Following are the pictures from the finals which I would like to remember forever. If you want to check the complete list visit the offical Pic Site of Khurram: http://www.flickr.com/photos/khurramkhan/sets/72157604403535347/
Me In Action
Anees Bhai In Action
Nisar With His Power Throw
Tumbling Over
Basharat's Power Throw From The Boundary
Rizwan and his pouch
Celebrating an important wicket.
Basharat In Action
Suresh Bhai making his presence felt
Waqar In Action
Ahmed's drop catch. One amongst many dropped catches by us.
First time with a slip in place
Nisar spinning his web
Ahmed's spell completely dried the runs in the middle.
Team Huddle. Great to be part of the team
Preparing to start our reply
Spectators
Samir Bhai's solid defense
Ahmed Meditating
Asif's forward defensive stroke. No Gap for the ball.
Asif's power cut
Samir Bhai in another solid partnership
Our new slogan...
Ahmed the new 'finisher'?
Rizwan's solid defenses.
Instant Jubilation.
Mazda's hanging heads
Muslim celebration. Pepsi instead of Champagne
Match Saving Partnership
Our Whole Team
Brothers In Arms
Mazda hanged!
Waiting for the Cup
Man of the match Asif
Losing Captain Tanveer
Winning captain Waqar
Lifting the Cup
The whole team with their awards, none special than the cup
Showing posts with label Lawson Trophy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lawson Trophy. Show all posts
Monday, April 7, 2008
Pictures To Cherish
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Sunday, April 6, 2008
Winner's Cup Finally
A year long of hard work and continuous improvements in both our individual and team game, handed us our first trophy. The win has come to us in the Lawson Memorial Cup. Now that we have reached the top, our focus should be on how we can stay at the top, which definitely would involve taking our game to the next level.
The morning started as planned as we all came early to the ground and practiced our fielding, bowling and batting, which always proves to be good for our game. Before the toss there was a bit of confusion as to whether we should bat or bowl first, with both points of view holding some weight. Wicky won the toss and went with his instinct of bowling first. Anyways all of us knew that we have come too far to rely on the toss.
Playing a 35 over match was a bit of concern for most of us, since for most of us it was for the first time. But it turned out well. Considering the practice session we had in the beginning and the extra bowling Anees Bhai and I did before the match to warm up, I think we can handle 35 overs in the future as well.
The finals was with Mazda company and they had a strong young team. We had played Mazda twice before and hence knew a bit about them. Their openers were quite lethal and strong and had the ability to go at around 15 runs an opener. Zartab was the most aggressive one, while Tanveer (their captain) wasn't too bad either. I had planned to keep the bowl up around thigh height and to swing the ball into them, since I remembered that they were not that good on the leg side. My plan didn't get me a wicket, but kept them under check. I went for 20 runs in my first 5 overs. Anees Bhai was good as well but the bowls he bowled under Zartab's bat went for huge sixes, and hence reduced the pressure on them. Anees Bhai's one over was particularly good, where he bowled short to Zartab and exposed his weakness to the shorter deliveries. Zartab's footwork impressed me the most as whenever he came out of the crease, he managed to keep his balance and bring the ball under his bat.
Wicky came first change and bowled well but went for a few runs. Eventually he came round the wicket to cover Zartab's swing. This turned out to be a good move as Zartab continued to swing his bat, but just manage to send a catch to me at mid on. Basharat accounted for Tanveer as he brought one into him, which he tried to late cut. The ball came in and hit the off stump. The great thing was that we showed resilience in our bowling and kept on throwing variety at their batsmen and usually they succumbed to it.
Nisar was exceptional in his spin bowling. The way he controlled the flight and turn, I didn't know how any batsman could hit him while staying in the crease. Mazda's thoughtless hitting amazed me a bit. None of their batsmen, after the openers, used their brains. Rather they just preferred to keep on swinging their bat. If it not had been for a few dropped catches, we would have nailed them within 25 overs. Ahmed bowled well in tandem with Nisar to completely dry out the runs. We had a bit of bother with their last wicket partnership. Both batsmen blocked all that came their way without even lifting their bats. Nisar & Ahmed both asked for extra overs from the captain, but still no luck. As per popular vote the pace of Anees and Waqar was tried as well, but still no luck. Anees Bhai bowled a maiden over as well. I was brought in, but by that time the batsmen had done their job and given 40 precious runs to their team. I got the wicket, but it didn't feel very good, as we had lost the sweet feeling of bowling them under 200. Anyways 220 was a low but fighting target for Mazda. They had won the last finals while defending 216. Rizwan kept well behind the stumps, he took a catch and was aware enough to stump another batsman while he was appealing for his second catch. Basharat took an important and a difficult high catch as well. Bilal's catch was amazing as well. The ball was way high in the air, Bilal judged it perfectly, and made me an immediate fan.
