Brothers keep Australia and Bangladesh in hunt at Red Bull Campus Cricket World Final

Brotherhood was the theme of the second day of the Red Bull Campus Cricket World Final, as one set of brothers propelled the University of Sydney to their maiden tournament victory, while a fast bowler followed in the footsteps of his more illustrious older brother to keep the University of Liberal Arts, Bangladesh in the hunt for a semi-final place.

Sydney’s left-arm fast-bowler Dugal Holloway claimed 4 for 16, while older brother Jack captained the team in what was an electric last-over victory over Pakistan’s Jinnah Government College Nazimabad (JGCN), Karachi at Colt’s Cricket Club. Meanwhile, at the P Sara Oval, Morsalin Mortaza was following in the footsteps of Mashrafe – the captain of Bangladesh’s ODI side – as he took 5 for 19 in ULAB’s demolition of the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) team from Zimbabwe.

 Dugal Holloway’s heroics had helped Sydney restrict JGCN to 122 for 8, but Sydney still found themselves in serious trouble in their pursuit. Just as Australia’s Test side had been undone through spin in Sri Lanka last year, Sydney had slid to 6 for 59 before Charles Litchfield led a fightback, hitting 37 off 31. 

At the end of the 17th over, Sydney had still needed 43 runs off 18 balls, but Litchfield and Joseph Kershaw used the Energiser Over – in which runs are worth double, but wickets could cost five runs – to good effect, knocking 18 runs off the target in the 18th over. The lower order scored the remaining runs, and the winning boundary – which came with two balls to spare – sparked elation among the Sydney players. 

 Across town, Morsalin was laying waste to a NUST top order, as the inexperienced Zimbabwe team collapsed to 45 all out in pursuit of ULAB’s 175 for 5. That result also sees Bangladesh remain in the hunt for a semi-final position. Zimbabwe, however, are knocked out.

 But it is Business Management School (BMS), Sri Lanka and Northwest University (NWU), South Africa that appear the strongest early contenders for the title – both of them securing semi-final places with emphatic wins on day two. A cast of high-profile BMS cricketers overpowered Herriott Watt University, UAE in an eight-wicket victory. Sri Lanka players Vikum Sanjaya and Amila Aponso took one wicket apiece and were miserly in their spells, before first-class batsmen Lahiru Milantha, Manoj Sarathchandra, and Hashan Dumindu impressed in the chase of 134, which was completed inside 14 overs.

 NWU’s all-rounder Ruan Haasbroek, meanwhile, had top-scored with a 37-ball 45 in his team’s 169 for 4, before taking a wicket with his off-spin. They defeated Marathwada Mitra Mandal College of Commerce (MMCC College), Pune by 72 runs.