Each of Punjab's openers registered a century, enabling their side to
canter through to a 172-run win over Services in their Ranji one-day
match against Amritsar on Monday.
Services won the toss and elected to field, a disastrous decision.
Punjab got off to a cracker of a start, putting on 204 for the first
wicket in just 34.5 overs. Manish Sharma made a fiery 102 off 99
balls, hitting eight fours and three sixes. He was the first to
depart, but his partner, Reetinder Singh Sodhi, stayed for another 71
runs, making 125 off 135 balls with 10 fours and three sixes.
With the help of cameos from Yuvraj Singh and skipper Pankaj Dharmani,
Punjab reached 341/4 in their 50 overs. Always unlikely to
successfully chase that target, Services were effectively out of the
chase when the third wicket fell for 89 in 21.4 overs. Barring Yashpal
Singh's 68, none of the batsmen could contribute significantly.
Services ended their effort at 169/8, handing Punjab a mammoth victory
to kickstart their Ranji one-day campaign.