We started our batting with disaster as Nisar disappointed his fans by playing one in the air and giving a simple catch to the mid on. Asif was joined with Samir Bhai. And a mix up in the middle brought all our hearts in our mouths. But in the end the fielder's throw was wide and at the wrong end, so Asif made it safely back home. This was the only false foot that Asif and Samir Bhai put forward. The rest was just purely amazing to see. Samir Bhai with his flicks, blocks and cuts managed to keep the scoreboard ticking without giving any leeway to the Mazda bowlers. While Asif showed them what 'thok do' means. His sixes were so huge that it took ages for the fielders to bring the ball back in the ground. He usually took 15-20 runs from each over. So blazing was his innings that Mazda tried around 7 bowlers in the first 10 overs.
Both Samir Bhai and Asif, kept up the good work and took the score to 110. Asif misjudged one and was out caught behind, while Samir Bhai played one in the air to be caught on the boundary. Bilal and Wicky came to the crease. Consolidation was required from both of them, and they started off well. But soon lost the plot. Wicky hit a six in the over, but tried one more in the over, and that too to a flighted delivery probably turning away from him. He got a thick edge and gave an easy catch in the covers. Wicky's wicket almost cost us the match. Rizwan went in next and both he and Bilal blocked a few overs. But Bilal missed a straight delivery and gave his wicket away. Adnan went in next and was looking good and almost set to take us home, when a mix up resulted and he was run out. The falling of 5 quick wickets put us on the back foot. Ahmed came to the crease next, with our backs towards the wall. Ahmed alongwith Rizwan both played another gem of an innings. Ahmed proved his reliabiity once again by not taking any risks and living up to the occasion. Rizwan on the other end, handled pressure really well. Wicky's decision to bring Rizwan in the middle order paid off as Rizwan stabled the boat and took it to the shores of victory. He was a calm influence and knew when to lift his bat and when to defend his stumps.
Suresh, Fareed, Serhan and Royven came to watch the match. It really felt great to receive support from your colleagues while the team fought hard in the middle.
The environment, the feeling, the pressure was absolutely great. The planning before the match and assessments during the match were great to be a part of. Everyone chipping in, in whatever department he could. Always being one step ahead of Mazda. So high is my confidence now, that I feel that if we continued this habit of planning and execution, we would be lifting a lot more trophies. Lastly
The morning started as planned as we all came early to the ground and practiced our fielding, bowling and batting, which always proves to be good for our game. Before the toss there was a bit of confusion as to whether we should bat or bowl first, with both points of view holding some weight. Wicky won the toss and went with his instinct of bowling first. Anyways all of us knew that we have come too far to rely on the toss.
Playing a 35 over match was a bit of concern for most of us, since for most of us it was for the first time. But it turned out well. Considering the practice session we had in the beginning and the extra bowling Anees Bhai and I did before the match to warm up, I think we can handle 35 overs in the future as well.
The finals was with Mazda company and they had a strong young team. We had played Mazda twice before and hence knew a bit about them. Their openers were quite lethal and strong and had the ability to go at around 15 runs an opener. Zartab was the most aggressive one, while Tanveer (their captain) wasn't too bad either. I had planned to keep the bowl up around thigh height and to swing the ball into them, since I remembered that they were not that good on the leg side. My plan didn't get me a wicket, but kept them under check. I went for 20 runs in my first 5 overs. Anees Bhai was good as well but the bowls he bowled under Zartab's bat went for huge sixes, and hence reduced the pressure on them. Anees Bhai's one over was particularly good, where he bowled short to Zartab and exposed his weakness to the shorter deliveries. Zartab's footwork impressed me the most as whenever he came out of the crease, he managed to keep his balance and bring the ball under his bat.
