Top five batting performances from the Betbarter Vanuatu T10 Blast
The Betbarter Vanuatu T10 Blast, from start to finish, oversaw some astonishing batting performances, and the tournamentās āentertainment factorā expanded by manifolds due to some outrageous hitting. Today, we, here at SportsCafe, look back at the top five batting performances from the competition.
#5 - Joshua Rasu 69* off 29 balls versus MT Bulls
Joshua Rasu gave a fleeting glimpse into his potential in the first two matches of the tournament, but the opener, on Matchday 3 against the Bulls, showed what he was really capable of. With the Panthersā score 1-2, Rasu showed utter disregard for the scoreboard and went on an outrageous hitting spree to remarkably propel his side to a total of 130/3. Eventually finishing on 69*, Rasu hit five fours and six sixes en route to his highest score of the tournament and blunt the Bulls attack by striking at a rate of 237.93. It was a knock for the ages.
#4 - Simpson Obed 40* off 16 balls vs Ifira Sharks
It took four games for Simpson Obed to get a good hit in the middle, but when he did get his chance, the right-hander made sure to make it count. Having lost all their trump cards, the Panthers were reeling at 50/4, but then came in Obed, who dismantled the Sharks bowlers. In his 16-ball stay at the middle, Obed, batting with the lower-order, hit three fours and three sixes and scored at an astonishing rate of 250 to finish on 40*. His cameo, eventually, helped the Panthers to a 40-run victory.
#3 - Andrew Mansale 75 off 38 balls vs ME Panthers
Had the Bulls won this game, Mansaleās knock might very well have been number one. However, despite them being on the losing side, the sheer absurdity of the innings sees it find a place in the top three. Chasing 129, the Bulls had SIX of their batsmen dismissed for single-digit scores, yet none of that seemed to bother Mansale. Taking the Panthers bowlers on single-handedly, Mansale struck three fours and EIGHT humongous sixes to race to 75 off just 38 balls - the second highest individual score of the tournament. In this knock, Mansale astoundingly scored 86% of ALL his teamās runs that came off the bat. His side eventually fell short by 31 runs, but Mansale, by then, had announced himself to the big stage.Ā
#2 - Nalin Nipiko 78* off 28 balls vs MT Bulls
In his first three knocks, Nalin Nipiko showed that he had the ability to be a destructive force, but in just his fourth game, the Sharks skipper established himself as the best batsman in the competition. Having lost two of their first three encounters, Sharks entered their games against the Bulls in a precarious position and they needed their skipper to rise up to the occasion. And rise up to the occasion Nipiko did: he posted the highest individual score of the tournament, a bludgeoning 78, to squash Bullsā hopes. In a knock that lasted 28 balls, Nipiko took a liking to the slog sweep and dispatched the Bulls bowlers over the stands in the mid-wicket area over and over again to finish with 7 sixes to his name. He batted through all 10 overs to finish on 78* and the runs came at a scarcely believable strike rate of 278.57.
#1 - Clement Tommy 50 off 20 balls vs ME Panthers
And the āBest knock of the Tournamentā award is swept home by none other than MT Bullsā Clement Tommy. With the Bulls having lost each of their first two encounters and with them having conceded 130 in the first innings, bowling first, all hope seemed to have diminished for Andrew Mansaleās men. However, in what turned out to be one of greatest T10 chases of all time, Tommy set foot on to the ground with a āzero fearā approach and pummelled the Panthers bowlers from the get go. Walking in at No.3, Tommy scored a sublime 19-ball fifty and single-handedly injected hope into his side. In his knock, which featured 4 fours and 4 sixes, Tommy took apart the trump cards of the Panthers and set the platform for his side. And remarkably, the rest of the team followed suit as the Bulls eventually chased down 131 with a ball to spare. Tommy, thanks to his knock, became an overnight hero and helped his team script one of the finest chases in the history of the T10 format.Ā