Kerala capitulated an hour before lunch on the final day as Bengal completed a resounding 287-run victory in the Ranji Trophy Elite Group C match at the KCA stadium, Mangalapuram here on Thursday.

Mohammed Shami steamed in to bowl an intense seven-over spell to take two wickets while Pradipta Pramanik bowled unchanged to grab two wickets and took the first 10-wicket haul of his First Class career. Player of the match, Shahbaz Ahmed then wrapped up the win by taking the last two wickets as Bengal registered its third consecutive victory in the tournament.

Mohammed Azharuddeen and M.D. Nidheesh figured in a 37-run ninth-wicket stand that enabled the host to cross the 100-run mark. Nidheesh showed the kind of temperament and judgement which many of the Kerala top order batters lacked in this match. Nidheesh top-scored with 33 and was the last man out, stumped by wicketkeeper Abishek Porel off Shahbaz Ahmed. 

Any hope of a Kerala resistance quickly evaporated in the second over when Pradipta extracted sharp bounce as a result of which the ball reared up and took the shoulder of Vishnu Vinod’s bat and flew straight to Abhimanyu Easwaran at first slip. Salman Nizar also fell cheaply for one, edging Pradipta to Abhimanyu in the slips.

Shami then uprooted the stumps of a tentative Aditya Saravte (0) to leave Kerala teetering at 58 for seven. Shami took his second wicket after softening Vaisakh Chandran with a short ball that struck his finger and then bowled a fuller delivery which hit the stumps as the batter backed away.

Vaisakh’s dismissal was followed by a brief passage of play dominated by Kerala as Azharuddeen and Nidheesh played a few attacking shots against the spinners, However, Shahbaz clean bowled Azharuddeen soon after the drinks break and had Nidheesh stumped to end the contest.

The scores: Bengal - 1st innings: 350.

Kerala - 1st innings: 141.

Bengal - 2nd innings: 198.

Kerala - 2nd innings:  Abhishek J.Nair lbw Pramanik 0, Jalaj Saxena c Chatterjee b Pramanik 18, Abhishek P.Nair b Pramanik 0, Sachin Baby st Porel b Pramanik 10, Vishnu Vinod c Easwaran b 19, Salman Nizar c Easwaran b Pramanik 1, Mohammed Azharuddeen b Shahbaz 26, Aditya Sarvate b Shami 0,.Vaisakh Chandran b Shami 3, M.D. Nidheesh st Porel b Shahbaz 33, N.P. Basil not out 0; Extras (b-9, lb-1): 10; Total ( in 38.4 overs): 120.

Fall of wickets: 1-15, 2-15, 3-30, 4-51, 5-54, 6-57, 7-58, 8-70, 9-107.

Bengal bowling: Shami 12-3-40-2, Pramanik 19-3-51-6; Shahbaz 7.4-1-19-2.