The second match of the series was played at Cypress Canyon Ground (Big). The pitch was dry, seemed good for batting and the outfield was slightly wet.
Strikers won the toss once again and elected to field first. Vijay S and Suresh opened the batting and the first two overs produced 20 runs. Vijay S pierced the off side field repeatedly and Suresh too seemed to have got a hang of the pitch. Suresh was caught behind in the third over being bowled by Shiva resulting in Hari walking to the crease. Vijay S got stuck into Haran in 4th over striking two boundaries towards fine leg. Both these were good looking shots and were not in the typical area that Vijay S usually hits his boundaries. Hari stood at the non-striker's end all through the over and in the next played a few dot balls. Hari then launched Shiva for a boundary over point that raced to the boundary despite the slow outer field. Vijay S (24, 23b, 2*4, 1*3) was held at point on the first ball of the 6th over being bowled by Pradeep. Parag joined Hari and played out the over having been offered two no-balls amidst the usual tight bowling of Pradeep. 42/2 in 6 overs was an excellent start made possible by the positive approach and bright start provided by Vijay S and Hari on what was a good batting strip. Vijay S, playing a game after a six week break, seemed to be in good batting form.
Hari struck Narasaiah for two boundaries in the 7th. The first was struck towards cover whereas the second was a lofted straight drive over the bowlers head. Five wides and two boundaries meant that a useful 15 runs were accumulated in a single over. Pradeep bowled another quiet over at the other end conceding just 4 runs. A bowling change was necessary resulting in Kishore being introduced into the attack. Hari struck a good looking boundary towards extra-cover and Parag pulled one towards fine leg bringing 12 runs in the 9th over. Another quiet over from Pradeep yielding just 3 runs resulted in us going into the break at 76/2.
The first over after the break was bowled by Narasaiah and yielded 9 runs with Hari picking up a couple of twos and Parag hitting one fine on the leg side for a well run three. Ajay bowled the 12th over conceding just a single and tested Hari with his good line and length. Parag struck a two and a boundary towards square leg on the first two balls of the 12th over but hit one to square leg to be dismissed by Narasaiah for a 4th time in 6 games. Parag (18, 24b, 2*4, 1*3) featured in a 52 run partnership with Hari in 44 balls. Hari played a dominant role in the partnership hitting boundaries and quite a few twos.
Rupesh joined Hari at the crease and the next two overs were relatively quiet yielding just 8 runs. After 15 overs the score read 101/3 meaning at 8 an over from there on a score of 140 was a possibility. Rupesh launched two boundaries in the 16th over being bowled by Haran. The first was struck straight piercing long-on and long-off. The second was struck towards fine leg taking the score to 113. Shiva conceded a boundary to Rupesh and three twos to Hari, thereby giving away 12 runs in the 17th over taking the score to 125/3. The 18th over was fruitful, the highlight being a straight shot from Rupesh that sailed over Gopal at long-on. It looked like a six from our position outside the ropes at point but was called a four by those close to where the ball landed. Pradeep picked up Hari caught behind, in the 19th over that yielded just six runs. Hari played a superb knock of 42 (43b, 4*4, 7*2) and occupied the crease from the 3rd over, right into the 19th over. He featured in two partnerships with Parag and Rupesh, the second of which yielded 42 runs in 34 balls.
Samir walked in at the fall of Hari's wicket. Rupesh was held well by Pradeep in the final over off the bowling of Ajay. Pradeep ran back from short mid-wicket making the difficult catch look easy. Rupesh played a valuable, attacking knock of 26 (20b, 4*4, 2*2) runs and looked in good touch despite a long break. Samir struck a straight boundary between long-on and long-off scoring a quick 9 in six balls. We thus scored a mighty 148/6 in 20 overs, a score range that we have not reached for a long time now. Pradeep with figures of 4-0-14-2 was the only bowler who walked away with good bowling figures but the rest of the bowlers had a forgetful day for the Strikers.
It seemed like a score our good bowling line-up for the day could defend, even given the good batting strip we would be bowling on. Amit and Srinivas bowled a steady first over each, to begin the second inning on a good note. Roopesh was hit on the eye by a ball that hit the edge and also struck his nose. Roopesh had to retire but that brought the in-form Pradeep to the crease. Pradeep struck a huge six towards a vacant mid-wicket in the 4th over being bowled by Srinivas and followed that up with a boundary in the 5th over being bowled by Amit. With Pradeep at the crease and in good batting form, the game seemed on but we were bowling with a good attack and a huge cushion in terms of runs. Vijay S, our bowler with wicket taking ability struck with two wickets in the 6th over. Pradeep played out two quiet balls on the back foot, facing balls that were at good length. The third was a beauty that was well pitched up and came in to knock the middle-stump. The very next ball Shiva edged to Rahul B behind the stumps. Gopal joined Manav at the crease and struck a couple of twos in the 8th over being bowled by Vijay S. Vijay S then forced Gopal to lob one to Ajay at gully who held a good catch moving quickly to his left. Rupesh had bowled a quiet first over but struck in his second, the 9th of the inning dismissing Ajay, caught behind by Rahul B. Strikers walked into the break with a score of 46/4 and most of the attacking force in batting having returned to the pavilion.
Rupesh then struck with two wickets in the 11th over. The first was a blinder taken by Parag standing at first slip, due to a leg injury. The ball clipped the gloves of the wicket keeper Rahul B but Parag stretched to his left and went for the ball diving and holding the catch one-handed. Arun then edged an easy catch to Parag at the same position on the very next ball. Both Vijay S and Rupesh were denied a hat-trick by the Strikers but theses double-wicket blows were lethal. With six wickets down and plenty to chase the game all but seemed a formaility after 11 overs with the Strikers precariously placed at 47/6. After 13 overs Strikers had reached 59/6 with both Vijay S and Rupesh having completed their spells wiping away six of the top eight batsmen. Figures of 4-0-17-3 for Vijay S and an even better figures of 4-0-10-3 for Rupesh, give an idea of what had been missing in recent games where our bowling lacked the ability to wipe out the opposition.
The game meandered from then on with members from both sides resorting to unnecessary verbal retorts over irrelevant matters. Kishore and Sumanth put on a partnership of sorts to push the score towards the 70's and 80's. Hari had Kishore caught behind and the batsman promptly walked. Srinivas bowled Sumanth in the 18th over. Amit meanwhile completed another tight spell with excellent figures of 4-0-16-0 but despite no wickets performed a splendid job for the team. Narasaiah struck some runs towards the end when our side was just going through the formalities of getting the game through the 20 overs.
The 45 run victory meant the series is now tied at 1-1, with a clinical performance by the entire team. Samir did a fine job as captain both on and off the field despite his rush in terms of time and imaptience of a few players on our side. Excellent effort with bat and ball brings us joy and a comprehensive win. A win in the final game should make up for recent losses.
http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0ArRZKVChcIaXdHVUcVd6Q0FtVWo3MVlTdEJrZ0lIV3c&hl=en
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Match 5 against Strikers on 09202009
Our recent underperforming trend continued with another easy loss against the Strikers today.
