Geneva weekend: Two losses and lot to reflect upon

The first cricket test match I watched was the India tour of West Indies in 1989. Those were still the hay days of West Indies cricket. It was that time I dreamed of being a fast bowler when I saw how the West Indies fast bowlers tormented the Indian batsmen. I wanted to do the same. But one thing that bothered me was why Indian were not able to play those bouncing deliveries. The commentators and newspapers told that because in India there were no bouncy tracks, Indians just did not know how to play. I was surprised and something did not make sense... But still it was clear that I wanted to bowl fast bouncing deliveries.

In Geneva on the weekend of 8-9th sept. we found ourselves in similar situation as teams often found themselves in West Indies and Australia in 80s, 90s. 

On the 8th, we started off at 0700hrs from Freiburg. We made it to the ground in time and match started off already 1230hrs. The ground was looking small and the pitch was laid at an odd angle. But the the pitcth looked good. It was an artificial turf laid on a rock solid concerete, so a lot of bounce was expected. They told us that 250+ will be a fighting score on that wicket, given the pitch and ground. 

We were put into bowling. I started off with two loose and very short balls, both were sent to boundary. But that was it for me. I found my line and length and no one can score when the ball is coming to your throat. Once I found my rhythm and I was living my dream. We dearly missed Saghir's bowling. The injury he incurred in the previous match was still hurting. Other bowlers were trying to find their feet on the wicket. They bowled good but only in patches and this was visible in the fact that every wicket ended in more than 10 runs in that same over. Nila was particularly good but he lacked experience. 

Of course the bowling quality was overshadowed to a great extent because of we were only 9 fielders. Moreover, on such wickets it is important to control the length, if you dont have enough pace. Thats where we conceded a lot of runs. But in the end it was not too bad as we restricted the opposition to 170 and bowled them out within 35 overs. I ended up with five wickets, four of them caught by Pandiyan behind the wickets. He in total claim five catches and this is enough to show how good we bowled but again in patches. 

Batting was not that good. On a day when we could bowl to our our average potential, we can restrict that team to a rather modest total. Except for Aamir none from there stayed long enough on the wicket and he too had his share of luck. 

For those who know how to play on such wickets 170 was an easy target. But we found out that our batsmen just do not know how to play the fast bouncing tracks. The opposition fast bowlers created havoc and they were unlucky that they got only one wicket. Still runs were not coming. The second spell brought some ease. Saghir looked in control as was expected. At one point we were 92 for four wickets and need 80 runs in in about 18 overs. Everything looked all set. But then the famous FNCC collapse happened. And we folded a the score of 121. Vijay perhaps delayed going to bat because he was looking the most comfortable. But besides him and Saghir none of us knew how to play good fast bowling in a good wicket. Most of us edged rising deliveries. 

Still we were happy to score whatever we did and all admitted to their flaws. We did put a serious effort. Scared the opposition albeit for a too short duration. We were upset but we accepted the loss in good spirit and promised to return stronger next day. Evening was spent wondering about how to play the bouncing ball. But, thinking alone does not help when you have never practiced...

Next day the Sri-Lankan teams put us in bat. They hoped to bowl us out cheaply. We were more than prepared to face the bouncing ball. But Sri Lankan players perhaps had seen that quality good bowling with bounce is a waste on us. They taught us even more harsh lesson. On that bouncing wicket, the bowled full and hit the wickets. Most of us were bowled out this time. The cause -- good controlled swing bowling. The ball that took Vijay out was just a pure beauty. The bowler had set him up so nice and he was by far our best batsmen against that bowling. We scored runs but lost wickets quite regularly including to run outs. The came the surprise of the trip.

Angelo was frustrated by the bounce so he decided that he would step out and will not let the ball bounce and he did that with great control and together with Nila they took the score to 140 with the last wicket adding nearly 40 runs. It was just too bad that he did not get a well deserved 50.

In the process of getting myself run out I had exposed some injury in my legs and for nearly an hour I was unable to stand on my feet. But when we started our defense I thought I was feeling good. When I started my first over I in full control and confidence. Already the third ball fetched an edge to Adnan. But this was the end for me. My injury became worse and I could not run or even stand up. So I left the field. 

Others bowlers again were coming in terms with the pitch. This time though Rehan provided a great option. Unlucky that he did not get his five wicket haul. He bowled beautifully, though a bit expensive, he was clear pick of our bowling. Saghir managed to bowl that day but it was too late and too little. Perhaps the wicket of the left-hander could have opened the game but .... such things only make sense in the retrospect. We lost by five wickets. Looks pretty onesided loss but there was tension at one point... we did create a scare and who know what it might have been if Saghir and I had bowled in tendem...

While outside the field agonized by the pain I was wondering what was worse, the pain or the fact that I was seeing my team from the sidelines... the later is worse... believe me. If I had a slight bit of strength I would have bowled.

Lot to learn from the losses. Cricket is about mastering the conditions and we lost because we failed to do so and we failed to do because we had never been exposed to such pitch and bowling attack. Our lack of skills was exposed. Still it was a great experience... 

After a long time I had conditions that suit me and I thoroughly enjoyed that. With Saghir on the other end we could have had a different story, with a full fielding side we could have restricted the Pak team to some 140... there were may what ifs... but the truth always catches up. 

