After two practice sessions we were having a good feeling about the team. Few new faces joined and showed the right kind of hope to fill in for those nomads who have left FNCC since the last season. All we needed was a match to bind the team and but also to test the fitness of the older folks and match temperament of the new ones. Then came an invite from the Pak Freiburg Cricket Club (PFCC) to use the Thursday holiday of May 1 and play a game at their ground. It was a very kind gesture and despite the wet forecast everyone was looking forward to start Cricket which was abruptly cut short last season by the Swiss Cricket League.
FNCC batted first
Vijay and I agreed that it would be better to bat first in those wet conditions. We wanted to exploit the fact that wet outfield would make it difficult to bowl. Also we were more confident of the bowling - as usual -- but later we discovered how wrong we were. I dont know if Vijay won the toss or not but we batted first.
In the absence of Rehan, his younger brother Adnan opened with Vijay. Adnan started in the most positive way I have seen him. From the first ball that he middled he looked full of confidence. The low bounce and lack of speed and swing meant that batting looked easier but the wet and slow outfield meant batsmen were not getting value for their shots. In such situations it is easier to get frustrated and hit out in the air. But Vijay and Adnan kept their head steady and gave us a solid foundation. Adnan had a dropped catch but it was a very powerful blow and not everyone can hold that.
After Adnan, came in Ragu to start his tenure with FNCC. He looked good in practice so he was asked to bat at number three. He made one of the most emphatic debuts for the FNCC in my memory. The first shot he played was a boundary in point region, I as an umpire was supposed to signal that, but instead I was clapping. Since that shot Ragu was impeccable. His shot selection and execution was just great given the conditions. He hit Mansoor, a high quality bowler, for three fours in an over.
Vijay grew in confidence, given the way Adnan and Raghu batted. At time he even a secondary role but with he dominated the bowling all the way. If he can bat that well while nursing his tennis elbow I am wonder what he will do when his hand is fit. In any case Raghu and Vijay played with great mastery and brought their 100+ runs partnership. Both of them completed their well deserved half centuries.
Saghir started where he had left. But rain interrupted the match and as we entered the filed PFCC gave their verdict that the match would be reduced to 30 overs instead of 35. We complied. But that meant that Saghir and Angelo had to rush through the remaining two over. At one point we were looking for 250+ score in 30 overs. We were restricted to 212 in 30 overs. A really good score. At that time we thought it was a fighting total given the short boundaries and PFCC batting style (cross bat slogs).
PFCC suffered for the lack of pace in the first spell. And then they lost one of their best slow bowler -- Mohsin -- who had to leave the field because of an injured finger. Indeed with heavy ball and wet outfield slow bowling could have made a big difference. So luck somehow favoured FNCC.
PFCC innings
213 was an imposing target. We were hoping to cut the runs in the start and raise the asking rate. Both Saghir and I started with very a tight opening spell. Rizwan and Fovad were very watchful. We could have got a wicket in the first over -- but it did not hurt us much. Rizwan did not add much to his total before getting run out. In between in the fifth over we got our first breakthrough -- Fovad was beaten by the swing -- it was clearly a big wicket.
The batsman who came in hit a powerful shot which landed the ball on sharp metal the ball was cut and unsuitable for bowling. So we were lucky to start with a new and dry ball again in 6th over. Vijay brought in Saghir. In that over Rizwan got run out. And I took Mansoor of the first ball in my next. Mansoor and Fovad both had the ability to change the course of the match but by the 7th over they were back but less than 20 one the board. We were feeling secure but you can never trust when a random player can come in and change the course of the game. So there was indeed a little bit of scare in our thinking.
But fortunately for us, PFCC batsmen did not really play according to the situation and either were too defensive (e.g. Rizwan/Zeb) or too attacking (rest of them). From the 10th over onwards we conceded in an access of seven an over. The rash attitude of the PFCC batting and some excellent catching and perfect field placement meant that we kept getting wickets at regular interval. Every bowler who bowled got a wicket.
Moshin returned very bravely in a hope to repeat his heroics from the previous game. But by the time he came in to bat the match was far away from their grip and he was severely limited because his injury. After his departure, FNCC were clearly getting complacent. The number nine batsmen was named Bhatti. He had one of the most unusual of the stances. There was no way the bowler could see the wickets. There was no danger of getting LBW, for obvious reasons. But in his defence, despite all the wrong stance and cross bat shots the ball never really hit his pads. For three over he entertained everyone. Of course his entertainment was at the cost of ruining the bowling figures of few bowlers including mine. And that's why I was so expressive to catch him.