Strikers won the toss and elected to field first at Cypress Canyon Ground (Small).
Highlights :-
FAC : 78/10 in 18 overs
Hari 14 (31b), Mudit 11 (10b, 1*4)
Four of our batsman were needlessly run out. From 42/3 in 10 overs we were bundled in 18 overs.
Strikers : 79/5 in 14.4 overs
Pradeep 26 (23b, 2*4), Sumanth 11 (17b, 1*4)
Pradeep continued his good form against us remaining unbeaten for the second time in five outings. We dropped a couple of catches the first of which was in the second over. Pradeep was dropped at point later in the inning to deny 'Srinivas A' a wicket. That wicket could have given us a chance to get back into the game.
We have to now fight back from being 1-0 down in the three match series, with three losses on the trot against the Strikers. With 4 losses in the last 5 games and 6 losses in the last 13 we need to give some thought to our approach to these games.
http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0ArRZKVChcIaXdHZRRGk4MHpIczBidDFadGVPY293Y0E&hl=en
Strikers won the toss and elected to field first at Cypress Canyon Ground (Small).
Highlights :-
FAC : 78/10 in 18 overs
Hari 14 (31b), Mudit 11 (10b, 1*4)
Four of our batsman were needlessly run out. From 42/3 in 10 overs we were bundled in 18 overs.
Strikers : 79/5 in 14.4 overs
Pradeep 26 (23b, 2*4), Sumanth 11 (17b, 1*4)
Pradeep continued his good form against us remaining unbeaten for the second time in five outings. We dropped a couple of catches the first of which was in the second over. Pradeep was dropped at point later in the inning to deny 'Srinivas A' a wicket. That wicket could have given us a chance to get back into the game.
We have to now fight back from being 1-0 down in the three match series, with three losses on the trot against the Strikers. With 4 losses in the last 5 games and 6 losses in the last 13 we need to give some thought to our approach to these games.
http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0ArRZKVChcIaXdHZRRGk4MHpIczBidDFadGVPY293Y0E&hl=en
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Match 1 of 3 against Strikers on 09132009 (Game 4)
The first game of the three match series against the Strikers was played at Spring Canyon Ground (Small). Narasaiah won the toss and elected to field first.
Parag and Hari opened the batting. The opening over from Shiva was played away quietly with just two no-balls being conceded. Hari began with aggression lifting one over the infielder at square leg and then lofting one to long on for two successive boundaries. Shiva bowled another tidy over and Haran was replaced by Pradeep. Pradeep bowled a tidy over and the score after 4 overs was 17/0. In the next over from Shiva, Hari and Samir were bowled on the first and final ball of the over. At 18/2 the inning needed consolidation considering the fact that a wicket or two at that stage could have resulted in us not making use of the entire 20 overs. Shekhar joined Parag and together they did just that for the next few overs. Parag lifted one over mid-wicket for a boundary but in general the score seemed to be moving along at a slow rate. The score at the end of 9 overs was a meagre 29/2 and it was time to accelerate. The 10th over was bowled by Narasaiah and given his recent success it was possible we could lose wickets with him bowling. The two batsmen however managed to upset the rhythm of the bowler. While Shekhar preferred to make an attempt to move to the off-side and hit the ball behind square on the leg side, Parag preferred the switch hit. Both could not connect the ball as desired but quite a few wides were conceded and the movement of the batsmen resulted in the keeper getting distracted. 13 runs resulted with 7 of them being wides. We went into the break at 42/2 and an acceleration in the second phase of the inning was a necessity.
Pradeep continued after the break and gave away a meagre 3 runs in the 11th over. The 12th over however produced 7 runs with Parag hitting Kishore for a boundary towards mid-wicket. 11 runs were scored in the next two oves and the score after 14 overs was 63/2. Parag was bowled on the first ball of the 15th over and this brought Shiva his 3rd wicket in a 4 over spell. Shiva finished with excellent figures of 4-0-10-3. Parag scored 25 runs (43b, 2*4) and did well to steady the inning but could have tried to attain a better strike rate. Shekhar did hit Ajay for a good-looking boundary towards fine leg on a full length ball, by moving outside the off stump. Shekhar then retired for a brief while resulting in Santosh and Nitin B getting to the crease. Nitin B lofted one from Ajay over the off side for a three. He then lofted one from Prasad towards long-on for a boundary and hit a couple of twos in the same over bringing us the much desired acceleration. Santosh was run-out going for a second run bringing in Amit to the crease. Nitin B was bowled by Ajay and Shekhar walked in to resume his inning. Shekhar lofted one over extra cover for a boundary on the off-side and after 19 overs we had reached 94/5. Shekhar was bowled on the last ball of the 20th over but we did manage to score 100/5 in the allotted 20 overs. Shekhar played a role of consolidating the inning scoring 19 (39b, 2*4) runs.
The score seemed about 15 runs less than what we would have desired on that wicket, given the lack of a regular 5th bowler. The score however was a decent one against what was a pretty good bowling attack.
Srinivas and Hari opened the bowling attack. Srinivas bowled pretty well conceding just two runs in overs 1 and 3, and picked up the wicket of Roopesh, caught behind by Santosh. Hari picked up a wicket in the 4th over but conceded 14 runs in the process. Shiva moved to cut one on the off-side but was bowled by Hari. Amit bowled a tidy 5th over conceding three wides to place Cricket Communications (Strikers) at 19/2 after 5 overs. Chandra (new player) was introduced into the attack in the 6th over and conceded 15 runs including two boundaries, a three and a two. Pradeep cashed in on a few loose balls bowled by Chandra, who was bowling for the first time for our team. The complete balance of the chase changed with that one over resulting in Strikers reaching 34/2 in 6 overs. Samir and Amit continued to bowl well but a series of wides did not help, even though they did well to not allow the batsmen to score many of the bat. Strikers reached 48/2 in 8 overs. Srinivas came back to bowl the 10th over and picked up Manav. Santosh held a very sharp catch to his right bringing some initiative back on our side.
At 55/3 after 10 overs, Strikers seemed to be in control of the game. All they needed to do was to play our regular bowlers on merit and then wait for three overs from the 5th bowler. Pradeep was the batsman for the cause. Sumanth joined Pradeep but he could not last long. Santosh picked up another good low catch on the leg side giving Hari his second wicket in the 13th over. Ajay joined Pradeep and played with aggression. With Pradeep playing steadily, mixing caution with aggression and Ajay playing aggressively the remainder of the runs were shaved off quickly. After 17 over, the top four bowlers were used up and just 7 runs were needed in the final 3 overs. Ajay was dismissed by Samir in the 17th over, after he had score 18 runs in 15 balls (1*4). Amit held a good catch at long-on to send Ajay back to the pavilion. The ball was travelling and Amit judged the catch pretty well.
Shekhar ensured the game went into the 19th over but the end was a formality. Pradeep played a match winning knock to return 27 not out (44b, 3*4). With a spell of 4-0-14-1 and the 27 with bat, Pradeep sure is the MoM of this game. Srinivas had good figures of 4-0-12-2 and Amit gave away a meagre 7 runs of the bat but also bowled 8 wides in his 4 over spell.
