What a performance this was from Austria. Romania, despite taking on the best players from the recent ECS fell completely flat in batting and bowling and lost all four points. This might prove to be a big difference-making game in this tournament come the business end.
Karanbir Singh set the ball rolling with his high-intent play in the first two overs but was snared by Haidar Ali just before the close of the second over. However, unlike Romania in the first innings, Austria's batters didn't wilt but chose to counter-attack which put a ton of pressure on the bowlers.
Romania didn't utilize the bowlers well either. Their usage of spin was poor at best and they paid the price for it. Shigiwal and Zalmai kept hitting and just didn't care to stop until they got what they richly deserved -- all four points!
7
overs
128/1score
0
4
6
6
4
4
runs
Razmal Shigiwal*
52(16)
Bilal Zalmai
46(17)
Janitha Fernando
0/24
6.6 Janitha Fernando to Razmal Shigiwal, FOUR MORE! SHIGIWAL GETS TO HIS FIFTY! AUSTRIA WIN WITH THE BONUS POINT! Short on leg-and-middle. Pulled away with a short-arm jab to the long-leg fence this time for a boundary!
Almost there!
6.5 Janitha Fernando to Razmal Shigiwal, FOUR RUNS! Good length ball outside off-stump. A smack through the line of the ball takes this off the thick outside edge over short third for a boundary!
6.4 Janitha Fernando to Razmal Shigiwal, SIX RUNS! Short, wide and slow outside off-stump. Butchered over the deep mid-wicket fielder off the back foot for another maximum!
6.3 Janitha Fernando to Razmal Shigiwal, SIX! Short around off-stump. Thumped over deep mid-wicket off the back foot for a flat maximum!
6.2 Janitha Fernando to Razmal Shigiwal, FOUR! Full on middle-and-off. Heaved off the thick inside edge down to long-leg for a boundary!
6.1 Janitha Fernando to Razmal Shigiwal, back of a length around off-stump. A swing across the line on the back foot and a miss now. No run.
Janitha Fernando, left-arm medium, comes into the attack
Just 24 runs needed now. Can they get in this one over? That would be pretty special.
6
overs
104/1score
6
0
1
4
4
0
runs
Bilal Zalmai*
46(17)
Razmal Shigiwal
28(10)
Chamalka Fernando
0/15
5.6 Chamalka Fernando to Bilal Zalmai, short on leg-stump. A miscued pull shot on the back foot to the short fine-leg area, no run possible.
5.5 Chamalka Fernando to Bilal Zalmai, FOUR RUNS! Short outside off-stump. Cut away hard off the back foot just behind point for a boundary!
5.4 Chamalka Fernando to Bilal Zalmai, FOUR! Tossed up outside off-stump. Driven away off the front foot with the turn to the left of long-off for a boundary!
5.3 Chamalka Fernando to Razmal Shigiwal, short on middle-stump. Pulled away to wide long-on off the back foot for a single here.
5.2 Chamalka Fernando to Razmal Shigiwal, short on off-stump. Knocked down to the right of the bowler off the back foot, no run.
5.1 Chamalka Fernando to Razmal Shigiwal, SIX! Short on off-stump. Shigiwal goes back and clobbers it over deep mid-wicket off the back foot against the turn!
This is just brutal hitting now. They have all the chance in the world to finish this in seven overs. Romania players look a bit famished here which is not unexpected but they need to do much better than this.