Wicky came first change and bowled well but went for a few runs. Eventually he came round the wicket to cover Zartab's swing. This turned out to be a good move as Zartab continued to swing his bat, but just manage to send a catch to me at mid on. Basharat accounted for Tanveer as he brought one into him, which he tried to late cut. The ball came in and hit the off stump. The great thing was that we showed resilience in our bowling and kept on throwing variety at their batsmen and usually they succumbed to it.
Nisar was exceptional in his spin bowling. The way he controlled the flight and turn, I didn't know how any batsman could hit him while staying in the crease. Mazda's thoughtless hitting amazed me a bit. None of their batsmen, after the openers, used their brains. Rather they just preferred to keep on swinging their bat. If it not had been for a few dropped catches, we would have nailed them within 25 overs. Ahmed bowled well in tandem with Nisar to completely dry out the runs. We had a bit of bother with their last wicket partnership. Both batsmen blocked all that came their way without even lifting their bats. Nisar & Ahmed both asked for extra overs from the captain, but still no luck. As per popular vote the pace of Anees and Waqar was tried as well, but still no luck. Anees Bhai bowled a maiden over as well. I was brought in, but by that time the batsmen had done their job and given 40 precious runs to their team. I got the wicket, but it didn't feel very good, as we had lost the sweet feeling of bowling them under 200. Anyways 220 was a low but fighting target for Mazda. They had won the last finals while defending 216. Rizwan kept well behind the stumps, he took a catch and was aware enough to stump another batsman while he was appealing for his second catch. Basharat took an important and a difficult high catch as well. Bilal's catch was amazing as well. The ball was way high in the air, Bilal judged it perfectly, and made me an immediate fan.
We started our batting with disaster as Nisar disappointed his fans by playing one in the air and giving a simple catch to the mid on. Asif was joined with Samir Bhai. And a mix up in the middle brought all our hearts in our mouths. But in the end the fielder's throw was wide and at the wrong end, so Asif made it safely back home. This was the only false foot that Asif and Samir Bhai put forward. The rest was just purely amazing to see. Samir Bhai with his flicks, blocks and cuts managed to keep the scoreboard ticking without giving any leeway to the Mazda bowlers. While Asif showed them what 'thok do' means. His sixes were so huge that it took ages for the fielders to bring the ball back in the ground. He usually took 15-20 runs from each over. So blazing was his innings that Mazda tried around 7 bowlers in the first 10 overs.
Both Samir Bhai and Asif, kept up the good work and took the score to 110. Asif misjudged one and was out caught behind, while Samir Bhai played one in the air to be caught on the boundary. Bilal and Wicky came to the crease. Consolidation was required from both of them, and they started off well. But soon lost the plot. Wicky hit a six in the over, but tried one more in the over, and that too to a flighted delivery probably turning away from him. He got a thick edge and gave an easy catch in the covers. Wicky's wicket almost cost us the match. Rizwan went in next and both he and Bilal blocked a few overs. But Bilal missed a straight delivery and gave his wicket away. Adnan went in next and was looking good and almost set to take us home, when a mix up resulted and he was run out. The falling of 5 quick wickets put us on the back foot. Ahmed came to the crease next, with our backs towards the wall. Ahmed alongwith Rizwan both played another gem of an innings. Ahmed proved his reliabiity once again by not taking any risks and living up to the occasion. Rizwan on the other end, handled pressure really well. Wicky's decision to bring Rizwan in the middle order paid off as Rizwan stabled the boat and took it to the shores of victory. He was a calm influence and knew when to lift his bat and when to defend his stumps.
Suresh, Fareed, Serhan and Royven came to watch the match. It really felt great to receive support from your colleagues while the team fought hard in the middle.
The environment, the feeling, the pressure was absolutely great. The planning before the match and assessments during the match were great to be a part of. Everyone chipping in, in whatever department he could. Always being one step ahead of Mazda. So high is my confidence now, that I feel that if we continued this habit of planning and execution, we would be lifting a lot more trophies. Lastly
'Keep working guys, keep working, dheela nahee hona'
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Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Agility Thunders into Finals
Agility stormed into the finals of the Lawson Memorial Cricket Cup after beating the seasoned Shaheen CC. The closely contested match was a big win for the Team Agility which is less than a year old. But what they lacked in experience they covered it with Team Work and application.