When the team loses individual efforts start to come up to give solace to the tormented souls. Rehans four wickets, Pandiyan's wicket keeping effort (more that 6 victims), Angelo's 40+ score, Nila's batting while supporting Angelo and so on....at least there was something to remember and something to return to and accomplish....

The trip explained to me why Indians struggled so badly in West Indies when that land was still blessed with good fast bowlers. It also explained what it needs to created a competition between the bat and the ball and personally it explained to me the importance of fitness...

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I would like to thank our hosts. Both the teams were great hosts. There was amazing food on both days. The Sri-Lankan teams was particularly generous. I had never had such amazing and multi-course lunch at a cricket ground. Both teams provided us with players to make up for the missing players in our side. Only that the Pak. Cricket club kind of created a situation where the borrowed player was of no practical use. On the other hand, the Aamir who played for us against the Sri-Lankan teams was pretty handy. 

These two teams have raised the bar in hospitality. I hope we get to return the favor when they visit us in Freiburg. Maybe they will get to see the other extreme of cricket pitch.

The season ended this with the Geneva trip. This season was not as spectacular as the last one. Strangely we played so few games this year. If we exclude Basel and Pak Freiburg, we played three Swiss teams and lost to all of them. There were more sad memories than happy ones. But that was expected. Perhaps more regular cricket could have helped... There is lot to reflect upon the season gone by, but maybe some other time. Right now, it is time to be thankful that we got to play cricket, in whatever amount, and feel proud that we played it clean despite victories or losses.

Nomads go down fighting in a thriller

On the surface cricket is a contest between bat and the ball. Every now and then there are matches that go beyond this simple version. In my opinion the match last Sunday was about tactics, field settings, deep nuances of the game -- what do you do when you need 30 runs at an asking rate of about 4.5, three lower order wickets in hand - do you go for big shots, do play for the singles. Same conundrum is for the fielding captain -- should he set a field to cut the singles, or cut boundaries. What should a bowler do -- go for wickets, go for dot balls... Choice seems easier that go for wickets but some lower order batsmen at times are very stubborn and wickets may not come easy...

The real pleasure is to watch the fielding captain marshaling his fielders, consulting with the bowlers... and then things do not work out as expected and one more round of consultation starts... a wickets fall and suddenly everything seems to be in place but then few deliveries later you find out that it was a false dawn and the new batsman is more than handy. Suddenly the physical act of playing become more of a mental exercise. its like playing chess when your body is drained out of power and your brain is gasping for more blood to think. The players who win the contest are rewarded by endorphins and their strength returns but the poor souls who end on the losing side, are drained further...only a victory in another contest can return them their strength...

On Sunday last we hosted Winterthur CC and what a game it turned out to be. It was more of a endgame in chess. We lost it in the 40th over but it was a perfect example of how exciting cricket can be when the two teams are nicely balanced.

FNCC won the toss and elected to bat in overcast conditions. The recent batting collapses were in the memories when Vijay decided to bat first and we agreed that bowling is our main strength in home conditions. Since we were playing a 40 over match, caution was in the thoughts when Raghav and Rehan started. Runs were not coming easy, fielding was tight, bowling was disciplined. Rehan was first to perish. Pandiyan was looking good and he was all too determined to play a long inning. But is over-cautious approach converted a nice shot into a easy catch at mid-off. Raghav and Saghir tried to stabilize the inning. But once again the patience was the missing ingredient. Raghav tossed an easy catch over extra cover region. Saghir could not control his aggression. As long as the two batted we were looking good despite the slow run rate. At drinks break were 78/4. A modest score. But we were confident that it was a decent score. But the real horror started when Vijay was out on the very first ball. Suddenly there was panic. Adnan and mainly Angelo did the repair work. Angelo played a very good and useful innings but problem with him is that he never gives confidence to those who are watching him. I got to bat just second time this season, I survived a close LBW shout but then together with Prateek who was playing his first game for us, we added 35 runs and we were happy to set a target of 159. It was not a great total but we were very confident to defend it.

We started positively. Nila opened the bowling with me. I took a wicket in my second over. The first spell was good and we looked on track. But there were signs that we failed to pick. The second spell was sub-optimal. Saghir was not in good rhythm. Raghav, Adnan tried too hard and conceded lots of extras. We expected a lot from Rehan after his success against the Basal CC. It was ok that he was not taking wickets but the big problem was that he failed to cut the extras. The problem was exacerbated by the slow fielding in the point regions. They scored so many cut shot and we just failed to realize that runs were being scored in that area only. At the drinks break the scores were same but Winterthur CC has lost only two wickets.

The team talk at the drinks was very important to inspire the team. Vijay did that in an excellent manner. We claimed 7 wickets in the next 20 over and conceded the same amount of runs. The match see-sawed with the fall of every wicket. When the 11th batsman came in they needed 16 runs of about 4 overs. With pressure building we made some fielding lapses and in the last over they just needed 3 runs. The highlight of the Winterthur batting was John, we really 'milked' our bowling. He played a highly controlled innings and held his team together. Others provided good support. The team showed a great discipline in the chase, since the asking rate was not high, they stuck to the basics and took runs in the form of singles/doubles.

If only we had taken one more wicket. Everybody held their act together, we fielded better but we just failed to cut on the wides. Towards the end of the match unfortunately, Saghir got himself injured while fielding and that had a big effect as he is a true champion player and result could have been different with him being fit to bowl in the end. 