We thought it was all over but the last pair had other plans. They to my thinking, played the best from the PFCC. There was no expectations from them so they did not play any rash shot and just continued to block. This was fine by us but the accumulating clouds were making everyone in FNCC nervous. Finally, after torturing us for nearly six over, Adnan got the final wickets -- it was very fitting that Adnan closed the game as he started it in the morning.
We won but...
For FNCC it was very satisfying to start the season with a massive victory. The new guys Ragu, Sharath and Nischal played important role with their batting, bowling+fielding and fielding. Raghu was just brilliant. Sharath can become our second change bowler. And without doubt he is a very sharp fielder. NIschal did not get a chance to bat but with his fielding he saved many runs on the square leg boundary and took a much needed and brilliant catch. With these new guys FNCC looks stronger than ever. Welcome to FNCC, Raghu, Sharath and Nischal.
The victory margin of about 90 runs says that we dominated the match. But if you were in the field you would have known that it was not really true. It was an equal reflection of the quality of PFCC batting. As I said earlier from 10th over onwards we conceded too many runs. We desperately need a wicketkeeper.
Even more worrisome was the form of Rahul and Nila. We were trusting them a lot. Nila was not even a shadow of himself and failed to bowl a single legal delivery. So to start we lost an important bowler. Rahul was very erratic. So was Adnan. Both these bowlers never forgot to top up their good deliveries with generous wides. The way mine and Saghir's over were scattered all through the innings says a lot about the quality of our second line of attack.
This time we escaped because our batting was so superb and even without needing support from Fayas and Rehan we scored so much. There is no doubt that bowlers have to raise their game and match it with the effort of the batsmen. We have the talent but we have reduce the distance between the potential and performance.
But all in all with the kind of start we have got and kind of new players we have, I am very eagerly looking forward to the season, which might well turn out to be my last with FNCC.
A big thank to PFCC, especially to Zeb Bhai, Mohsin and Mansoor to give us this opportunity to play the game and host us so graciously. The food was great. I hope we will have more such friendly interactions in the future.
Go nomads
खुल कर खेलो : Play with no bounds but those imposed only by the game of cricket.
right arm over
Arvind
FNCC batted first
Vijay and I agreed that it would be better to bat first in those wet conditions. We wanted to exploit the fact that wet outfield would make it difficult to bowl. Also we were more confident of the bowling - as usual -- but later we discovered how wrong we were. I dont know if Vijay won the toss or not but we batted first.
In the absence of Rehan, his younger brother Adnan opened with Vijay. Adnan started in the most positive way I have seen him. From the first ball that he middled he looked full of confidence. The low bounce and lack of speed and swing meant that batting looked easier but the wet and slow outfield meant batsmen were not getting value for their shots. In such situations it is easier to get frustrated and hit out in the air. But Vijay and Adnan kept their head steady and gave us a solid foundation. Adnan had a dropped catch but it was a very powerful blow and not everyone can hold that.
After Adnan, came in Ragu to start his tenure with FNCC. He looked good in practice so he was asked to bat at number three. He made one of the most emphatic debuts for the FNCC in my memory. The first shot he played was a boundary in point region, I as an umpire was supposed to signal that, but instead I was clapping. Since that shot Ragu was impeccable. His shot selection and execution was just great given the conditions. He hit Mansoor, a high quality bowler, for three fours in an over.
Vijay grew in confidence, given the way Adnan and Raghu batted. At time he even a secondary role but with he dominated the bowling all the way. If he can bat that well while nursing his tennis elbow I am wonder what he will do when his hand is fit. In any case Raghu and Vijay played with great mastery and brought their 100+ runs partnership. Both of them completed their well deserved half centuries.
Saghir started where he had left. But rain interrupted the match and as we entered the filed PFCC gave their verdict that the match would be reduced to 30 overs instead of 35. We complied. But that meant that Saghir and Angelo had to rush through the remaining two over. At one point we were looking for 250+ score in 30 overs. We were restricted to 212 in 30 overs. A really good score. At that time we thought it was a fighting total given the short boundaries and PFCC batting style (cross bat slogs).
