Left-arm orthodox spinner and allrounder Arniko Yadav's composed unbeaten knock steered Madhesh Province to a five-wicket victory over Sudurpashchim Province in Match 10 of the Men's PM Cup on Wednesday.
Sudurpashchim were bowled out for 160 in 43.2 overs after a stuttering innings in which no batter managed to reach a half-century. Abhishek Pal top-scored with 33, while Kiran Thagunna and Narayan Joshi made 23 each. Ashok Dhami remained unbeaten on 19, but regular wickets prevented Sudurpaschim from building lasting partnerships despite 28 extras boosting the total.
Madhesh shared the wickets around effectively. Arniko Yadav was the standout with 3 for 25, while Pradip Paswan took 2 for 20. Rupesh Singh, Mohammad Aadil Alam, Aashik Baitha and Pawan Sarraf also chipped in with a wicket each.
In reply, Madhesh lost a few wickets early, with Sudurpashchim reducing them to 56 for 4 and later 109 for 5. But Arniko held the chase together with an unbeaten 46 off 78 balls, striking nine fours, while Mohammad Aadil Alam counterattacked with 34 off 30 balls. Their partnership shifted control firmly in Madhesh's favour.
Rupesh Singh then stayed unbeaten on 16 as Madhesh reached 164 for 5 in 33.4 overs to complete the chase with plenty to spare. Ashok Dhami was the pick of Sudurpashchim's bowlers with 3 for 26, while Sher Malla claimed two wickets.
The win was built on Madhesh's tidy bowling effort first up and Arniko Yadav's calm finish in a chase that briefly threatened to wobble.
