance lasted less than 7 overs before North Zone finished the job.
Mushtaq gave North Zone the first breakthrough when he bowled Kotian in the second over of the morning. He then removed Tushar Deshpande before Nishant Sindhu trapped Urvil LBW in the next over to complete the victory.

Kamboj and Badoni Set Up First Innings Lead

Earlier, Anshul Kamboj’s 60 helped North Zone reach 251, with Ayush Badoni scoring 51 and Ayush Doseja adding 42. Kotian and Deshpande were West Zone’s leading wicket-takers, claiming 4 wickets each.

Mushtaq then took 5 wickets to give North Zone a 64-run lead in the first innings. He dismissed Prithvi Shaw early before removing Deshpande as the final wicket. Musheer Khan’s 31 and Shams Mulani’s half-century were the main contributions for West Zone.
Badoni followed up with another fifty, while Kotian claimed his second 4-wicket haul along with Mulani. Abdul Samad’s 30 and Sindhu’s 44 helped North Zone reach 222 before being bowled out, leaving West Zone with a target of 287.

West Zone Collapse After Gaikwad’s Run-Out

West Zone lost both openers cheaply, but Musheer’s 96 and captain Ruturaj Gaikwad’s 66 put them in a strong position with a 111-run partnership on the third day.
The stand ended when Gaikwad was run out, and West Zone quickly fell apart after that. They lost their final 7 wickets for only 39 runs. Mushtaq added 4 more wickets in the second innings to finish with 9 wickets in the match.

Abid Mushtaq’s 9-wicket match haul led North Zone to a 52-run victory over West Zone, securing a semi-final spot in the Duleep Trophy. North Zone will now face South Zone in the semi-final from August 30.

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