Cornwood is delighted to announce the signing of Mumbai run machine Jay Bista for their 2022 Devon Cricket League campaign.

The Mumbai Masterblaster

Bista is an absolute run machine who moved to play for Uttarakhand last summer, following 63 matches for Mumbai dating back to his debut in November 2015.

He has starred for his new State, hitting 217 runs at 54.25 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (T20), before opening his 50-over campaign (Vijay Hazare Trophy) with scores of 141 (v Meghalaya), and 71 (v Manipur) to finish with 344 runs at 57.33.

Prior to his move, Bista represented the powerhouse Mumbai side, playing alongside some superstars of the game.

During his 5 seasons with Mumbai, he was a stand-out performer, playing over 60 matches. He impressed across all formats, hitting 4 Ranji Trophy centuries amongst 1,486 runs at 33.02 in first-class, alongside 449 runs at 34.53 and 685 runs at 34.25 in List A and T20 matches, respectively.

Whilst known for his batting, Bista has proved a useful bowler too, with 20 wickets to his name including career-best figures of 5-16 in first-class cricket.

Nepalese superstar

Bista, who hails from Dhangadhi in Nepal, was the first person of Nepalese origin to play for Mumbai. He represented Mumbai through the age-groups and has made quite a name for himself in recent years. After being dropped from the Ranji Trophy squad for apparently churning out underwhelming performances, he scored century after century for Mumbai Under-23 at the Col C. K. Nayudu Trophy. His tally of 1,081 runs (at 108.10 with 5 centuries) – the highest in the tournament – propelled the team to win the prestigious trophy.

A week later, he was rightfully rewarded with a place in Mumbai’s Irani Cup squad. There, he carted Rest of India’s Jaydev Unadkat, Krishna Das, Ankit Rajpoot, Stuart Binny, and Jayant Yadav — in the presence of chief selector Sandeep Patil — to all corners of the Brabourne Stadium to conjure a 90-ball 104, inclusive of 15 fours and a six. He also scored a breezy 38 in the second innings.

Four days later, and at the same venue, Bista almost floored the England team with his fearless stroke play. Turning out for a Mumbai Cricket Association XI also comprising — funnily enough — four English players in James Vince, Jos Buttler, Adil Rashid, and David Willey against, a strong English side, Bista scored an enterprising 51 (37 balls, 5×4, 2×6), battering the likes of Reece Topley, Chris Jordan, Ben Stokes and Liam Plunkett to all parts.

The following season (2017/18), Bista enjoyed his most prolific Ranji Trophy campaign to date, scoring 2 centuries amongst 332 runs at 55.33, then followed up with 443 runs at 34.07 in 2018/19. The run machine has also impressed in the shorter formats, albeit has yet to gain the attention of IPL sides, thus enabling him to play the last two seasons abroad.

Dutch dominance

He has been a stand-out in the Netherlands, initially in the Topklasse for H.V. & C.V. Quick, before a short stint in the Hoofdklasse last summer for Hermes DVS.

During his 2-seasons with Quick, he was amongst the leading run-scorers in both 2018 (863 runs at 47.94) and 2019 (625 runs at 44.64) seasons respectively, not to mention his fair share of wickets.

On his brief return last summer, he was exceptional, topping the Hoofdklasse run charts (399) in his 3 innings – a few runs above second-placed Indian batting star Nikhil Gangta who batted in 8 innings. After a rough dismissal to start his Hermes campaign, he finished with undefeated scores of 220* and 168.

Cornwood sign Jay for 2022

The hardcore Mumbaikar is quite the prospect who is now eager to showcase his skills in UK club cricket next summer having recently signed with Cornwood for their 2022 Devon League campaign.