Yusuf Pathan hammers 86 as Baroda beats Mumbai in T20 match

Rajkot: Yusuf Pathan hammered an unbeaten 86 as Baroda defeated Mumbai by 15 runs in the opening match of West Zone T20 tournament at the Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) stadium here on Thursday.

Baroda captain Pinal Shah won the toss and decided to bat first. The hosts made a competitive 189 for the loss of just three wickets in 20 overs. They then restricted Mumbai at 174 for the loss of seven wickets. Shah (20) and Ambati Rayudu (35) gave a good start before Yusuf went on a rampage, hammering eight fours and four sixes in his 46-ball knock. He also added 101 runs for the fourth wicket with his brother Irfan, who remained undefeated on 38, scored with the help of three sixes in 21 balls. Chasing a target of 190, Mumbai skipper Wasim Jaffer (57) and Suryakumar Yadav added 60 runs in just five overs after losing top three batsmen Sushant Marathe (14), Bravesh Shetti (04) and Shoib Sheikh (17) rather cheaply. But once the duo got separated, none of Mumbai`s batsmen could handle the pressure and were restricted at 174. For Baroda, Murtuza Vohra was the pick of the bowlers taking three wickets giving away 27 runs. Brief score: Baroda 189 for 3 (Yusuf Pathan not out 86, Irfan Pathan not out 38), Mumbai 174 for 7 (Wasim Jaffer 57, Suryakumar Yadav 31, Ankit Chavan 23, Murtuza Vohra 3-27). PTI