But while defending 159 we gave away 48 extras. Honestly we did not deserve to win with such a bowling act. Later we thought if we had few more runs on the board. I think nothing would have happened unless we had scored enough to bring the asking run rate above 5 right from the beginning, i.e. if only we had scored in excess of 200 runs...

I think the big problem in the match was that we failed to get the big picture. While batting our batsmen did not know what was required of them, what would be a good total, are they scoring according to the quality of bowling. Batsmen were happy to save their wickets, they showed no urgency to convert singles into doubles and so on... Similarly, while bowling although it was easy but with every wicket there was a sense of calmness in the team instead of really seizing the opportunity. We took really a long to time to realize that runs were coming from the point regions. Since the ball does not bounce much, with a fast outfield it would have been better to keep the fielder deep. Again it was an issue of saving boundaries versus saving singles. Bowling fast bowlers versus slow ones and so on...

Losing teaches you how to win and victories make you stronger. Now we have had a lesson from the last game and I hope we now know how to win, so hopefully we will regain the strengths and win the two weekend games in Geneva.

It was also a nice gesture from Andy Holton a former nomad and John to stand in as umpires. The match was a perfect example of how friendly matches should be played and how cricket can be exciting without being a unnecessary run feast as some of the international cricket is becoming.

Rhine Cup To Stay in Freiburg for One More Season

At the very core of it, Cricket is a game played in the brain, the show on the ground is a mere manifestation of the tussles going on in the brains of the players. The FNCC and Basel CC encounters have become a perfect illustration of this fact.

Otherwise, how could a team which is currently at the top of the swiss league, has players who boast of amazing individual feats in the ground, continue to lose to FNCC, in most cases, without really putting up a fight.

FNCC has entered in that phase of season when the team is always short of players. But then there are those bravehearts like Feyas who come in to just to field despite his serious leg injury, or the passionate ones like Rajesh, who came to Freiburg to see his 'non-cricketing' friends (I wonder why do people have such friends!!) and ended up bowling his quota of six excellent overs. 

Vijay lost is customary toss to Basel and we bowled first. This is what we had planned anyways. Both Rajesh and Shubhu started cautiously  but firmly. We waited for the first change for the first wicket. Raghav was bowling really good. I started off well but then I pulled-off after two overs. Rajesh was sopt-on. We curtailed runs and wickets fell regularly. At the drinks break agter 15 overs the score was 68 for four wickets. Not too bad. But then after drinks Vijay brought in Rehan who took the Basel CC by surprise and claimed four wickets with his precise and cunning slow bowling. His bowling effort meant that Basel folded for 107 runs with about four overs remaining. Adnan and Nila provided good support to Rehan but were unlucky not to have have picked wickets. Adnan was particularly unluck as he took two wickets of no balls. But I think it must have given him a nice lesson. 

We started positively with Rehan and Raghav. Basel opening bowling was good. Inspired by Rehan's success Sunny started with a slow bowler. And he started the damage right away and Rehan mis-read his slower and straighter delivery. Pandiyan started as if nothing has happened and threw his bat to everything that came on the way and hit some very powerful blow. But his inning was rather erratic and he could have been out multiple times. Finally he was caught at the long on -- but the fielded (the slow bowler who opened the bowling) almost made a mess of it before making it a stunning catch. Raghav continued to grow in confidence (after my error -- read on), very well supported by Vijay and Angelo. Angelo was erratic like Pandiyan but he was a touch more careful. His inning was not pretty but very productive and that is what we needed. Sunny relied too much on his slow bowlers who were very effective but the target was too small to defend and FNCC players are very good on their front foot. We romped home with four wickets in hand. 

Yes, we could have done better, but the victory was very sweet as this meant we will retain the Rhine cup until the next season. Congratulations Nomads. 

I guess now Basel CC will have some time to reflect on the games and break the shackles that lie only in their brain. Good luck Basel CC for your remaining season. We are very lucky to have to you as our friends and we hope to continue our good relationship.

This victory should not go into our heads. The challenges ahead are tough. We have a strong opposition (the Winterthur team) visiting on 2nd Sept. After that we go to Geneva for a weekend trip to play two unknown teams in unknown grounds. We understand the game of Basel CC so we sometime get away with our mistakes. Clearly, FNCC is capable but they will have to work hard to maintain a clean record for the remaining season. 

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I made an umpiring error early on when I failed to judge whether Raghav's bat touched the ball or not, at least I did not hear anything, neither the leg-umpire objected. Our visitors behaved as perfect gentlemen and the match went on. Since Raghav was our makeshift opener in that I do not think that the end result was influenced by him but I know that wickets in quick succession can change the tempo of the game. Moreover, Raghav carried his bat, so maybe my reprieve to him did play a role... my sincere apologies to the Basel team.

No revenge victory, just addition of good memories against Pak Freiburg CC

FNCC has played few matches against Basel CC, including an away fixture for the Rhine cup and have thus far remained undefeated by the Basel CC since the loss to Pak CC. The only blip since last season has been a serious loss against the Pak CC. So when an opportunity came to play a match against the Pak. CC most of the FNCC players were interested in playing. However, it happened at such short notice that not everyone could become available.


The first surprise was that Purav, Rehan and Beau were not available, meaning that we were short of our regular openers and another player who could open. Some people were away like Sathish. Somehow we managed to bring together a good eleven. The morning started with taking our flix pitch to the new ground. Rain had left the ground very wet and there were even puddles at some places. With overcast skies at 1100hrs the match seemed impossible. But a big part of Cricket involves overcoming the weather conditions and in fact mastering them. 