The match started early Friday morning on 22nd February, with Captain Waqar explaining the game plan to the team. Amad and Anees started the bowling and pegged the experienced batting line up of Shaheen with two wickets in the first four overs. Anees (1/29) accounted for the experienced Ishtiaq as he brought one in and wrecked his stumps, while Amad (1/30) accounted for the dangerous Ateeq by moving one away from him.
Whatever plans Shaheen CC had for counter attack were overturned by a fast inswinger from Waqar (1/31), who came first change, and got a wicket in his first over. From then on Shaheen tried to consolidate rather than attack and Agility applied more pressure with nagging line and length from Ahmed, Nisar and Akmal. Nisar (0/25) spun his spinning web on Shaheen's batsmen and they seemed to play him with little or no clue. Ahmed (0/19) and Akmal (1/16) both used their minds and skill to ensure that the pressure stayed on Shaheen's batsmen. Rizwan kept the wickets smartly and took a brilliant catch to remove the dangerous Ateeq.
With energy and team work Agility Cricket Team gave all on the field and kept on backing each other up. In the end Shaheen, who fell at least 30-40 runs short of the standard score in these matches, ended their innings with 171 runs in 25 overs.
Agility's reply was initiated by Nisar and Akmal. Shaheen applied all they had in terms of guile, pressure and experience to outsmart them. But they persevered. Nisar (58 off 48 balls) was the more belligerent of the two as he spanked 6 boundaries and a towering six.
A mini collapse was prevented by Rizwan and Waqar with 21(16) and 29(23) respectively. Shaheen tried to come back into the match with 3 quick wickets but Ahmed squashed their hopes with his 21(24).
In the end Team Agility won the match with 2 wickets in hand and with 4 balls to spare. In the finals they would meet KAICO on 14th March 2008.
The match started early Friday morning on 22nd February, with Captain Waqar explaining the game plan to the team. Amad and Anees started the bowling and pegged the experienced batting line up of Shaheen with two wickets in the first four overs. Anees (1/29) accounted for the experienced Ishtiaq as he brought one in and wrecked his stumps, while Amad (1/30) accounted for the dangerous Ateeq by moving one away from him.
Whatever plans Shaheen CC had for counter attack were overturned by a fast inswinger from Waqar (1/31), who came first change, and got a wicket in his first over. From then on Shaheen tried to consolidate rather than attack and Agility applied more pressure with nagging line and length from Ahmed, Nisar and Akmal. Nisar (0/25) spun his spinning web on Shaheen's batsmen and they seemed to play him with little or no clue. Ahmed (0/19) and Akmal (1/16) both used their minds and skill to ensure that the pressure stayed on Shaheen's batsmen. Rizwan kept the wickets smartly and took a brilliant catch to remove the dangerous Ateeq.
With energy and team work Agility Cricket Team gave all on the field and kept on backing each other up. In the end Shaheen, who fell at least 30-40 runs short of the standard score in these matches, ended their innings with 171 runs in 25 overs.
Agility's reply was initiated by Nisar and Akmal. Shaheen applied all they had in terms of guile, pressure and experience to outsmart them. But they persevered. Nisar (58 off 48 balls) was the more belligerent of the two as he spanked 6 boundaries and a towering six.
A mini collapse was prevented by Rizwan and Waqar with 21(16) and 29(23) respectively. Shaheen tried to come back into the match with 3 quick wickets but Ahmed squashed their hopes with his 21(24).
In the end Team Agility won the match with 2 wickets in hand and with 4 balls to spare. In the finals they would meet KAICO on 14th March 2008.
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Agility VS Acasia - Lawson Trophy
7th December 2007
The importance of first 10 overs, whether you are bowling or batting, was quite evident in today's match. Also I am sure that the satisfaction levels would be quite high since it was one of those rare occassions when we won by ourselves and not because of our guest players.
Nisar, captaining the side in Wicky's absence, won the toss and decided to bat first. Nisar and Rizwan opened the innings and with a mixture of good batting, 9 fielders and some very helpful extras, they managed to keep the run rate at above 10 runs an over. The highlight of their opening stand was that they showed responsibility realizing not only the thinness of our batting order today but also the fact that they have to score at 9 runs per over. In the first 10 overs we were 92/2, with an opening partnership of 73 runs.