We did drop a couple of catches and had a couple of overthrows and mis-fields but we did fight back. We bowled close to 5 extra overs with 29 extras being given to the opposition for free. For the Strikers, this was more of a convincing win compared to the first win. As for us, we need to perform better in both batting and bowling to win this series, being 1-0 down after game one. We also need to field a balanced team with every department of the game having a strong re-presentation in order to ensure the series stays alive after two games.
http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0ArRZKVChcIaXdDEtWkxsMnFqclVpYWRBTW1nTndBVmc&hl=en
Parag and Hari opened the batting. The opening over from Shiva was played away quietly with just two no-balls being conceded. Hari began with aggression lifting one over the infielder at square leg and then lofting one to long on for two successive boundaries. Shiva bowled another tidy over and Haran was replaced by Pradeep. Pradeep bowled a tidy over and the score after 4 overs was 17/0. In the next over from Shiva, Hari and Samir were bowled on the first and final ball of the over. At 18/2 the inning needed consolidation considering the fact that a wicket or two at that stage could have resulted in us not making use of the entire 20 overs. Shekhar joined Parag and together they did just that for the next few overs. Parag lifted one over mid-wicket for a boundary but in general the score seemed to be moving along at a slow rate. The score at the end of 9 overs was a meagre 29/2 and it was time to accelerate. The 10th over was bowled by Narasaiah and given his recent success it was possible we could lose wickets with him bowling. The two batsmen however managed to upset the rhythm of the bowler. While Shekhar preferred to make an attempt to move to the off-side and hit the ball behind square on the leg side, Parag preferred the switch hit. Both could not connect the ball as desired but quite a few wides were conceded and the movement of the batsmen resulted in the keeper getting distracted. 13 runs resulted with 7 of them being wides. We went into the break at 42/2 and an acceleration in the second phase of the inning was a necessity.
Pradeep continued after the break and gave away a meagre 3 runs in the 11th over. The 12th over however produced 7 runs with Parag hitting Kishore for a boundary towards mid-wicket. 11 runs were scored in the next two oves and the score after 14 overs was 63/2. Parag was bowled on the first ball of the 15th over and this brought Shiva his 3rd wicket in a 4 over spell. Shiva finished with excellent figures of 4-0-10-3. Parag scored 25 runs (43b, 2*4) and did well to steady the inning but could have tried to attain a better strike rate. Shekhar did hit Ajay for a good-looking boundary towards fine leg on a full length ball, by moving outside the off stump. Shekhar then retired for a brief while resulting in Santosh and Nitin B getting to the crease. Nitin B lofted one from Ajay over the off side for a three. He then lofted one from Prasad towards long-on for a boundary and hit a couple of twos in the same over bringing us the much desired acceleration. Santosh was run-out going for a second run bringing in Amit to the crease. Nitin B was bowled by Ajay and Shekhar walked in to resume his inning. Shekhar lofted one over extra cover for a boundary on the off-side and after 19 overs we had reached 94/5. Shekhar was bowled on the last ball of the 20th over but we did manage to score 100/5 in the allotted 20 overs. Shekhar played a role of consolidating the inning scoring 19 (39b, 2*4) runs.
The score seemed about 15 runs less than what we would have desired on that wicket, given the lack of a regular 5th bowler. The score however was a decent one against what was a pretty good bowling attack.
Srinivas and Hari opened the bowling attack. Srinivas bowled pretty well conceding just two runs in overs 1 and 3, and picked up the wicket of Roopesh, caught behind by Santosh. Hari picked up a wicket in the 4th over but conceded 14 runs in the process. Shiva moved to cut one on the off-side but was bowled by Hari. Amit bowled a tidy 5th over conceding three wides to place Cricket Communications (Strikers) at 19/2 after 5 overs. Chandra (new player) was introduced into the attack in the 6th over and conceded 15 runs including two boundaries, a three and a two. Pradeep cashed in on a few loose balls bowled by Chandra, who was bowling for the first time for our team. The complete balance of the chase changed with that one over resulting in Strikers reaching 34/2 in 6 overs. Samir and Amit continued to bowl well but a series of wides did not help, even though they did well to not allow the batsmen to score many of the bat. Strikers reached 48/2 in 8 overs. Srinivas came back to bowl the 10th over and picked up Manav. Santosh held a very sharp catch to his right bringing some initiative back on our side.
At 55/3 after 10 overs, Strikers seemed to be in control of the game. All they needed to do was to play our regular bowlers on merit and then wait for three overs from the 5th bowler. Pradeep was the batsman for the cause. Sumanth joined Pradeep but he could not last long. Santosh picked up another good low catch on the leg side giving Hari his second wicket in the 13th over. Ajay joined Pradeep and played with aggression. With Pradeep playing steadily, mixing caution with aggression and Ajay playing aggressively the remainder of the runs were shaved off quickly. After 17 over, the top four bowlers were used up and just 7 runs were needed in the final 3 overs. Ajay was dismissed by Samir in the 17th over, after he had score 18 runs in 15 balls (1*4). Amit held a good catch at long-on to send Ajay back to the pavilion. The ball was travelling and Amit judged the catch pretty well.
Shekhar ensured the game went into the 19th over but the end was a formality. Pradeep played a match winning knock to return 27 not out (44b, 3*4). With a spell of 4-0-14-1 and the 27 with bat, Pradeep sure is the MoM of this game. Srinivas had good figures of 4-0-12-2 and Amit gave away a meagre 7 runs of the bat but also bowled 8 wides in his 4 over spell.
We did drop a couple of catches and had a couple of overthrows and mis-fields but we did fight back. We bowled close to 5 extra overs with 29 extras being given to the opposition for free. For the Strikers, this was more of a convincing win compared to the first win. As for us, we need to perform better in both batting and bowling to win this series, being 1-0 down after game one. We also need to field a balanced team with every department of the game having a strong re-presentation in order to ensure the series stays alive after two games.
http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0ArRZKVChcIaXdDEtWkxsMnFqclVpYWRBTW1nTndBVmc&hl=en
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Match 10 against Real Panthers on 09232009
We won the toss and elected to field in the game against Real Panthers at Spring Canyon Ground (Small). The wicket was on a firm patch of grass and we knew pretty well batting second would be easy on this pitch given the morning dew on the wicket at the start of play.
Amit picked up two wickets in overs 1 and 3, resulting in Real Panthers going on the back foot right from the start. Ajay bowled a quiet 4th over and Shekhar picked up a wicket caught behind in the 5th over. The Real Panthers squad today seemed weak and it was time to get overs from the 5th bowler through. Real Panthers were 20/3 in 6 overs and seemed to have been started on a wrong note. The next four overs produced 8, 12, 7 and 9 runs respectively and Real Panthers went into the break at a confortable score of 56/3. Fielding was a bit erratic with a lofted drive to long-on resulting in a two when there should have been a single. To make matters worse, an went for a boundary resulting in 6 runs when there should have been a single.