So we started out with a wet field and slippery flix. Fawad won the toss and invited us to bat in some very testing conditions. He thought that uneven bounce on an unsettled flix wicket would be an advantage. They did not have to wait too long. Raghav clipped the first ball of the match to a fielder and started off for a single which was not there. So we were zero for one. That eventful over ended with the fall of Lucky who handed an easy catch at extra-cover on the very first ball he faced. Pak CC was elated as they had claimed two wickets in the first over and I was kind of wondering how fast we will collapse. But Pandiyan was in different zone altogether. He welcomed the second over of the inning with a six, announcing that he was unfazed with the stupid losses. As he dominated the batting Saghir was very circumspect in the beginning but players like him do not take much time reading and adjusting their game. Both Pandiyan and Saghir prepared a very solid and intelligent partnership.  There were aggressive blows from Pandiyan and careful precision drives from Saghir. Later when Vijay came in at the fall of Pandiyan, we were looking solid and this was the time Saghir swapped the roles. He went in attack mode and Vijay in the precision mode. Two huge sixes that came of Saghir's bat were a sight to watch -- first was a case of sweet timing and second was a pure power blow. Vijay, went after batting as a surgeon goes after a damaged tissue -- precise, calculated strokes that killed the bowlers' motivation. The pitch was slowly easing out but there was quality spin bowling from the Pak CC. It was the brilliance of Vijay and Saghir and later Waleed, that runs kept coming at ease. Waleed went after the fall of Saghir who got out attempting to smash a ball out of the ground. He accelerated the inning like there was no tomorrow. At one time Waleed had hit one of the bowlers for four consecutive sixes. Adnan who did not get many overs, also added a six to his score. Our middle order showed its depth (pandiyan ~29, Saghir ~36, Vijay ~46, Waleed ~48). There were not too many extras. We put together 174 in 25 overs. This was remarkable because when we took the break after 14 overs were cruising along at 76 i.e. last 11 overs brought nearly 100 runs. 


The job was half done although done in style but still needed to be finished. I started off with Saghir. Having spent nearly a month off the field I was completely out of touch. Somehow I sent in three overs and was happy not to concede too many runs. Saghir was spot on and was ready exploit the wicket which by then was starting to respond to fast bowlers. But once again Arpit continued his love affair with Pakistanis' as he bowled 4 superb overs conceding only 6 runs and he should have got at least one wicket (I dropped an easy catch). As Arpit applied breaks on the scoring rate the batting became desperate. Both Fawad and Mansoor (who for the first time was looking dangerous against us) skied catchs to Arpit and me, respectively. After the departure of Mansoor things were looking easy for us. But still we had to finish it high. Raghav took the charge and almost erased the memory of his horrendous runout early on. In fact, every bowler responded and took at least one wicket (except for me but I was still happy to return to winning ways). Some smart bowling chages from Vijay were at the play and Pak CC knew that they were not going to get to the target. One key move was to bring Arpit to bowl very early one but even after that they way Vijay handled Nila, Waleed was a great sight.


I do not know how much Pak CC scored in the end but we romped home in style and victory margin was at least 60 runs. In a way it was a sweet revenge of the loss in the previous match. But there are no revenges in cricket, there are only new memories, sometimes the new memories are good sometime bad. But in this match, they way it was played I hope everyone returned with good memories. The changing order of players in the Pak CC is a very important factor in it. The younger players just want to play cricket and not create hurdles in the way of cricket. 


It is a pity that I do not recall the names of many Pak CC players but some are very good players and deserve a mention in this blog. With such a young and motivated team I think despite the loss Pak CC had lot to take home and this would only improve the team.


Later Pandiyan wanted my opinion on who should be the man of the match. In my opinion this particular match was an illustration that Cricket can be a team game. From our side essentially everyone contributed either in batting or bowling (except for me). Vijay perhaps will be my pick but more for his dual role as a batsman and as a captain. This match was won by captaincy as much it was won by serious batting efforts of Saghir, Pandiyan, Waleed and Vijay himself, and bowling efforts of everyone. In the end 10 of our players were involved in the dismissal of the Pak CC.


This match was special for a reason -- Pak CC managed to access another soccer field in the city for one Sunday. Hopefully, for them this is a beginning of a more serious relationship with that sports club and they maybe able to have ground for the full season next year. So it was really important that we all showed up and played good clean cricket to set the tone for the possible new home for Pak CC. I have to congratulate Zeb Bhai and Rizwan for organizing it.


The ease with which this match was organized is a clear sign of improved relationship between the two teams. However, the echos of that dispute which led to the abandoning of a match are still audible, maybe feeble. The fabric of the FNCC has changed quite a bit and only few have that match in their memory. In the Pak CC club there are changes but not sufficient to burry the ghosts of that match. But more such more amicable encounters between two teams can indeed burry the past. I look forward to more matches with the Pak CC team. However, we must take caution and should not rush things and take every match at a time. 

Nomads' winning streak comes to an end

The seven match winning streak of the FNCC which was continuing since their loss to Winterthur in an away fixture last season, came to an end at the home fixture against the Pak Freiburg Cricket Club. 


PFCC this time around fielded a much changed team. It was great to see the older players making way for the younger lot. And that where perhaps we ended up doing a miscalculation. Perhaps we underrate the new players and PFCC reaped all the benefit. 