Rizwan was the first to go as he tried to flick a ball on the middle stump, missed it and was adjudged LBW. Samir Bhai went in next but couldn't last long as his flick to a ball down the leg side, produced a splendid diving effort from the wicket keeper. At that time we were facing an early exposition of our tail and required someone to block an end for a few overs. Adnan was ideal in this situation. Nisar batted brilliantly as he kept up the momentum and didn't allow the run rate to fall below 9 even when two successive wickets fell and Adnan took some time settling in and trying desperately to connect his flicks.
Nisar was stumped at a vital phase and cost us to forget about a 200+ score. In the end he batted responsibly scoring 55 runs off 32 balls with 7 boundaries.
Ahmed went in next with the mission to prove his critics (including me) wrong that he can bat for more than 3 overs without a runner :) He started off confidently, hitting boundaries at will. His towering six was a splendid sight. In the end he scored 34 runs with 4 boundaries and a six. Incidently from 20 balls which is roughly 3.2 overs ;) Anyways, if it wasn't for the confusion that resulted in his run out, I am sure he would have batted till the end.
Amir Bhai joined Ahmed as Adnan got out after scoring 23 runs off 27 balls having completed the crucial job of preserving an end to prevent wickets tumbling like a pack of cards.
Soon after Adnan departed Amir Bhai got involved in a mix up with Ahmed and came back in order to give Ahmed a chance to stay longer. The fielding team protested that Ahmed was run out instead of Amir Bhai and the umpires agreed and Amir Bhai was called back. Anyways Amir Bhai didn't hang about as well and much to the dismay of the fielding team scored 21 runs off 11 balls with 2 boundaries. Anees Bhai joined Amir Bhai after Ahmed departed and didn't manage to reach the high standards which he has set for the all the batsmen on the planet. He got out bowled after scoring 1 run from 2 balls.
I joined Amir Bhai and realized the importance of having not only a flick in one's batting armory but also loads of stamina. Running 2 runs creeps the energy out of you and when having to run 3 of those in a row you would wish to be in pavilion rather than being in the middle. But stamina it seems is not the absence of weakness but rather the realization of the fact that there is something more important than weakness. Ha ha ha don't raise your eye brows, I read it somewhere about courage and fear and made some minor changes.
In the end delaying tactics by the fielding team helped them as the match was reduced to 22 overs.
The score was 195 in 22 overs, which showed responsibility on the part of our batsmen and to some extent benefit derived from extras.
Anees Bhai and I started off the bowling. The attack burst was quite good as we didn't allow them to go above 5 runs per over. Bowling with the Pakistani ball is always great as the seams stays up and you are able to apply greater number of revolutions on the ball which are necessary for seam movement and bounce. Anees Bhai was unlucky as a straight forward caught behind was not given by the umpire. But he did manage to perform his role of an attacking fast bowler by not giving any boundaries. With some good keeping from Rizwan we ensured that no freebies were given to the batsmen. We did manage a run out in my over though. All in all the attack of the first 6 overs was quite important in keeping the opposition in check and not letting their batting get away with a flying start.
Nisar and Ahmed were the next change and they kept up the pressure on the batting team by taking wickets and not giving any free hits, though Ahmed's 3rd over was a bit expensive. Nisar took a wicket in his first over as Rizwan took a very good catch. In the first 10 overs we restricted them to 50/4
An interesting thing to share with you guys. Last time we faced this team, one of their batsmen got run out which he claimed was not out and another claim of his (it seemed that he had a claim bazaar) that if he was still in the crease he would have finished the match by now. I was amazed and asked him that would he have ran out his whole team to finish the match so quickly? He said that he would have chased 260 runs in 23 overs! Well today when he came to the crease and hit a long boundary off Nisar's bowling, he did look a bit dangerous since we didn't have the comfort of 260 runs. A boundary off Ahmed's bowling (after a dropped catch though) was alarming as well, but the way he was playing I knew he couldn't last long. Ahmed ensured that and in the very next ball he clean bowled him. A whole essay full of sledging material came to my mind but I saved it up from some other day.