Amit C began well after the break conceding only a single. Hari R, however started badly in the 12th over, going for two boundaries, having been hit for one in his first over, the 10th of the inning. Manish and Veeru had steadied the inning, aided by loose bowling and poor fielding. Shiva however provided the break with the wicket of Manish in the 13th over. Hari then picked up Veeru and Giresh in the very next over, the 14th of the inning. Nitin B, held the second catch this time at mid-wicket, while the previous one he had taken was held at short fine leg. The fielding and bowling thereafter tightened up with Hari and Naman holding good catches square of the wicket on the off side. Hari picked up two wickets in his final over, the 16th of the inning.
The final wicket fell in the form of a run-out. Anup and Anil N, laid a partnership for close to 4 overs to protect the final wicket. Real Panthers scored 95/10 in 19.5 overs. This was a targe t only 10 less than what we could not successfully chase at the same wicket only a week back. This time however the opposition bowling was different and seemed relatively weak with quite a few of their regulars missing.
Amit C had excellent figures of 4-0-9-2. Hari R picked up three wickets despite bowling a few loose balls.
Hari R and Amit opened the batting. Hari lofted Giresh to long-on for a good looking boundary. The first over thus yielded 6 runs of the bat. Amit C played out a quiet over from Veeru who started well. Sanjay bowled a good 3rd over but we were placed well at 19/0 in 3 overs. The 5th over however produced two boundaries and thereby 10 runs. Hari hit one over short cover for a boundary and then lofted one to long on for a two and followed it up with four in the same area. Anil N bowled an erratic 6th over giving away 5 wides a no-ball and two boundaries to Amit C. Amit C seemed to have been set with these hits and enjoyed the hits too. Anup had Hari caught at a deep gully position on the first ball of the 7th over giving Anup his first wicket. Nitin B however walked in and struck a 2, 4 and 6 in four balls of that over. Over pitched balls were hit towards long on and a full toss was hit to mid-wicket for a six. Giresh struck back by getting Nitin B bowled in the very next over. Shekhar played Giresh out bringing in Amit to the bowling in the next over for the Real Panthers.
Amit started with two no-balls that raced to the boundary behind the wicket keeper resulting in 10 runs without a ball being bowled. Amit conceded a boundary to Amit C but struck back to get Amit C bowled. Another 5 runs on another no-ball followed, coupled with 4 wides. Having conceded 23 runs in four legitimate balls Amit had to be replaced by Giresh to just get the over done with. The score raced from 64 to 91 in the 9th over. Shekhar struck Narasaiah for a boundary straight behind the keeper to finish the game giving us victory by 7 wickets and more than half the allotted overs to spare.
Real Panthers were a weak side today. Despite conceding 33 extra and dropping three catches on this day we managed to beat the opposition emphatically.
Hari 22 (18b, 4*4) and Amit 25 (28b, 4*4) did extremely well and displayed good form. Nitin B impressed with 12 runs in just 6 balls. Well done guys, its been a while since we thrashed an opposition to this extent.
http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0ArRZKVChcIaXdGxtOEZ6eWNEVjhOMGZ2czJmbVFyTWc&hl=en
Amit picked up two wickets in overs 1 and 3, resulting in Real Panthers going on the back foot right from the start. Ajay bowled a quiet 4th over and Shekhar picked up a wicket caught behind in the 5th over. The Real Panthers squad today seemed weak and it was time to get overs from the 5th bowler through. Real Panthers were 20/3 in 6 overs and seemed to have been started on a wrong note. The next four overs produced 8, 12, 7 and 9 runs respectively and Real Panthers went into the break at a confortable score of 56/3. Fielding was a bit erratic with a lofted drive to long-on resulting in a two when there should have been a single. To make matters worse, an went for a boundary resulting in 6 runs when there should have been a single.
Amit C began well after the break conceding only a single. Hari R, however started badly in the 12th over, going for two boundaries, having been hit for one in his first over, the 10th of the inning. Manish and Veeru had steadied the inning, aided by loose bowling and poor fielding. Shiva however provided the break with the wicket of Manish in the 13th over. Hari then picked up Veeru and Giresh in the very next over, the 14th of the inning. Nitin B, held the second catch this time at mid-wicket, while the previous one he had taken was held at short fine leg. The fielding and bowling thereafter tightened up with Hari and Naman holding good catches square of the wicket on the off side. Hari picked up two wickets in his final over, the 16th of the inning.
The final wicket fell in the form of a run-out. Anup and Anil N, laid a partnership for close to 4 overs to protect the final wicket. Real Panthers scored 95/10 in 19.5 overs. This was a targe t only 10 less than what we could not successfully chase at the same wicket only a week back. This time however the opposition bowling was different and seemed relatively weak with quite a few of their regulars missing.
Amit C had excellent figures of 4-0-9-2. Hari R picked up three wickets despite bowling a few loose balls.
Hari R and Amit opened the batting. Hari lofted Giresh to long-on for a good looking boundary. The first over thus yielded 6 runs of the bat. Amit C played out a quiet over from Veeru who started well. Sanjay bowled a good 3rd over but we were placed well at 19/0 in 3 overs. The 5th over however produced two boundaries and thereby 10 runs. Hari hit one over short cover for a boundary and then lofted one to long on for a two and followed it up with four in the same area. Anil N bowled an erratic 6th over giving away 5 wides a no-ball and two boundaries to Amit C. Amit C seemed to have been set with these hits and enjoyed the hits too. Anup had Hari caught at a deep gully position on the first ball of the 7th over giving Anup his first wicket. Nitin B however walked in and struck a 2, 4 and 6 in four balls of that over. Over pitched balls were hit towards long on and a full toss was hit to mid-wicket for a six. Giresh struck back by getting Nitin B bowled in the very next over. Shekhar played Giresh out bringing in Amit to the bowling in the next over for the Real Panthers.
Amit started with two no-balls that raced to the boundary behind the wicket keeper resulting in 10 runs without a ball being bowled. Amit conceded a boundary to Amit C but struck back to get Amit C bowled. Another 5 runs on another no-ball followed, coupled with 4 wides. Having conceded 23 runs in four legitimate balls Amit had to be replaced by Giresh to just get the over done with. The score raced from 64 to 91 in the 9th over. Shekhar struck Narasaiah for a boundary straight behind the keeper to finish the game giving us victory by 7 wickets and more than half the allotted overs to spare.
Real Panthers were a weak side today. Despite conceding 33 extra and dropping three catches on this day we managed to beat the opposition emphatically.
Hari 22 (18b, 4*4) and Amit 25 (28b, 4*4) did extremely well and displayed good form. Nitin B impressed with 12 runs in just 6 balls. Well done guys, its been a while since we thrashed an opposition to this extent.
http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0ArRZKVChcIaXdGxtOEZ6eWNEVjhOMGZ2czJmbVFyTWc&hl=en
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Match 3 against Cricket Communications (Strikers) on 08162009
We won the toss and elected to field in the game played at Spring Canyon Ground. The pitch had good pace and even bounce. It was the only spot where a wicket could be placed. Despite attempts to encourage players to be on time the game began only at 8:45 am.