Saghir led the FNCC team in the absence of Vijay. We won the toss and decided to bowl because we considered our batting stronger than the bowling on the day owing to the injuries of Adnan and myself. Still not give an psychological advantage early on I started the bowling. I was felling ok but not at my best. Still we had a decent start. The first signs of things going wrong appeared when Fawad smashed Nila for 19 runs in the 15th over just before the drinks. Still the score of 91/3 in 15 over was not so alarming. After drinks we took wickets regularly but somehow we took our eyes off the scoring rate. At one point in 24 overs the score was 130+ and 6 wickets down. That time I left the field and some PFCC ended up with 198 in 30 overs. Last six overs or so we gave away nearly 60 runs. This was very unfortunate bowling. Everyone was trying but perhaps a bit too hard. 


Fawad along with two new players enjoyed our bowling a lot. Fawad made a well deserving half century and although he was dropped twice, once early on by Raghav. Later Zeb and Tanvir took our bowling apart in the lat few overs.


When we started our chase we knew that we had conceded 20 runs too many. This was expected to some extent given the injury list. So we shuffled our batting line up. Purav opened with Beau. They both stayed on the wicket until after the drinks, thus giving us a solid platform. But, they could not accelerate as was expecting from them. Beau continuously hit to the fielders. Purav because a touch too desperate. Loss of Pandiyan was a very big blow as we know how fast he can score and demoralize the attack. Raghav took a few too many bowls to set his eyes. When Saghir went in we were short of about 100 runs and had only 10 overs. This was a big ask. Our batting simply crumbled under this huge pressure. We were looking for few big overs but that happened only when Adnan went in and scored 17 runs in the 26th over at a stage when we needed 16 an over. His cameo gave us a respectable total but it was too little too late. 


The end of match left us pondering where things went wrong. Clearly it was a case of miscalculation not of abilities. We underestimated at what rate PFCC score was moving. We failed to appreciate that lower order can also score. We underestimate how slow our openers were scoring after they looked set on the wicket. We could not bowl to the field or could not set the field to bowl. 


Our lead up to the match was struck a big blow when Adnan pulled a muscle in his right hand and was reduced to a spectator for most of the match. I had earlier injured my calf muscle, Vijay was away... So we were really not our best team but this is not an excuse. We have players of great ability and they should have turned the match but sometimes it just does not happen and last Sunday was such a day. 


But as I always say, loss in a match brings that rare opportunity to review the strengths and particularly the weaknesses which invariably enter in a team winning continuously. 
This loss has now reveal clear cracks in our fold. 


The biggest problem I see is our second line of bowling and batting. Our bowling started well but the follow up from the second and third bowling changes was not strong enough to convert the start. Instead we gave way too many extras. When the PFCC batsmen were going after our bowling there was no plan in the bowling to stop that. Thats an important area to work on.


Likewise, our batsmen failed to convert the start. It was a good solid start that required attacking batting but we succumbed to the run-rate pressure. Adnan showed a glimpse of what might have been but only a bit too late. Ability to change gears without any hiccups is an important aspect of a good batting line up and we need to work on it. 


Fielding was a bit of disappointment but I would blame the bowlers for either not bowling to the field or not setting up the right field. Yes, we need to work on our throws. Beau showed how i should be done and we all can learn a lot from him.


But the most important aspect of the match was that it ended without any incident. This is really important that the two teams in Freiburg maintain a friendly relationship. Last few encounters were marred with several unfortunate incidents. The apparent change of guard in the PFCC is a very important development. I am very much looking forward to play more matches with PFCC but we should remember that too much familiarity brings contempt and this never more true when dealing with the 'desis'. But this match could mark a new start in our relationship with PFCC.


In this match Beau, Ehsan and Md. Ashraff (Angelo) made their debut for the FNCC. I would also like  to welcome Walid Butt who decided to become part of the FNCC. With such new players coming into the team and the club we are growing stronger and there is not reason that we can repair the crack in our team and put the loss behind us.

Freiburg Nomads start the season with a win over Basel CC

Summer has been very hesitant this year and only in the end of April we got to play the first game of this season. Basel Cricket Club very generously accepted our invitation as they were also looking for a warm up game. 

Have you ever seen a cloud pattern like this before. I hadnt.
It was a beautiful day to play cricket

It was a perfect day to play cricket. Early on it was a bit clouded but the landscape of clouds presented a beautiful and rare spectacle. Correction: I am not that romantic to see beauty in cloud landscape, it reminded me a phenomenon in neuroscience thats why it was so beautiful and I consider it worthy to put to picture here. As sun climbed up in the sky or actually as the earth moved around the sun the day got warmer and a bit windy.


On such perfect day Vijay won the toss for the FNCC and decided to bat first. BAsel showed signs of rustiness as their strike bowler sent in two wides. But they quickly corrected and it was FNCC who were looking rusted. This time Purav nicked the first legal delivery in the hands of the wicketkeeper. Cricket Season 2012 had just begun in Freiburg...


Pandiyan and Rehan did not let Basel take the advantage and built a good partnership. Pandiyan was in great touch. He was middling every ball and those were powerful shots. Rehan also matched him and as he fell we were out of danger but just yet. Saghir got runout with very little addition to the score.  Then came Raghav and changed to match completely. He was a bit circumspect early on but as his eyes set on the ball he and Pandiyan punished every delivery, literally. They were just damn good. Very deservingly both made half centuries. Pandiyan fell in an attempt to play a reverse sweep. It was not needed but it just shows the level of his confidence and it was very good to see him take risk in a safe situation. Later Adnan had a go on the bowlers. Although we did not play our full quota, the target of 210 in 30 over was quite good.