Some very good bowling changes from Nisar ensured that the pressure remained on their batting and their bid for launching an onslaught, which might have been successful given that their opening batsman was still on the crease, was made more difficult.
In the end Samir Bhai, Shiva, Khurram and Imran bowled a few overs. Samir Bhai was his usual threatening self, while Shiva was a bit way ward in his line and gave away some extras by throwing wides down the leg side. Khurram was very unlucky as 2 chances were dropped off his bowling. Him and Junaid have yet to open their account of wickets mainly because of dropped catches.
Which brings me to the subject of dropped catches. In all there were around 9-11 dropped catches. The dropped catches were a mixture of various errors which we committed, which included most prominently,
1. Not looking at the ball till the last moment.
2. Not closing our hands when the ball hits the palm. (I did this and that too off my own bowling).
3. Being scared of the ball and moving back.
The ground fielding was good and we managed about 2 run outs and stopped some boundaries. But over throws were inexcuseable. Over throws usually result when there is no proper backing up. The fielder responsible for backing up should immediately align himself with the throw as if there is no keeper or bowler standing.
In the end it was a well deserved win as we played intelligently and most importantly things went as per plan. A round of applause for Nisar for a win in his first match as captain. Hopefully we would keep the intensity and the attendance :) to win this cup.
Batting ScoreCard
Nisar: 55(32) 7x4 0x6
Rizwan 15(11) 1x4 0x6
Samir: 1(2) 0x4 0x6
Adnan 23(27) 0x4 0x6
Ahmed: 34(2) 4x4 1x6
Amir: 21(11) 2x4 0x6
Anees: 1(2) 0x4 0x6
Amad: 4(?) 0x4 0x6
Bowling ScoreCard (unofficial)
Anees 0 Wickets
Amad 1 Wicket
Nisar 2 Wicket
Ahmed 1 Wicket
Samir 1 Wicket
Shiva 0 Wicket
Khurram 0 Wickets
Imran 0 Wickets
Kindly correct the bowling since I am sure I might have missed out a few here and there.
Nisar, captaining the side in Wicky's absence, won the toss and decided to bat first. Nisar and Rizwan opened the innings and with a mixture of good batting, 9 fielders and some very helpful extras, they managed to keep the run rate at above 10 runs an over. The highlight of their opening stand was that they showed responsibility realizing not only the thinness of our batting order today but also the fact that they have to score at 9 runs per over. In the first 10 overs we were 92/2, with an opening partnership of 73 runs.
Rizwan was the first to go as he tried to flick a ball on the middle stump, missed it and was adjudged LBW. Samir Bhai went in next but couldn't last long as his flick to a ball down the leg side, produced a splendid diving effort from the wicket keeper. At that time we were facing an early exposition of our tail and required someone to block an end for a few overs. Adnan was ideal in this situation. Nisar batted brilliantly as he kept up the momentum and didn't allow the run rate to fall below 9 even when two successive wickets fell and Adnan took some time settling in and trying desperately to connect his flicks.
Nisar was stumped at a vital phase and cost us to forget about a 200+ score. In the end he batted responsibly scoring 55 runs off 32 balls with 7 boundaries.
Ahmed went in next with the mission to prove his critics (including me) wrong that he can bat for more than 3 overs without a runner :) He started off confidently, hitting boundaries at will. His towering six was a splendid sight. In the end he scored 34 runs with 4 boundaries and a six. Incidently from 20 balls which is roughly 3.2 overs ;) Anyways, if it wasn't for the confusion that resulted in his run out, I am sure he would have batted till the end.
Amir Bhai joined Ahmed as Adnan got out after scoring 23 runs off 27 balls having completed the crucial job of preserving an end to prevent wickets tumbling like a pack of cards.
Soon after Adnan departed Amir Bhai got involved in a mix up with Ahmed and came back in order to give Ahmed a chance to stay longer. The fielding team protested that Ahmed was run out instead of Amir Bhai and the umpires agreed and Amir Bhai was called back. Anyways Amir Bhai didn't hang about as well and much to the dismay of the fielding team scored 21 runs off 11 balls with 2 boundaries. Anees Bhai joined Amir Bhai after Ahmed departed and didn't manage to reach the high standards which he has set for the all the batsmen on the planet. He got out bowled after scoring 1 run from 2 balls.
