Jobin’s sparkling ton, Aneesh’s 'special' bowling light up Kochi’s win in KCL

Thiruvananthapuram: A magnificent century by 19-year-old Jobin Joby helped Kochi Blue Tigers trounce Alleppey Ripples by 69 runs in a Kerala Cricket League (KCL) match at the Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday. Jobin, who remained unbeaten on 107 in 51 balls, smashed 10 sixes and five fours, setting a new record for the most sixes in an innings in the KCL.

The final scores read: Kochi – 242/4 in 20 overs defeated Alleppey – 173 all out in 20 overs.

Kochi, who have already been eliminated from the tournament, started the match seeking a consolation win and came up with a stunning batting performance. Jobin, who crossed the century mark in the second ball of the last over of Kochi’s innings, took full advantage of four lives he was granted by Alleppey, including three dropped catches and a botched runout. After scoring his half-century in 32 balls, Jobin needed just 16 more balls to reach his maiden century in KCL.

Kochi turned the match in their favour during the initial phase of Alleppey’s innings itself when Manu Krishnan scalped the wickets of Muhammed Azharuddeen (32) and Sachin Baby (seven), the pillars of the latter’s batting lineup. Later in the innings, K A Arun (59) and M P Sreeroop (26) offered some resistance, but it was hardly sufficient to save Alleppey.

Muhammed Rashid took three wickets for Kochi.

Another highlight of the match was the debut of Aneesh P Rajan, a differently-abled cricketer, for Kochi. Aneesh, who took the field as a bowling impact player, became the first differently-abled cricketer to play in the KCL.