Mangaluru boy Zeemamuddin to represent Delhi Dominators at Elite Pro Basketball League
Mangaluru: 25-year-old Zeemamuddin, hailing from Mangaluru will represent the Delhi Dominators team for the Pro Basketball Elite competition after being drafted by the franchise for the tournament.
Zeemamuddin, who originally hails from the Kudroli area of Mangaluru is the son of Zeenath Zaheer and Zaheeruddin Hyco.
Zeemamuddin completed most of his education in Dubai, where he developed an interest in playing basketball. Speaking to Vartha Bharati over a phone call from Delhi where he is currently playing the pre-season with the Delhi Dominators, Zeemamuddin said he started playing basketball at the age of 13 while studying at NIMS Dubai.
“How I started playing basketball and developed an interest in this sport is a funny story. I and my friends started playing basketball because a lot of the Indian students at our school used to play football and cricket as basketball was not as popular as those two sports. So we would not get a chance to play cricket and football so we started playing basketball,” Zeemamuddin said.
“It was when I came to India in my IXth grade for one year that I learned the fundamentals of the game and started taking it seriously. At the Presidency School, they taught me the basics and the fundamentals of the game. Then when I went back to UAE I played to college as well,” Zeemamuddin who completed his Computer Engineering in UAE further said.
Zeemamuddin was selected by Delhi Dominators during the trials that were held in Hyderabad last year, currently, he is playing the pre-season with the franchise. He will be a part of the franchise squad for the Pro Basketball Elite, the dates of the tournament are expected to be announced soon.
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2nd WT20I: Shafali, spin trio do star turns in India''s seven-wicket win
Visakhapatnam (PTI): Shafali Verma hit a blistering unbeaten 69 as India made short work of a paltry target to outclass Sri Lanka by seven wickets in the second Women’s T20 International here on Tuesday.
India now lead the five-match series 2-0 after another one-sided victory, having restricted Sri Lanka to a modest 128 for 9 through a collective display of disciplined bowling from the spin trio of seasoned Sneh Rana, ably complemented by young spinners Vaishnavi Sharma and Shree Charani.
During the chase, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana (14) fell cheaply but Shafali, enjoying new found confidence after a stellar show in the World Cup final, sent the bowlers on a leather-hunt during her 34-ball knock, winning it for her team in just 11.5 overs.
The hosts have now completed back-to-back successful chases within 15 overs which speaks volumes about the unit's sky-high confidence.
Shafali's innings had 11 punchy boundaries apart from a maximum.
The floodgates opened when left-arm spinner Inoka Ranaweera bowled a few flighted deliveries and Shafali would step out everytime to hit her over extra cover. Her footwork against slow bowlers was immaculate whether stepping out to loft the ball or rocking back to punch or pull.
Seeing her confidence, the newly appointed Delhi Capitals skipper Jemimah Rodrigues (26 off 15 balls) also attacked as the duo added 58 runs in just 4.3 overs.
By the time Rodrigues was out trying to hit one six too many, the match as a contest was over. Shafali completed her half-century off just 27 balls and completed the formalities in a jiffy.
Earlier, off-spinner Rana, who got a look-in after Deepti Sharma was ruled out due to fever, showed her utility keeping the Lankan batters under tight leash with figures of 1 for 11 in 4 overs, including a maiden which certainly is a rarity in T20 cricket.
Charani, who made an impression during India's ODI World Cup triumph, took 2 for 23 in her quota of overs, while Vaishnavi after an impressive debut in the opening encounter, finished with 2 for 32, not letting the Islanders get easy runs in her second spell.
The last six wickets fell for just 24 runs, but what stood out during India’s bowling effort was their superb ground fielding. After a patchy show in the previous game, the improved sharpness in the field resulted in three run-outs.
Sri Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu (31 off 24 balls) looked in good nick as she deposited length deliveries from seamers Kranti Gaud and Arundhati Reddy over the ropes but it was Rana, who kept her quiet by repeatedly pitching on good length.
Unable to manoeuvre the strike and with the big hits suddenly drying up, Athapaththu chanced her arm at another delivery in which Rana had shortened the length slightly.
Not having transferred the weight into the lofted shot, Athapaththu's hoick was pouched cleanly by Amanjot Kaur at long-off.
This was after Athapaththu's opening partner Vishmi Gunaratne (1) had offered a simple return catch to Gaud.
Hasini Perera (22 off 28 balls) and Harshitha Samarawickrama (33 off 32 balls) did stitch a stand of 44 but they could never set the tempo against the Indian spin troika.
Once Hasini offered a tame return catch off a Charani full-toss, Sri Lankans never recovered and lost wickets in a heap towards the end.