I joined Amir Bhai and realized the importance of having not only a flick in one's batting armory but also loads of stamina. Running 2 runs creeps the energy out of you and when having to run 3 of those in a row you would wish to be in pavilion rather than being in the middle. But stamina it seems is not the absence of weakness but rather the realization of the fact that there is something more important than weakness. Ha ha ha don't raise your eye brows, I read it somewhere about courage and fear and made some minor changes.
In the end delaying tactics by the fielding team helped them as the match was reduced to 22 overs.
The score was 195 in 22 overs, which showed responsibility on the part of our batsmen and to some extent benefit derived from extras.
Anees Bhai and I started off the bowling. The attack burst was quite good as we didn't allow them to go above 5 runs per over. Bowling with the Pakistani ball is always great as the seams stays up and you are able to apply greater number of revolutions on the ball which are necessary for seam movement and bounce. Anees Bhai was unlucky as a straight forward caught behind was not given by the umpire. But he did manage to perform his role of an attacking fast bowler by not giving any boundaries. With some good keeping from Rizwan we ensured that no freebies were given to the batsmen. We did manage a run out in my over though. All in all the attack of the first 6 overs was quite important in keeping the opposition in check and not letting their batting get away with a flying start.
Nisar and Ahmed were the next change and they kept up the pressure on the batting team by taking wickets and not giving any free hits, though Ahmed's 3rd over was a bit expensive. Nisar took a wicket in his first over as Rizwan took a very good catch. In the first 10 overs we restricted them to 50/4
An interesting thing to share with you guys. Last time we faced this team, one of their batsmen got run out which he claimed was not out and another claim of his (it seemed that he had a claim bazaar) that if he was still in the crease he would have finished the match by now. I was amazed and asked him that would he have ran out his whole team to finish the match so quickly? He said that he would have chased 260 runs in 23 overs! Well today when he came to the crease and hit a long boundary off Nisar's bowling, he did look a bit dangerous since we didn't have the comfort of 260 runs. A boundary off Ahmed's bowling (after a dropped catch though) was alarming as well, but the way he was playing I knew he couldn't last long. Ahmed ensured that and in the very next ball he clean bowled him. A whole essay full of sledging material came to my mind but I saved it up from some other day.
Some very good bowling changes from Nisar ensured that the pressure remained on their batting and their bid for launching an onslaught, which might have been successful given that their opening batsman was still on the crease, was made more difficult.
In the end Samir Bhai, Shiva, Khurram and Imran bowled a few overs. Samir Bhai was his usual threatening self, while Shiva was a bit way ward in his line and gave away some extras by throwing wides down the leg side. Khurram was very unlucky as 2 chances were dropped off his bowling. Him and Junaid have yet to open their account of wickets mainly because of dropped catches.
Which brings me to the subject of dropped catches. In all there were around 9-11 dropped catches. The dropped catches were a mixture of various errors which we committed, which included most prominently,
1. Not looking at the ball till the last moment.
2. Not closing our hands when the ball hits the palm. (I did this and that too off my own bowling).
3. Being scared of the ball and moving back.
The ground fielding was good and we managed about 2 run outs and stopped some boundaries. But over throws were inexcuseable. Over throws usually result when there is no proper backing up. The fielder responsible for backing up should immediately align himself with the throw as if there is no keeper or bowler standing.
In the end it was a well deserved win as we played intelligently and most importantly things went as per plan. A round of applause for Nisar for a win in his first match as captain. Hopefully we would keep the intensity and the attendance :) to win this cup.
Batting ScoreCard
Nisar: 55(32) 7x4 0x6
Rizwan 15(11) 1x4 0x6
Samir: 1(2) 0x4 0x6
Adnan 23(27) 0x4 0x6
Ahmed: 34(2) 4x4 1x6
Amir: 21(11) 2x4 0x6
Anees: 1(2) 0x4 0x6
Amad: 4(?) 0x4 0x6
Bowling ScoreCard (unofficial)
Anees 0 Wickets
Amad 1 Wicket
Nisar 2 Wicket
Ahmed 1 Wicket
Samir 1 Wicket
Shiva 0 Wicket
Khurram 0 Wickets
Imran 0 Wickets
Kindly correct the bowling since I am sure I might have missed out a few here and there.
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