Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) registered their second consecutive win in the Syed Mushtaq Ali 2021 after beating Uttar Pradesh by eight wickets. Set a paltry target of 125 runs to win, J&K achieved it in 15 overs with team's IPL star Abdul Samad scoring unbeaten 54. Samad also contributed with the ball as well as he picked a wicket of UP captain Priyam Garg (35). Apart from Samad, young left-arm medium-pacer Mujtaba Yousuf picked three wickets, including the prized scalp of Suresh Raina. Abdul Samad Quick Facts: Here’s All You Need to Know About the Power Hitter.

Put to bat first, UP got off to a poor start as Mujtaba struck in his first over to remove Karan Sharma (1). Two balls later the 18-year-old bowler trapped Raina in front of the wickets for a duck. In the seventh over, Abid Mushtaq then had Madhav Kaushik (26) caught as UP were left tottering at 32/3.

Garg and Shubham Chaubey then tried to stabilise the UP innings and added 53 runs for the fourth wicket. However, Samad in the 15th over of UP innings dismissed his Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) teammate Garg to make things tough for the batting side. UP were eventually restricted to 124/5 in their allotted 20 overs. Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021: Mohammed Azharuddeen Joins Elite Company With 37-Ball Century as Kerala Down Mumbai.

J&K’s chase also began on a shaky note after openers Suryansh Raina (15) and Qamran Iqbal (17) were sent back to the hutch inside seven overs. Samad, who was promoted up the order, made good use of the promotion and guided his team to victory. Samad, who slammed two fours and four sixes, stitched an unbeaten partnership of 89 runs for the third wicket with Shubham Khajuria (34 not out). Interestingly, Samad’s promotion came days after famous commentator Harsha Bhogle and Irfan Pathan expressed disappointment with youngster’s batting position. Meanwhile, this is UP’s third consecutive defeat in the tournament.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 14, 2021 03:03 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).