Amit C, picked up Spandan on the last ball of the first over. Mudit began the second over and conceeded an easy boundary to Shiva. 12 runs were conceeded in the second over, with five of them being wides. Shiva seemed to have started well at the other end. He kept dabbing the ball slow on either side of the wicket, making the fielders run for the ball. Gopal was let down in the next over (in the slips) from Amit when his score was just one. In the very same over from Amit, Gopal edged one over the keeper/slips for a boundary to celebrate his much desired life. Gopal went on to repeat the feat in the next over from Hari hitting one with power, to mid-wicket for another boundary. Samir started well by moving the ball in the air but conceeded a few wides due to the excessive movement that he was able to generate. Gopal then struck Hari, to a wide mid-on position where Amit judged the ball to a nicety and held the ball one handed over his right shoulder. The ball was travelling even as it approached Amit, who did well to judge the trajectory early on, without moving too much or too early, taking his time, followed by a reflex action. Now, this is catching at its best.
In the next over from Samir, Srinivas K lobbed a straight forward catch to Suresh at short mid-wicket. At 41/3 in 6.3 overs, Sumanth walked in to join Shiva, who was batting steadily.
Samir was called for a no-ball in the very same over (due to a suspect action) that annoyed the fielding side but more than enraged Samir. Ajay bowled the 8th and kept the batsmen quiet with his lack of pace and a good length. Ajay was rewarded with the wicket of Shiva (in the 10th over) who was bowled by a ball that moved slightly and knocked the top of leg stump to take out just that bail.
The Strikers went in to the break with the score reading 54/4. Srinivas was unlucky in the first over after the break. A simple catch was hit feebly towards a short fine leg. It was one that Boycott's mom would have caught single-handedly with the right hand. But not for us, our fielding side found this a challenge and dropped that, almost not willing to accept easy chances thrown at us by the opposition. Srinivas K (from Strikers) , struck a short ball towards a vacant mid-wicket for a boundary to rejoice. Srinivas K (of our side) however, struck back to get the same person bowled the very next ball.
Prasad joined Sumanth and hit one good looking shot towards extra cover for a good looking two. In the 15th over from Hari, Prasad hit a full toss towards deep fine leg. Another regulation catch was dropped to give Prasad a life. The bowler to suffer was Hari who let out his frustration in no uncertain terms. Samir bowled Prasad who has a tendency to shuffle towards off even if the delivery is on leg stump. Sumanth was given a life at point as the fielder could not latch onto the ball that was struck not that firmly. Amit C, bowled Pradeep with a peach of a delivery that came in from a fullish length. Pradeep takes a stance outside leg, and moves in as the bowler bowls thereby keeping his options open to loft straight on both sides of the wicket.
Narasaiah struck a full toss from Samir to fine leg for a boundary towards the end of the inning. The Strikers crossed 100 in the final over and reached 104/8 in 20 overs. Sumanth was stumped on the final ball of the 20th over to give Hari his second wicket. Sumanth (20, 30b), Shiva (18, 23b, 1*4) and Gopal (13, 16b, 2*4) were the mainstay of the batting for the Strikers.
Srinivas K (4-0-15-1, 1Y and Ajay 2-0-6-1, 2Y) impressed with the ball in hand. The other bowlers on display were guilty of conceeding quite a few extras.
Our batting in recent outings did not seem stable and we were intent of getting to this target with wickets and overs to spare. The start was good with Parag picking 7 runs of the bat in the first over with a boundary struck towards fine leg on a full toss. Shekhar hit one uppishly on the last ball of the second over, where Sumanth held a good catch at point, to give Shiva his first wicket. Haran did not do particularly well in the 3rd over and conceeded another 8 runs with about four wides. Parag hit a pull towards fine leg on a shortish delivery from Prasad in the 5th over. Runs came at a steady pace for the first 6 overs with Shiva bowling 3 overs on the trot in the search of wickets at the start. At 41/1 in 6 overs we seemed to have started well in the search of the 3rd consecutive win against the Strikers.
Narasaiah introduced in the 7th over changed the complexion of the game. A few deliveries were tapped down the crease by Parag, who was trying to get used to the sharp decline in pace compared to the earlier overs. Three wides were sent outside off. The next ball on leg stump was hit towards mid-wicket. The bat turned a bit too early in the hands of the batsman, before the delivery pitched and a simple lofted catch was held at wide mid-wicket, on a shot that was intended to travel squarer, to a vacant mid-wicket. At 44/2 in 6.4 overs we seemed in a situation of ascendancy. Suresh played a quiet 8th over but on the final ball, stopped the ball with his hand as it was rolling towards the stumps. An appeal followed and Suresh was adjudged out, handling the ball. Mayank (new player) and Hari played the next couple of overs with caution and we walked into the break with 59/3 on board.
The approach after the break was to pick up runs steadily without taking too many risks with the asking rate being 4.6 an over and 7 wickets in hand. We then lost control of the situation immediately after the break losing the wickets of Mayank and Amit in the 11th over being bowled by Pradeep. Sumanth held a good catch at point and Amit edged one to the keeper. To make matters worse Hari was deceived by Narasaiah who hit a feeble shot to point where Sumanth made no mistake. Narasaiah deceived the second batsmen, with his controlled slow bowling.
Mudit and Samir picked up singles and an ocassional two to ensure the game went along without further loss of wickets but that lasted only a couple of overs. Narasaiah picked another wicket in the 15th over, this time that of Mudit who granted Sumanth his 4th catch of the game in the same position. With Adi, Srinivas and Ajay to follow we did not seem to have the depth in batting to give Samir company in the quest of 30 runs that were required in 5.5 overs. Although the equation in terms of runs and balls seemed in our favor the loss of wickets had placed us in a precarious situation.
Shiva, Haran and Prasad kept Adi quiet until the end of the 17th over. Fortunately for us we did not lose any more wickets. At 83/7 in 17 overs, the equation had tightened a bit with 22 needed in 18 balls. The 18th over yielded two boundaries towards third man. Four byes and an edge to third man brought down the required runs to 12 in 12 balls. Prasad balled an erratic 19th over conceeding 7 runs that also included two no-balls. One of the two was for overstepping, resulting in a free hit and another was a full toss over the waist. Prasad however struck back to get Srinivas bowled and Ajay played down two balls without a loss of a wicket to take the game to the final over. 5 runs were required in the final over from Pradeep. Samir flicked one nicely to fine leg for a two. Samir had been flicking the bowlers well on the leg side for ones and twos. One such shot off the bowling of Haran had yielded him a boundary. Ajay was run out on the second ball at the non-strikers end. Samir played a quiet shot on the third ball thereby resulting in 3 runs required in 3 balls and only a wicket in hand. The ever so accurate Pradeep, then bowled Samir on the 4th ball of the final over to give the Strikers victory by a slender margin of two runs.
It was the first win for the Strikers against our team. We had won the two previous games narrowly and given our previous performances against the opposition, had hoped the inevitable loss does not happen so soon.
Parag (18, 22b, 2*4) and Samir (18, 29b, 1*4) dropped anchor but most other batsmen yielded too easily. The effort from the two could have been better but Samir had only the tail to play with.