Basel bowler Amit who second time opened his bowling by conceding a six off the first delivery later said that they were happy with their bowling as for the first time they bowled us out on our home pitch. Indeed, they did well just that it was a day of Pandiyan and Raghav. Only thing they could have done better is in terms of saving some extras. They had a very  quick and correct fielder who ranout Saghir and who easily saved 20 runs in the cover and point area.


We  obviously started our bowling with great confidence. There was a confident appeal on the very first ball just to even up the things (as we lost our first wicket on the first legal delivery). Saghir took a wicket in his first over and then at the end of my first over I also had a wicket (LBW) and both openers were back. 


Then started a phase when Basel for the first time looked like set to take the advantage. Just like Raghav another left hander Beau [more on him later] started very cautiously and soon dominated every bowler. He got a good partner in Adeel. At the drinks break they were in a position to take a shot at the match. 

Vijay brought in Saghir after the drinks who took Adeel out. Then I came in for one over and Beau who by then had become the prized scalp, fell LBW. Now the match was all but over. Saghir continued and finished with a five wicket haul. Last wicket hung around a bit too much to our taste, but then thats cricket all about. Even when all looks set and certain you still have to finish it. Rehan took that honor. And with some super batting effort of Pandiyan and Raghav and excellent bowling of Saghir FNCC won the match quite comfortably.


I do not want to draw too much from the victory. Basel were short of several of their key player. It was their first match of the season. In fact they bowled us out only goes to show our weakness of not been able to take advantage of a good start. Next time when we play Basel in the second warm-up at their home pitch will bring a whole new challenge. Facebook updates from Basel CC are good indicative of how seriously they are preparing. So it is great that there are new challenges. 


One of the best things of the match was Beau (pronounce as 'Bow'). Although he played from the Basel CC this match he is the newest member of FNCC. He batted excellently that too against our match ready bowling attack, meaning he is very very solid batsman and his lefthandedness only adds to the advantage. I am very confident that he will strengthen our batting considerably.


The most negative aspect of our bowling was that they second highest scorer in the Basel CC inning was Mr. Extra. Everyone sent in too many wides. And if our training has to be trusted yesterday they was no real improvement. This is an area where we have to improve a lot. 


The knowledge of cricket still remains very sparse in Freiburg. Many visitors to the seepark stopped by and watched the proceeding but then gave up and moved on. This has been the usual. Sunday last was unusual as one indian lady whom we do not know took a lot of effort in trying to explain the game to some of the visitors. Thank you Ms. Anonymous. We need more like you who can educate Freiburg people to appreciate that the mostly brown guys in white clothes are doing something more than just amusing e.g. winning for Freiburg against Basel.


Victories only show weakness of the opponent and not the strength of the winner. And that is why, FNCC should set up their own targets, to reveal their weakness to become better and there is no doubt that they can do better...better than the last season 


Good luck nomads.

The nomads of 2011: A trip down the memory lane

If such the common sight there are always good reasons to be nostalgic.
Well done Nomdas

The Freiburg Nomads will have to wait for about a month to start the new season, however, they will begin training already next week. It is very annoying to stay without cricket when the weather so nice, just perfect for a game of cricket. But then while we wait I just want to be a bit nostalgic and remember the last season -- unique one in many respects. It started with lots of doubt about the team and about the ground. Finally, we managed to get an XI and also got access to the ground roughly on every second Sunday. But what a season that turned out to be.

- For the first time we played more away games than home games, 

- for the first time we have at least one score of 40+ in every game, 

- for the first time two centuries were scored -- on at home, on in an away fixture while chasing, 

- for the first time we won 5 games in a row and overall ended up with a clean record at home and of the 10 matches we played we won 9 and lost one away fixture.

So I thought it is important to pay tribute to those amazing players who made it all possible. Everyone contributed so I do not want the list below to be a rating in any form, the players appear in alphabetical order as per their first name.

Adnan Yousuf

Adnan Yousuf - He comes from Pakistan and studies in micro-system-technology at the IMTEK. Everyone in the team know that he has the talent. But finally in this season, Adnan started to value his place in the team. This was his special season in which he contributed with ball and bat. I dont think he ever disappointed his captain on any occasion.

Ajit Padmanabhan - He comes from Salem, India and is a PhD student. Played only one game when he opened with Purav in the first match. Showed some promise, hopefully this season he will have chance to show his worth.

Arpit Patel

Arpit Patel - Came to Freiburg to study forestry from Gujrat in India. The first thing I remember noticing about him was a throw he sent in from boundary on the non-strike end. Last season he showed that his slower bowling is more effective than his medium pacers. Ended up as the highest wicket taker. Besides his bowling he always provides a reliable option as a left batsmen in the lower middle order and what a wonder he is one of our match winner.  Oh, by the way he is a very skilled dancer as well. Too bad that he might have to leave Freiburg. But Arpit, thank you very much for being a part of us and helping us taste victories and joy both on and off the field.

