Vanuatu Blast T10 League 2020: Day 1 - Round Up

Cricketing action finally resumed in Vanuatu with the T10 League on Thursday. Two matches were played on the opening day and it was all about Mighty Efate Panthers who registered thumping victories to start the tournament on a high. Interestingly, the first match witnessed a very good batting surface and the teams scoring more than 200 runs combined in 20 overs while the other game turned out to be a low-scoring one.

MT Bulls locked horns with the Panthers in the first game of the day with the latter team opting to bat first after winning the toss. Their skipper Joshua Rasu led the way for them with a 33-run knock of just 15 deliveries. Wesley Vira (26 off 8) and Simpson Obed (21 off 12) also contributed to the team’s total as the Panthers managed to post a daunting total of 128/5 after 10 overs.

Eddie Mansale was the best bowler for the Bulls picking two wickets in his quota. In response, Andrew Mansale fought lonely for his team scoring 75 runs off just 38 balls. Unfortunately, the other batsmen could only 12 runs to the total with four runs being the extras. They could only score 91 runs for the loss of seven wickets Wesley Vira starred with the figures of 3/16 in his two overs.

Panthers continue to dominate in Vanuatu T10 League

In the second and final match of the day, the Panthers’ bowlers showed their prowess once again, this time against the Ifira Sharks who won the toss and opted to bat. But the decision didn’t go their way as none of their batsmen could cross the double-figure mark. The trio of Simpson Obed, Joshua Rasu and Tony Tamata scalped three wickets each to rattle the opposition.

The Sharks were bundled out for just 35 runs in 7.1 overs. The Panthers were expected to gun down the total quickly. But even their batsmen struggled as they lost five wickets in the pursuit of the small chase. Simpson Obed led the way in the chase scoring 21 off 16 deliveries as they reached the target in the eighth over of the innings to register their second consecutive win.

Here are the brief scores:

Match 1 – MT Bulls vs Mighty Efate Panthers

MEP – 128/5 after 10 overs (J Rasu 33, W Vira 26; E Mansale 2/23)

MTB – 91/7 after 10 overs (A Mansale 75; W Vira 3/16)

Mighty Efate Panthers won by 37 runs.

Match 2 – Mighty Efate Panthers vs Ifira Sharks

IS – 35/10 after 7.1 overs (S Obed 3/9, J Rasu 3/7, T Tamata 3/11)

MEP – 36/5 after 7.4 overs (S Obed 21; S Sandy 1/3)

Mighty Efate Panthers won by five wickets.