We conceeded 23 extras, dropped 4 regulation catches. The dropped catches resulted in 19 runs in favor of the opposition batsman. At the end of the day our own blunders cost us another game, even though we may have won a few with such errors in recent history. It is an indication of our falling standards. We managed to keep the standards high, over a period of the last four years but not so in recent games. Will we be able to rectify our issues and are those only temporary ? Only time will provide an answer over the next couple of months..
http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0ArRZKVChcIaXdDFnRjNDR1Etek53ZmFoRmtWVG80Q0E&hl=en
Amit C, picked up Spandan on the last ball of the first over. Mudit began the second over and conceeded an easy boundary to Shiva. 12 runs were conceeded in the second over, with five of them being wides. Shiva seemed to have started well at the other end. He kept dabbing the ball slow on either side of the wicket, making the fielders run for the ball. Gopal was let down in the next over (in the slips) from Amit when his score was just one. In the very same over from Amit, Gopal edged one over the keeper/slips for a boundary to celebrate his much desired life. Gopal went on to repeat the feat in the next over from Hari hitting one with power, to mid-wicket for another boundary. Samir started well by moving the ball in the air but conceeded a few wides due to the excessive movement that he was able to generate. Gopal then struck Hari, to a wide mid-on position where Amit judged the ball to a nicety and held the ball one handed over his right shoulder. The ball was travelling even as it approached Amit, who did well to judge the trajectory early on, without moving too much or too early, taking his time, followed by a reflex action. Now, this is catching at its best.
In the next over from Samir, Srinivas K lobbed a straight forward catch to Suresh at short mid-wicket. At 41/3 in 6.3 overs, Sumanth walked in to join Shiva, who was batting steadily.
Samir was called for a no-ball in the very same over (due to a suspect action) that annoyed the fielding side but more than enraged Samir. Ajay bowled the 8th and kept the batsmen quiet with his lack of pace and a good length. Ajay was rewarded with the wicket of Shiva (in the 10th over) who was bowled by a ball that moved slightly and knocked the top of leg stump to take out just that bail.
The Strikers went in to the break with the score reading 54/4. Srinivas was unlucky in the first over after the break. A simple catch was hit feebly towards a short fine leg. It was one that Boycott's mom would have caught single-handedly with the right hand. But not for us, our fielding side found this a challenge and dropped that, almost not willing to accept easy chances thrown at us by the opposition. Srinivas K (from Strikers) , struck a short ball towards a vacant mid-wicket for a boundary to rejoice. Srinivas K (of our side) however, struck back to get the same person bowled the very next ball.
Prasad joined Sumanth and hit one good looking shot towards extra cover for a good looking two. In the 15th over from Hari, Prasad hit a full toss towards deep fine leg. Another regulation catch was dropped to give Prasad a life. The bowler to suffer was Hari who let out his frustration in no uncertain terms. Samir bowled Prasad who has a tendency to shuffle towards off even if the delivery is on leg stump. Sumanth was given a life at point as the fielder could not latch onto the ball that was struck not that firmly. Amit C, bowled Pradeep with a peach of a delivery that came in from a fullish length. Pradeep takes a stance outside leg, and moves in as the bowler bowls thereby keeping his options open to loft straight on both sides of the wicket.
Narasaiah struck a full toss from Samir to fine leg for a boundary towards the end of the inning. The Strikers crossed 100 in the final over and reached 104/8 in 20 overs. Sumanth was stumped on the final ball of the 20th over to give Hari his second wicket. Sumanth (20, 30b), Shiva (18, 23b, 1*4) and Gopal (13, 16b, 2*4) were the mainstay of the batting for the Strikers.
Srinivas K (4-0-15-1, 1Y and Ajay 2-0-6-1, 2Y) impressed with the ball in hand. The other bowlers on display were guilty of conceeding quite a few extras.
Our batting in recent outings did not seem stable and we were intent of getting to this target with wickets and overs to spare. The start was good with Parag picking 7 runs of the bat in the first over with a boundary struck towards fine leg on a full toss. Shekhar hit one uppishly on the last ball of the second over, where Sumanth held a good catch at point, to give Shiva his first wicket. Haran did not do particularly well in the 3rd over and conceeded another 8 runs with about four wides. Parag hit a pull towards fine leg on a shortish delivery from Prasad in the 5th over. Runs came at a steady pace for the first 6 overs with Shiva bowling 3 overs on the trot in the search of wickets at the start. At 41/1 in 6 overs we seemed to have started well in the search of the 3rd consecutive win against the Strikers.
Narasaiah introduced in the 7th over changed the complexion of the game. A few deliveries were tapped down the crease by Parag, who was trying to get used to the sharp decline in pace compared to the earlier overs. Three wides were sent outside off. The next ball on leg stump was hit towards mid-wicket. The bat turned a bit too early in the hands of the batsman, before the delivery pitched and a simple lofted catch was held at wide mid-wicket, on a shot that was intended to travel squarer, to a vacant mid-wicket. At 44/2 in 6.4 overs we seemed in a situation of ascendancy. Suresh played a quiet 8th over but on the final ball, stopped the ball with his hand as it was rolling towards the stumps. An appeal followed and Suresh was adjudged out, handling the ball. Mayank (new player) and Hari played the next couple of overs with caution and we walked into the break with 59/3 on board.
The approach after the break was to pick up runs steadily without taking too many risks with the asking rate being 4.6 an over and 7 wickets in hand. We then lost control of the situation immediately after the break losing the wickets of Mayank and Amit in the 11th over being bowled by Pradeep. Sumanth held a good catch at point and Amit edged one to the keeper. To make matters worse Hari was deceived by Narasaiah who hit a feeble shot to point where Sumanth made no mistake. Narasaiah deceived the second batsmen, with his controlled slow bowling.
Mudit and Samir picked up singles and an ocassional two to ensure the game went along without further loss of wickets but that lasted only a couple of overs. Narasaiah picked another wicket in the 15th over, this time that of Mudit who granted Sumanth his 4th catch of the game in the same position. With Adi, Srinivas and Ajay to follow we did not seem to have the depth in batting to give Samir company in the quest of 30 runs that were required in 5.5 overs. Although the equation in terms of runs and balls seemed in our favor the loss of wickets had placed us in a precarious situation.
Shiva, Haran and Prasad kept Adi quiet until the end of the 17th over. Fortunately for us we did not lose any more wickets. At 83/7 in 17 overs, the equation had tightened a bit with 22 needed in 18 balls. The 18th over yielded two boundaries towards third man. Four byes and an edge to third man brought down the required runs to 12 in 12 balls. Prasad balled an erratic 19th over conceeding 7 runs that also included two no-balls. One of the two was for overstepping, resulting in a free hit and another was a full toss over the waist. Prasad however struck back to get Srinivas bowled and Ajay played down two balls without a loss of a wicket to take the game to the final over. 5 runs were required in the final over from Pradeep. Samir flicked one nicely to fine leg for a two. Samir had been flicking the bowlers well on the leg side for ones and twos. One such shot off the bowling of Haran had yielded him a boundary. Ajay was run out on the second ball at the non-strikers end. Samir played a quiet shot on the third ball thereby resulting in 3 runs required in 3 balls and only a wicket in hand. The ever so accurate Pradeep, then bowled Samir on the 4th ball of the final over to give the Strikers victory by a slender margin of two runs.
