Week 2 - When there is a will there is a way |
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| MCA Beat Writer (MCABeat) | |
| 17-05-2019 | |
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With the spring season slowly winding down, the week 2 offered a much better weather condition that resulted in only one game being cancelled. Relatively a far better cry than the first week in terms of number of games being cancelled. Pitches lacking bounce and subsequently affecting the morning games in particular, some light rolling has helped us get those games underway with minimal delay. Nail-biting finishes: One thing we learnt early on into the season is that there are no such thing as non defendable target. The games between KCC vs Lynx and GTA Superkings vs Markhamites taught us all a lesson that one should believe when there is a will there is a way, as these teams showed us how one should defend a low scoring game and in the process they could very well be as entertaining as the high scoring ones. 1. KCC vs Markham Lynx The game between KCC and the Markham Lynx was restricted to 28 overs a side due to bad pitch conditions. KCC won the toss and elected to bat first and it appears to be a prudent decision as they cruised to 34/0 at a RR of almost 5. Then came the collapse that was spearheaded by the Lynx stalwart Gautam Mehta whose bowling made KCC coming down crashing from a respectable 34/0 start to mere 88 all out. KCC bowlers found it difficult to negotiate Gautam’s bowling and in the end Gautam finished with an astounding bowling figures of 7/21 to cut short KCC’s innings. Meanwhile KCC captain Nishit Patel made up for his golden duck by orchestrating the Lynx collapse with his crafty bowling spell that left the Lynx reeling at 3/3 in the 3rd over. Lynx captain Amjad Khan showed some initial resistance to KCC attack before Zuhair Ansari was brought into the attack by KCC. Zuhair made sure his captain’s effort doesn’t go to waste as he ploughed through the Lynx middle order and tail end batting that sealed the fate of Markham Lynx who came down crashing to 67 all out. After the game KCC captain Nishit Patel was asked by the Beat Reporter about his golden duck and he responded by saying “if we can win the game each time I score a golden duck, I can live with that”. That sums up the dawn of a new era for KCC. It appears KCC have found their old mojo back after a lull season last year. 2. GTA Superkings vs Markhamites This was another low scoring affair that turned out to be a nail-biting thriller. GTA Superkings (GSK) won the toss and decided to bat first. While GSK could not put together a sustainable partnership, GSK captain Shrikant Patel and Deep Patel batted cautiously to provide some resistance to the Mites bowling attack. Having lost their key batsmen in the early going, preventing further collapse became paramount for GSK. While they may have thrived in foiling further collapse, but were unable to push the RR up as they have already dug themselves deep with a slow start. With their batting lineup lacking punch GSK couldn’t muster a challenging total. GSK eventually finished their inning with 108/7 in 35 overs. One would think this would be a matter of formality for the Markhamites, but GSK had other ideas. GSK started putting the squeeze on the Mites from the onset and had the Mites staggering at 15/4. Mites were not to be done. Saaju Bharav played a valiant inning with little support from the other end and took the game away from GSK to produce a dramatic win for the Markhamites as they overcame all odds from a perilous position and beat the new comers to the league by 3 wickets. Most lopsided games: 1. Golden Sports vs Raging Bulls The game being reduced to 25 overs a side and with runs being hard to come by on a slower outfield due to damp conditions, nothing seems to get in the way of Golden Sports and their newly found confidence. Golden Sports took advantage of Raging Bulls erratic bowling and pressed on with their own aggression that showed both Eric Prathap and Murali Balasundaram put on a belligerent 96 runs partnership at the rate of almost 9 runs an over. The pair hammered 9 sixers between them and put on a punishing 3rd wicket partnership that pretty much took the game away from the Bulls from the onset. Eric finished with an entertaining 56 runs while Murali ended up with an unbeaten 48 to help Golden Sports to an imposing total of 168/4 in 25 overs. Losing a key wicket in the first over didn’t help the Bulls cause when it was their turn to bat. Their inning never posed a grave threat to the Golden Sport’s daunting total. In the end it became a mere formality for Golden Sports as the Bulls only managed to score a paltry 97/6 in their allotted 25 overs to give the Golden Spots a resounding 71 runs victory to start their season. 