Feyas

Feyas - He come from Sri Lanka. A quiet guy, but a very solid right hand batsmen, a great fielder, occasional bowler, and much more a team man. Did not get much chances in the last season abilities only on a couple of occasions. With some players leaving this season will get him more opportunities and perhaps more runs for him and FNCC.

Nichola

Nicholas - After a long time a German native joined us. He participated in some games. I assume that he learned something about cricket. Perhaps he was our lucky charm. as we won whenever he accompanied us.

Nila

Nila - He comes from Tamilnadu and studies in the IMTEK. Finally, there is someone who likes to bowl more than bat. I have not seen anyone improving and maturing so much with every match. As the season progressed he even got a chance to open the bowling. He is without doubt a good player and if he builds stamina and works out his travel sickness problem, he will become highly valuable.

Pandiyan

Pandiyan - Yet another player from Tamilnadu who is working towards his phd in polymer science (I assume). Returned to FNCC after a gap of one season and what a return it turned out to be. Vijay trusted him and sent in at one down and right from the first matched he showed his intension. But it was his epic innings in Karlsruhe that will reverberate in memory for a long time -- while chasing 259 runs, when no one gave us any realistic chance -- we were playing just for pride -- and he score a century. That innings from Pandiyan gave an unmeasurable amount of confidence which carried us through all tough situation throughout the season.

Parthibhan

Parthibhan -  Yet another guy from Tamilnadu who studied at the IMTEK (whats with the Tamilnadu guys and IMTEK). A big guy who looks rather lazy. Usually we sent him in the lower order. But for once Vijay commited the mistake of promoting him as he opened innings with Rehan. Ask Basel CC what happened. Rehan's century was to some extent expected but Parthibhan stunned us (and perhaps himself as well) as he scored a half century and got out only after 18 overs. Too bad that he is also leaving this season. Good luck Parthibhan.

Purav Vora

Purav Vora - I have not seen anyone focusing more on while batting than Purav. On our way to Ketsch for our first match, he said he would score a half century and sure he did. I saw that innings and enjoyed every bit. And then that responsible and determined innings on his birthday against the Pak CC when he was forced out. I am sure he will keep the ball used in that match for a long time. As an opener he was revelation and why not he comes from Mumbai, a place that has produced great batsmen. Finally, we should not forget his contributions as a fielder in the point area.

Raghav Pasricha

Raghav Pasricha -I remember his 7 wickets in a losing cause two seasons ago but that performance in my opinion has given Raghav so much confidence that he now believes in himself. In this season he not only contributed with the ball, which he seems to be able to move at will, he batted well and was one of the key players in retaining the left-right hand pair at the wicket. He once picked the longer boundary (long on) to launch a six in Basel when we were running low with the run rate and effectively changed the course of the game. That is, he has the ability to turn the match on his own. One of the match winners for us.

Rahul Raga

Rahul Raga - He joined the team rather late, but very quickly he showed that he is a useful player, both as a batsman and as a bowler. I am very much looking forward to see him perform in the coming season.

Rahul Valecha

Rahul Valecha - A left hander from Gujrat who studied in IMTEK last year. He was very useful player and an important part of our strategy specially while batting. Together with Arpit and Raghav he provided an option to maintain a left-right handed pair at the wicket. Rahul got to bat at different positions including opening the innings and he always did well. A very good fielder and very effective bowler. He was one the young guys in the team who always kept the spirits high. It will be the first match of the season when we will find out how important he has been for us. Good luck Rahul.

Rajesh 

Rajesh Kumar - Just how much optimism and energy one guy can have!! meet Rajesh and you will know the answer. A very good left hand bowler, a useful lower order batsman and an incredible fielder. But perhaps more importantly a great team man who never gives up and never lets you give up. Without doubt he was the key in our plans in the last season and he contributed immensely to those. How dedicated and how good he is can be estimated by the fact that he played against Pak CC with a leg injury and even with one leg he was effective enough to pick a couple of wickets. It will be so damn hard to replace him. But he is generous enough to make himself available for our away matches. In any case Thank you Rajesh for entertaining us, motivating us and helping us win.


Rakesh Kachadia - Second match of the the season, Strassbourg needs one run to equal the score with one wicket in hand, Saghir is bowling, somehow Rakesh ended up at short cover, and even before Saghir could finish his bowling follow through, Rakesh took a diving catch to bring us a win. Rakesh played only one match and left a lasting impression. But this guy from Gujrat, India does not take his cricket serious enough to contribute to the FNCC.

Rakshit

Rakshit - He started late but played few matches. When team is performing well player down the order do not get much chance. That is what happened to Rakshit. But he made his presence felt in the field. Also he has a very noticeable grip.

Rehan Yousuf

Rehan Yousuf  -  He comes from Pakistan but now works as Environmental Engineer in Switzerland, and lives in a village close to Freiburg, so no can be more nomadic than him. Usually Rehan is unlucky but this season, all his luck came together and he played some really great innings including a career best of 129 runs under overcast conditions which set us for the victory in the Rhine cup.

Saghir But

Saghir Butt - I dont think I can write anything to justify Saghir's cricket talent or his importance to the FNCC. He bowls, he bats, he fields, and more importantly he wins matches for us. Over years he has been one of the most consistent performer, just class apart. Last season, he did not get as much chance, as other took the lead but whenever we needed him he was there. Saghir Bhai thank you very much for playing with us.

Shiva - The one cap wonder from Tamilnadu who finished his PhD last and had only time for a match before he left for Frankfurt. In that one match (first of the season) he left his mark and took a wicket.

