Bengaluru, Aug. 25 -- Two left-arm spinners produced contrasting match-winning performances as Shahbaz Ahmed's all-round brilliance powered East Zone into the Duleep Trophy semifinals, while Abid Mushtaq's late five-wicket burst kept North Zone firmly in the hunt against West Zone on a dramatic third day here on Tuesday.
Shahbaz was the architect of East Zone's emphatic innings-and-210-run victory over North East Zone, combining a career-best 167 with three wickets as East completed one of the most comprehensive wins of the quarter-final stage.
The Bengal all-rounder first rescued East Zone's innings alongside Sudip Kumar Gharami, whose 146 helped them pile up 467 after they had been reduced to 128 for five. Shahbaz's 167 then became the ...