2. Toronto Blasters v MKCC Not a bad debut for the new comers Toronto Blasters as they looked confident when they started their inning after being put into bat by Markham Knights (MKCC). Toronto Blasters didn’t appear too flustered as they maintained the RR around 5 an over consistently through out the inning while loosing wickets on a regular interval. When Abhaya Rawal joined Roshaine Green at the fall of 5th wicket for 73 on the 13th over, it was time to put their head down and play a long inning. Roshaine and Abhaya did just that and more as they rotated their strike and punished the bad balls while putting on a 56 runs partnership at the RR of 6 an over. It appeared MKCC got their crucial breakthrough, thanks to their captain Hiten Patel who broke through the defense of Abhaya Rawal to make it 129/6 in the 23rd over and appears to have changed the momentum of the game towards MKCC. Eventually, Toronto Blasters were bowled out for 143, a target MKCC would be happy to chase on a normal circumstance. MKCC’s inning didn’t start off as well as they would have liked to as they limped through the early inning to 31/5 at the end of the first power play. It was time for Kalai Gunarathenam to up the ante as he wasn’t going to stick around while the wickets kept falling regularly on the other end. Unfortunately he was clean bowled as he was about to get in the groove for a hasty 26. Eventually MKCC were bowled out for 76 and gave the Toronto Blasters a resounding victory by 67 runs on their debut game with MCA. Our beat reporter on the ground reported that Raka Paul has apparently woken up on the wrong side of the bed with severe stiff neck but played a defiant innings until he ran out of partners. He was eventually carried off the field by his team mates while Toronto Blasters were celebrating their debut victory as a member of MCA. Friends and foes: Crimsonites vs Lexus The game between Lexus and Crimsonites was a spectacle that showed friends and families from both teams coming together and battling it all out on the field and then celebrating together afterwards. It was the game that had siblings playing on the opposing teams not just for the win but also for their bragging rights. It was the game that demonstrated cricket could be played in full spirit on and off the field. Ultimately, it was the game we witnessed the friends can be foes and yet have fun playing against one and other. Just as the case with most morning games last weekend, this game was also reduced to 25 overs per side affair. It was a good toss to win by the Lexus captain Tharmy Ratnam who didn’t have any hesitation in sending Crimsonites to bat. With lack of bounce and slower outfield, Crimsonites were content to punish the bad balls and negotiate the tough ones. On the other hand Lexus were determined to ball wicket-to-wicket with good line and length. With the initial breakthrough coming in the sixth over, Crimsonites started losing wickets on a regular basis as Suresh Nagarajah and Jeyan Rajasingham continued to bowl sensibly to keep the pressure on the batsmen. Runs were hard to come by and soon the Crimsonites were down to 57/5 on their 16th over. It was time for captain Vishan De Mel’s turn once again for the rescue and with Thanaharan Selvarajah the pair raised their batting tempo and took the score to 106/5 in 25 overs without losing any further wickets. Lexus are known for their aggressive batting, but they soon realized the field conditions were not suitable to push for the runs during the early inning. Sarankan Satkunanathan and Sunil Markandu batted sensibly to ensure they continue to rotate the strike and punish the bad balls while ensuring they stay ahead of the required run rate. Sarankan played a composed inning scoring 37 runs while Sunil scored an unbeaten 32 to take the Lexus over the finish line on their 20th over for a convincing win by 6 wickets. Ultimately it was nice to see the spring season winding down and the weather gods showing some mercy for the cricketers as the summer season begins with adequate number of cricket games to be played over the next few months. Always remember when there is a will there is a way, so play the game the right way and the result will come ultimately. |
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