(Image source: X.com)
[Saba Sports News] Assam defeated Bengal by eight wickets in the pre quarter-final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2023 at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali.
Assam captain Riyan Parag scored yet another fifty in the tournament to power Assam to an easy victory. He also took two wickets in his four-over spell while bowling in the first innings.
Parag came out to bat at number four when Assam were in predicament at 57/2 in the 10th over while chasing 139 runs.
Parag counter punched the way out of trouble, scoring 50 runs off 31 deliveries. His batting partner Bishal Roy accumulated a 36-ball 45 as the duo stitched an 85-run unbeaten stand to lead Assam to a victory in 17.5 overs.
With this, Parag became the first batter to record seven consecutive half-centuries in T20 cricket. His scores in the ongoing domestic competition are 61, 76*, 53*, 76, 72, 57 and 50*.
In Assam’s previous clash versus Kerala, he became the sole owner of a record, making seven fifties in a row in T20 cricket. Earlier, he had levelled David Warner, Devon Conway, Hamilton Masakadza, Kamran Akmal, Virender Sehwag, Jos Buttler and Wayne Madsen in the list of batters, who have hit five consecutive T20 half-centuries.
The 21-year-old now also holds the record of most fifties (7*) in a single edition of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, beating the previous best set by Devdutt Padikkal (6) in 2019.
After this win, Assam will face Kerala in a quarter-final match on November 2.