Sport - Cricket

Kerala’s hopes clouded by rain

PALAKKAD: These aren’t the best of times for the Kerala cricket team. It is languishing at the bottom half of Group ‘A’ in the Ranji Trophy. Its only international player, S. Sreesanth, remains unavailable for selection because of injury. And just when the team was looking forward to its chances for its first win of the season, against Jammu & Kashmir, in the match starting at the Fort Maidan here on Saturday, unexpected rains in the evening have dampened its hopes a bit.

“I hope the rains won’t affect the pitch and the outfield enough to cause a delay to the start of the match,” said the Kerala skipper Sony K. Cheruvathur.

The host, indeed, starts as the favourite for this match. The Jammu coach, Ghulam Mohammed, admitted as much. “The conditions certainly favour them,” he said. “Our players are also finding it difficult to handle the heat and the humidity here, as it is snowing back home.”

His team is lying at the bottom of the table, with just one point. Kerala has four.

The Kerala team is in a good frame of mind, according to the skipper.

“And, we hope the wicket will offer something more for our bowlers, this time around,” Cheruvathur said.

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