It was the first win for the Strikers against our team. We had won the two previous games narrowly and given our previous performances against the opposition, had hoped the inevitable loss does not happen so soon.
Parag (18, 22b, 2*4) and Samir (18, 29b, 1*4) dropped anchor but most other batsmen yielded too easily. The effort from the two could have been better but Samir had only the tail to play with.
We conceeded 23 extras, dropped 4 regulation catches. The dropped catches resulted in 19 runs in favor of the opposition batsman. At the end of the day our own blunders cost us another game, even though we may have won a few with such errors in recent history. It is an indication of our falling standards. We managed to keep the standards high, over a period of the last four years but not so in recent games. Will we be able to rectify our issues and are those only temporary ? Only time will provide an answer over the next couple of months..
http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0ArRZKVChcIaXdDFnRjNDR1Etek53ZmFoRmtWVG80Q0E&hl=en
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Match 16 against Doyle Devils on 08092009
Shekhar ensured that the Miramar College Ground was secured and all arrangements were done at 8 am. Doyle Devils won the toss and wisely elected to field first. Players in our side arrived late as usual with utter disregard for a person like Shekhar who came to the ground about 75 minutes prior to the actual start of the game.
Abhishek and Santosh opened the batting and provided a good start of 16 in 3 overs. Abhishek mis-hit one and was caught by Srinivas square of the wicket on the off side. Abhishek and Santosh were both dismissed in the same over that was shared between Ashwin and Venkat. Shekhar and Rahul B them put on a partnership of about 25 runs between them to take the team to a score of 48/4 in 8 overs. Venkat bowled Rahul B and Shekhar was caught behind to giving Sai his first wicket. The 10 over break was taken with two balls to go in the 10th over. Hari had flicked one to fine leg on the first ball he had faced from Venkat. Hari also lofted Prashant for a straight four over long on. Prashant however bowled Suresh with an over pitched delivery. Vijay S was dismissed in a similar manner by Sai. Hari hit one square of the wicket to give Srinivas his second catch and Venkat his third wicket.
Parag hit a full toss from Ashwin towards fine leg for a boundary but was bowled by Prashant as he shuffled across to a delivery bowled from around the wicket. The innings folded in the 20th over with Srinivas and Aravind being bowled by Pankaj. A score of 97 seemed about 10-15 less than what we should have reached given that we were 57/5 in 10 overs.
Srinivas began the bowling well making left-hander Srinivas from Doyle Devils reach for the ball. Srinivas was bowled on the last ball of the final over to give us a fantastic start. Abhishek began erratically conceding 10 runs in the second over but Srinivas kept Anil tied up in the third over. Rahul B held a sharp catch at short square leg that was hit with power and was travelling fast. Hari had Karthik caught behind by Santosh in the 6th over. Vijay S bowled Venkat in the 7th over to place the Doyle Devils at 24/4 in 7 overs. Tushnim was run out in the next over as Shiva called for a non-existent run making the situation worse at 28/5. Shiva was caught behind in the 9th over giving Rosie a wicket in his first over. Doyle Devils went into the break with 6 wickets gone and a deficit of 66 runs. The situation could have been worse but Joy was let down at short square leg. This particular catch was lower down but straight forward in comparison to the blinder that was taken earlier in the inning at the same position.
Saurabh was intent on slogging every delivery he faced but could not last long the moment he changed his approach to play as per the merit of the ball. Saurabh edged one to keeper Santosh giving Rosie a wicket in his second over, the 11th of the inning. Pankaj walked in with a tight equation and a score of 37/7 in 10.3 overs. He seemed nervous but took a liking to the bowling of Abhishek in the 12th over. 1o runs came the way of Doyle Devils but Rosie struck back dismissing Pankaj in the 13th over and worsening the situation for Doyle Devils with a score of 46/8 in 12.2 overs.
Prashant walked in to join Joy at the wicket. It was just a matter for the fielding team to close the game, grabbing opportunities that came ones way without trying too hard. The onus was completely on the Doyle Devils to make a game in this situation. Belief, temperament and application are the factors that play a role when batsmen are faced with this situation. Prashant and Joy did just that and put on a 47 run partnership in the next 38 balls to take the Doyle Devils from a situation of adversity to one of ascendancy. Joy was bowled by Rosie in his fourth over providing us a vital break that came a bit too late. 5 runs were required for a win for the Doyle Devils and 8 balls to go with just a wicket in hand. Sai negotiated two deliveries from Rosie with caution to take the game to the final over.
Abhishek was given the final over and had to bowl a magical over to bring us victory that we deserved until mid-way of the 13th over of the second inning. We helped the cause of Doyle Devils with sloppy catching and erratic fielding. Prashant and Joy ran the singles well, placed the ball for an occasional two or three and ran hard all the time. The runner taken by Joy added to the sloppy fielding by distracting the fielders who threw to the wrong end or were misled by three batsmen around.
Prashant hit one to fine leg for two and then picked up a single on the third ball. A wide was conceded with Sai on the crease. The scores were tied and an easy catch was dropped square of the wicket on the off side to bring delight and a well deserved victory for the Doyle Devils. The partnership for the 9th wicket paid dividends. Doyle Devils walked away with smiles on their faces whereas we walked away wondering how we can avoid such narrow losses.
We had ourselves to blame with about 6 catches being dropped, three of them being fairly easy ones. Fielding at times was shambolic and the lack of bowling options for the captain meant he could not try something different even as he saw certain overs were costly ones. This is where a couple of backup bowlers come handy but we seem to not believe in carrying backups into a game.
Joy (28, 2*4) and Prashant 26 * (2*3) were heroes on the day with the bat. Srinivas, Hari and Vijay S bowled economically and Rosie continued his dream spells at this ground with the ball. In the end, fortune favored the brave and the team that maintained a stable head under adverse conditions won.
http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0ArRZKVChcIaXdC1KQldFdmczTEo4RjYyNXZhaDJNaHc&hl=en
Abhishek and Santosh opened the batting and provided a good start of 16 in 3 overs. Abhishek mis-hit one and was caught by Srinivas square of the wicket on the off side. Abhishek and Santosh were both dismissed in the same over that was shared between Ashwin and Venkat. Shekhar and Rahul B them put on a partnership of about 25 runs between them to take the team to a score of 48/4 in 8 overs. Venkat bowled Rahul B and Shekhar was caught behind to giving Sai his first wicket. The 10 over break was taken with two balls to go in the 10th over. Hari had flicked one to fine leg on the first ball he had faced from Venkat. Hari also lofted Prashant for a straight four over long on. Prashant however bowled Suresh with an over pitched delivery. Vijay S was dismissed in a similar manner by Sai. Hari hit one square of the wicket to give Srinivas his second catch and Venkat his third wicket.