Vijay

Vijay -- He is another Tamilnadu but for a change he is not studying in IMTEK (his wife does). He is our captain. I am sure he is delighted by the performance in his first season at the helm. A big credit goes to Vijay for his leadership which involved everyone in the process and made everyone feel integral part of the team. His dedication to game is immense and he took notice of every small thing in the match or in the practice and the result was in front of everyone. Very strategically he has pushed himself down the order allowing the top order a freedom as they knew that Vijay is down there to take care of any uncertainties. Also on occasions he surprised us as well as the opposition with this intelligent medium pace bowling. Thank you Vijay for leading us they way only you could.

This was an incredible bunch of player who were very able and confident of their games and that wahy they gelled so well as team. 
Guys it was a pleasure to share the field with you. I have played with many seasons for the FNCC and have shared the field with many exceptionally good players (e.g. Matt Tucker, Matt Kuypers) but this team stands apart not because it was so successful but because it was a team in the real sense of the word. I wish nomads that they retain and maintain such a good team, repeat the success of 2011 and players who are leaving FNCC -- a great future and I am sure that yoy will leave their mark in their respective field.

right arm over

Arvind

A taste of indoor cricket in freezing cold

In western europe once season closes in September or in early October, virtually there is n chance to play until April. Some places are luckier as they have more enthusiastic players who go all out to find some possibility of playing cricket. When I played with the St. Columbas Cricket Club in Providence, USA, we  used to rent a baseball batting cage for training. Main land Europe has no baseball (and how nice is that) so opportunity to find such batting cages.
Some teams are lucky enough to find indoor facilities to stay in touch with cricket. Our friends in Basel have access to an indoor gym which has three basketball courts laid side-by-side. And they very generously invited us to try out their indoor cricket facility. 
Cricket is an amazingly scalable game. The indoor practice game with Basel Cricket Club was an example of that. The playing area was slightly more than two basketball courts, something like a 24x24 meters^2. Height was perhaps 10 meters. The floor was soft rubber but most of us had to play barefoot as we did not have indoor shoes (no one thought about that). But playing barefoot brought old memories of from my village when on a wet field it was more convenient to take off the shoes to get a better grip on a socked field.
So how do you play cricket in such limited space. That too with 20 guys. Well, exploit the fact that cricket has no rules only laws and within the laws anything is possible. This makes cricket and amazingly scalable game. So we agreed on following conditions:


- we will play with a red rubber ball, which could bounce and swing but not hard enough to hurt you any bad. Also because there was air in the ball, so it wouldnt carry too much in the air
- The side walls counted for one run by default and on top the batsmen could run any number of runs. 
- The front wall counted for four or six (i.e. a direct hit)
- Rebounds off the two side and the front wall were legal and batman would be deemed out
- The ceiling did not count for default runs but rebounds were legal
- With so many fielders and such hard restriction it is obvious that wickets will fall. So batsmen will bat in pairs. Each pair will bat for four overs. For each wicket five runs will be deducted from the score
- Each bowler can bowl maximum four over.


Initially we were a bit uncertain of the playing conditions, but we trusted our hosts that wickets would just tumble. Small field with 9 fielders were bound to make field runs difficult and rebound catches of the wall meant that hitting sixes was a not safe either. On the top of that the rule that wickets will reduce the score by five runs made it all the way more interesting. 
We batted first. Reading the ball was difficult enough but right in the first over we learned that running on that field was also a skill. Without proper shoes it was not easy to stop. Most cases there was a danger of running into the wall. 
But it was all fun. Batsmen were getting out as it was a norm. Every wicket costed few runs, one or two wickets. Score was always going up and down. We at one point were 44 in 16 overs, which we thought was very good. But then few wickets brought it down to 17. Somehow we managed to get 35 on the board.  We were not sure if was good or not. But in the process we had had so much fun and laugh while watching our guys getting out in a funny ways, that nothing really mattered. My favorite was Saghir's fall to reach the batting crease to avoid a run out and when a ball rebounded off a fielder and beat Vijay and hit the wicket and yet another runout. I was fooled when a shot hit the bowling side wickets directly and I thought I was out but someone suggested for an overthrow and I got myself runout. List is long I cant count.

We lost at least 18 wickets, so the final score of 35 wasnt that bad. Most wickets were run outs, a testament of Basel's superb fielding and our poor judging of what should be a run in that field.
We bowled well, kept the Basel CC clamped to single digits until 13 overs. The a partnership too the score to 26 in next four overs. But we knew that a couple of wickets will bring it back to us. And thats what exactly happened. In the end we won by 10 -12 runs. But it was a long time any of us was playing cricket of any kind.
Winning was good but that was not the main concern. It was important to get together, meet friends in pur team and in the Basel team and enjoy the game. We certainly reached that goal. A couple of new guys showed up. They have a big task ahead to replace Rajesh and Arpit and soon Purav. Lets see how the season will unfold. But this indoor experience ignited a desire in us to find a similar facility in the neighborhood of Freiburg. It is going to be difficult but lets see...
Cricketers in Switzerland are far more adventures compared to those in Germany. For instance, Winterthur cricket club have tried playing in the Alps during winter. Other clubs have tried frozen lakes. All this because we love this game, we live this game and life goes on and so does cricket...outdoor in cricket field, football field, lawn, indoor, frozen lakes and in Alps.