PFCC suffered for the lack of pace in the first spell. And then they lost one of their best slow bowler -- Mohsin -- who had to leave the field because of an injured finger. Indeed with heavy ball and wet outfield slow bowling could have made a big difference. So luck somehow favoured FNCC.
PFCC innings
213 was an imposing target. We were hoping to cut the runs in the start and raise the asking rate. Both Saghir and I started with very a tight opening spell. Rizwan and Fovad were very watchful. We could have got a wicket in the first over -- but it did not hurt us much. Rizwan did not add much to his total before getting run out. In between in the fifth over we got our first breakthrough -- Fovad was beaten by the swing -- it was clearly a big wicket.
The batsman who came in hit a powerful shot which landed the ball on sharp metal the ball was cut and unsuitable for bowling. So we were lucky to start with a new and dry ball again in 6th over. Vijay brought in Saghir. In that over Rizwan got run out. And I took Mansoor of the first ball in my next. Mansoor and Fovad both had the ability to change the course of the match but by the 7th over they were back but less than 20 one the board. We were feeling secure but you can never trust when a random player can come in and change the course of the game. So there was indeed a little bit of scare in our thinking.
But fortunately for us, PFCC batsmen did not really play according to the situation and either were too defensive (e.g. Rizwan/Zeb) or too attacking (rest of them). From the 10th over onwards we conceded in an access of seven an over. The rash attitude of the PFCC batting and some excellent catching and perfect field placement meant that we kept getting wickets at regular interval. Every bowler who bowled got a wicket.
Moshin returned very bravely in a hope to repeat his heroics from the previous game. But by the time he came in to bat the match was far away from their grip and he was severely limited because his injury. After his departure, FNCC were clearly getting complacent. The number nine batsmen was named Bhatti. He had one of the most unusual of the stances. There was no way the bowler could see the wickets. There was no danger of getting LBW, for obvious reasons. But in his defence, despite all the wrong stance and cross bat shots the ball never really hit his pads. For three over he entertained everyone. Of course his entertainment was at the cost of ruining the bowling figures of few bowlers including mine. And that's why I was so expressive to catch him.
We thought it was all over but the last pair had other plans. They to my thinking, played the best from the PFCC. There was no expectations from them so they did not play any rash shot and just continued to block. This was fine by us but the accumulating clouds were making everyone in FNCC nervous. Finally, after torturing us for nearly six over, Adnan got the final wickets -- it was very fitting that Adnan closed the game as he started it in the morning.
We won but...
For FNCC it was very satisfying to start the season with a massive victory. The new guys Ragu, Sharath and Nischal played important role with their batting, bowling+fielding and fielding. Raghu was just brilliant. Sharath can become our second change bowler. And without doubt he is a very sharp fielder. NIschal did not get a chance to bat but with his fielding he saved many runs on the square leg boundary and took a much needed and brilliant catch. With these new guys FNCC looks stronger than ever. Welcome to FNCC, Raghu, Sharath and Nischal.
The victory margin of about 90 runs says that we dominated the match. But if you were in the field you would have known that it was not really true. It was an equal reflection of the quality of PFCC batting. As I said earlier from 10th over onwards we conceded too many runs. We desperately need a wicketkeeper.
Even more worrisome was the form of Rahul and Nila. We were trusting them a lot. Nila was not even a shadow of himself and failed to bowl a single legal delivery. So to start we lost an important bowler. Rahul was very erratic. So was Adnan. Both these bowlers never forgot to top up their good deliveries with generous wides. The way mine and Saghir's over were scattered all through the innings says a lot about the quality of our second line of attack.
This time we escaped because our batting was so superb and even without needing support from Fayas and Rehan we scored so much. There is no doubt that bowlers have to raise their game and match it with the effort of the batsmen. We have the talent but we have reduce the distance between the potential and performance.
But all in all with the kind of start we have got and kind of new players we have, I am very eagerly looking forward to the season, which might well turn out to be my last with FNCC.
A big thank to PFCC, especially to Zeb Bhai, Mohsin and Mansoor to give us this opportunity to play the game and host us so graciously. The food was great. I hope we will have more such friendly interactions in the future.
Go nomads
खुल कर खेलो : Play with no bounds but those imposed only by the game of cricket.
right arm over
Arvind
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