Parag hit a full toss from Ashwin towards fine leg for a boundary but was bowled by Prashant as he shuffled across to a delivery bowled from around the wicket. The innings folded in the 20th over with Srinivas and Aravind being bowled by Pankaj. A score of 97 seemed about 10-15 less than what we should have reached given that we were 57/5 in 10 overs.
Srinivas began the bowling well making left-hander Srinivas from Doyle Devils reach for the ball. Srinivas was bowled on the last ball of the final over to give us a fantastic start. Abhishek began erratically conceding 10 runs in the second over but Srinivas kept Anil tied up in the third over. Rahul B held a sharp catch at short square leg that was hit with power and was travelling fast. Hari had Karthik caught behind by Santosh in the 6th over. Vijay S bowled Venkat in the 7th over to place the Doyle Devils at 24/4 in 7 overs. Tushnim was run out in the next over as Shiva called for a non-existent run making the situation worse at 28/5. Shiva was caught behind in the 9th over giving Rosie a wicket in his first over. Doyle Devils went into the break with 6 wickets gone and a deficit of 66 runs. The situation could have been worse but Joy was let down at short square leg. This particular catch was lower down but straight forward in comparison to the blinder that was taken earlier in the inning at the same position.
Saurabh was intent on slogging every delivery he faced but could not last long the moment he changed his approach to play as per the merit of the ball. Saurabh edged one to keeper Santosh giving Rosie a wicket in his second over, the 11th of the inning. Pankaj walked in with a tight equation and a score of 37/7 in 10.3 overs. He seemed nervous but took a liking to the bowling of Abhishek in the 12th over. 1o runs came the way of Doyle Devils but Rosie struck back dismissing Pankaj in the 13th over and worsening the situation for Doyle Devils with a score of 46/8 in 12.2 overs.
Prashant walked in to join Joy at the wicket. It was just a matter for the fielding team to close the game, grabbing opportunities that came ones way without trying too hard. The onus was completely on the Doyle Devils to make a game in this situation. Belief, temperament and application are the factors that play a role when batsmen are faced with this situation. Prashant and Joy did just that and put on a 47 run partnership in the next 38 balls to take the Doyle Devils from a situation of adversity to one of ascendancy. Joy was bowled by Rosie in his fourth over providing us a vital break that came a bit too late. 5 runs were required for a win for the Doyle Devils and 8 balls to go with just a wicket in hand. Sai negotiated two deliveries from Rosie with caution to take the game to the final over.
Abhishek was given the final over and had to bowl a magical over to bring us victory that we deserved until mid-way of the 13th over of the second inning. We helped the cause of Doyle Devils with sloppy catching and erratic fielding. Prashant and Joy ran the singles well, placed the ball for an occasional two or three and ran hard all the time. The runner taken by Joy added to the sloppy fielding by distracting the fielders who threw to the wrong end or were misled by three batsmen around.
Prashant hit one to fine leg for two and then picked up a single on the third ball. A wide was conceded with Sai on the crease. The scores were tied and an easy catch was dropped square of the wicket on the off side to bring delight and a well deserved victory for the Doyle Devils. The partnership for the 9th wicket paid dividends. Doyle Devils walked away with smiles on their faces whereas we walked away wondering how we can avoid such narrow losses.
We had ourselves to blame with about 6 catches being dropped, three of them being fairly easy ones. Fielding at times was shambolic and the lack of bowling options for the captain meant he could not try something different even as he saw certain overs were costly ones. This is where a couple of backup bowlers come handy but we seem to not believe in carrying backups into a game.
Joy (28, 2*4) and Prashant 26 * (2*3) were heroes on the day with the bat. Srinivas, Hari and Vijay S bowled economically and Rosie continued his dream spells at this ground with the ball. In the end, fortune favored the brave and the team that maintained a stable head under adverse conditions won.
http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0ArRZKVChcIaXdC1KQldFdmczTEo4RjYyNXZhaDJNaHc&hl=en
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Match 15 against Doyle Devils on 08012009
The game was moved from Doyle Park to a school in the same area beside Genesse Ave. The ground had a thin covering of grass and seemed to be a hard field, characteristic of a fast outfield.
Rahul B won the toss and elected to field first. On just the second ball Amit C struck by getting Sourav caught behind by Parag. Srinivas, the other opening batsman however struck a few boundaries behind the wicket on the leg side. Shiva tried to hit a short one from Amit over the infield, square of the wicket on the leg side but lobbed a simple catch to Rahul B. Left hander, Srinivas had managed to not allow any of our bowlers settle into a rhythm with unconventional shots on the leg side. Samir however bowled one in the corridor and Srinivas edged to Parag behind the wicket and out walked the batsman. Venkat and another new batsman (unfamiliar name) however felt the need to consolidate. Both were given a reprieve early on by the bowler. Samir could not latch to a low and hard shot by Venkat. Sam could not hold one that came at a good height and straight to him on the off side. Suresh dropped two catches at long on to give the new batsman two lives. One of those was a slightly difficult one, since the ball was to the right and high over Suresh's shoulder. Doyle Devils went into the break at 56/3. Parag held a sharp low catch to his left, behind the wicket to finally dismiss the new batsman, who had three lives. Mudit struck back after being hit around for a few runs. The new batsman, played quite a few good shots mostly towards mid-on and mid-wicket region where he struck at least 2/3 boundaries.
After 14 overs Doyle Devils were around 80/4 and seemed set to hit at least 110 runs. The game was interrupted as the little league soccer team had reserved the ground. This then forced an abandonment of the game as no grounds were available in the UTC area.
It is time that we realize that we either play in the afternoon on Sunday or make it a point to pay and obtain a permit to play at other times of the weekend.
Rahul B won the toss and elected to field first. On just the second ball Amit C struck by getting Sourav caught behind by Parag. Srinivas, the other opening batsman however struck a few boundaries behind the wicket on the leg side. Shiva tried to hit a short one from Amit over the infield, square of the wicket on the leg side but lobbed a simple catch to Rahul B. Left hander, Srinivas had managed to not allow any of our bowlers settle into a rhythm with unconventional shots on the leg side. Samir however bowled one in the corridor and Srinivas edged to Parag behind the wicket and out walked the batsman. Venkat and another new batsman (unfamiliar name) however felt the need to consolidate. Both were given a reprieve early on by the bowler. Samir could not latch to a low and hard shot by Venkat. Sam could not hold one that came at a good height and straight to him on the off side. Suresh dropped two catches at long on to give the new batsman two lives. One of those was a slightly difficult one, since the ball was to the right and high over Suresh's shoulder. Doyle Devils went into the break at 56/3. Parag held a sharp low catch to his left, behind the wicket to finally dismiss the new batsman, who had three lives. Mudit struck back after being hit around for a few runs. The new batsman, played quite a few good shots mostly towards mid-on and mid-wicket region where he struck at least 2/3 boundaries.
After 14 overs Doyle Devils were around 80/4 and seemed set to hit at least 110 runs. The game was interrupted as the little league soccer team had reserved the ground. This then forced an abandonment of the game as no grounds were available in the UTC area.
It is time that we realize that we either play in the afternoon on Sunday or make it a point to pay and obtain a permit to play at other times of the weekend.
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