Spirit of Cricket League: A new initiative for organising cricket in south Germany

Cricket has by now formed deep roots in the brains of most people from the Indian sub-continent. When these people move to mainland Europe they organize in small groups to play cricket. Some bigs cities have multiple teams and enough financial resources to maintain and run a league like setup. But usually participation in these leagues is very expensive which prevents smaller clubs from participation. Moreover, in most cases, these leagues reflect the inflated egos of those who are at the helm and often the playing experience is not great. I have written earlier about whether or not to participate in these leagues. 

Overall I felt that it was necessary to have an organised setup for cricket but the existing style of the league was not optimal for maximising cricket. In my view of a league I did not see the need for the registration membership fees, as the league was not to provide any facilities such as ground or cricket equipments or for that matter a prize money. Neither I felt the need for a central body to organize the games, because on any day it is the umpires who are entrusted with the responsibility to run the game in a smooth fashion. Now when the laws of the games are decided at the international level, there is no need for central bodies at our amateur levels to enforce those.

Based on our previous experience we (FNCC) had decided not to play in any league and waste money. But as I was arranging fixtures, Waheed Ahmed of the Cricket Lions Karlsruhe proposed to initiate a parallel league. This suggestions, reignited our previous idea of having a cricket league which is free from from centralised rules and monetary overload.

So together with Waheed, we started asking other clubs. The initial response was not that great. Possibly because most active teams were already committed to the existing leagues. However, suddenly towards the end of the season earlier this month, Cricket Lions Karlsruhe, TSG Rohrbach Stallions CC and FNCC agreed to play home and away fixtures. As such it might be considered as a three-club tournament. But the matches are distributed over several weeks and we plan to have a final. More importantly, these matches are being played within the framework of the Spirit of Cricket League. 

The main goal of the Spirit of Cricket League is to play cricket like gentlemen, without any dispute. We aspire to maintain the spirit of the game, hence the name. This is a hazy concept but we all know a large part of the spirit of the game lies in respecting the decisions of the Umpires and to respect fellow players. 

Unlike other leagues, there are no registration or membership fees. 
We think that the two playing teams should decide on the paying conditions. Standard league setup tries to enforce centralised rules for match duration etc. But we think that the two playing teams decide on the match conditions on a given day. Such subjectivity (ambiguity) regarding matches is part of the beauty of Cricket. 

By freeing the league from financial overload we think that we will attract more teams.

As the teams will grow we hope to make an executive committee involving one member from each of the teams. This committee will ensure that smooth running of the setup and will manage the schedule and scores. Perhaps in time to come we will introduce the Fair-Play award for individuals to rise above the win-loss attitude and play the game of cricket for the sake of cricket.

The experiment is underway. FNCC and CL Karlsruhe have already played their first game. Another club from Freiburg has expressed the desire to participate in this new setup. 

We hope that the SoC league will grow rapidly in the coming season and will no longer be the secondary event of the season. But for that to happen much depends on the the three teams: Cricket Lions Karlsruhe, TSG Rohrbach Stallions CC and FNCC. If they can set an example this year the idea would gain momentum. 

If you are interested in joining please leave a message. 

FNCC vs Ravensburg: FNCC just managed to win

Cricket brings us to places where we will not go otherwise -- even if it is the nice green and picturesuq neighborhood of lake Konstanz. Last Sunday we travelled to a village called Baindt. There were some hiccups in our travel plan. Even though all players were ready to leave Freiburg at 0600hrs (amazing that all were there) but some expected circumstances meant that we left only at 0830 hrs. The 170+Km journey was a very nice as we went through the black forest. We were surprised to see the playing area. Most of the ground and the pitch was set on the rubber surface that is often used for running. The outfield on two sides was natural green, on one side it was the sand pit used for jumping events and the area behind the wicket keeper was essentially a wall. But it is only the game of cricket which because of its amazing flexibility and scalability that we could play without much compromise to the laws of the game and the quality of play. In fact it was a rather tight game. 

On Sunday morning we realized that Saghir would not be able to make it to the match. Fayas was already unavailable. We summoned Kami to bring one of his mates and somehow we managed to have an XI. With Saghir missing our batting was seriously depleted. His absence was to affect the bowling as well but to a lesser extent.

FNCC Innings
We were invited to bat first on an expectedly bouncy track. Following the tradition of this season we introduced a new opening partnership -- something nobody ever expected. Usually I bat at no. 11 and if possible later than that. But that day I convinced Rehan to give me a chance. We started off well, duly assisted by the extras. In the third over Rehan became aggressive to unsettle the bowler but he could not maintain the tempo and tossed a catch at mid-off -- it was not his lucky day. Vishv joined me. Bowling also got pumped with that wicket. Vishv showed a great character and played very balanced innings. Together we were watchful against Khan and Rehan and aggressive on others. Vishv got out in the 10 over -- undone by a classic delivery of a left-hand bowler. I soon followed in the 12th over -- mostly undone by my indiscipline which actually makes the no. XI batsman. But I was happy that scored 20+ runs. That time we were cruising along at six an over. It was good but it certainly could have been better.

Adnan took the responsibility and played a very nice innings, great mix of timing and shear power. Actually real power was shown by Bala -- one ball he seemed to just defend and that landed on the cover boundary. Angelo was unfortunate. But the debutant pair of Imtiyaz and Kami had their cameos and we ended up with a decent score of 180 runs. 

The bowling was rather inexperienced, those kids were sort of medium pacers, except for Khan and Rehan who bowled beautifully. Both Khan and Rehan were very economical. But Ravensberg tried to make up for their lack of experience in terms of their fielding -- it was very difficult to field in that awkward shaped ground and heat.

FNCC and Ravensberg teams after the match at Baindt

Ravensberg Innings
We started of with yet another opening attack. This time Nila opened the attack with me. We both were economical but not very effective in terms of taking wickets. In the second spell we tried to cash in on the effects of our economical spell. Sharat, Kami and Imtiyaz all tied up the runs and in the process took three wickets among them and another one was tun out. With 32 on the board and four wickets down in 10 overs, FNCC were sniffing an early return to home. One of these wickets was an amazing catch by Kami off the bowling of Imtiyaz.

Perhaps we became complacent, or the heat and lack of sleep last night and drinking water in the filed were the reasons, either way Khan who was the main force in the bowling, started to smack the bowling. He was also helped by the slow bowling, which he was able to pick. But he got most of the help from our fielder, we just could not hold any catch for almost 10 overs and dropped more than five catches of Khan alone. 

Between 11th and 21 over we took only one more wicket and gave away nearly 80 runs. This was kind of triggered by one over of Sharat in which he conceded 21 runs. Of course we were getting frustrated but in the back of our thinking it was clear that Khan would not last and once that happens we will wind it up in few deliveries. Our frustration was also developing because umpiring was rather poor -- in one instance a thick outside edge to the wicket keeper was not given out. 

Thats when Nila brought the breakthrough. Khan was judged LBW. Khan complained that it was bat-pad -- he had an injury to show for that -- but we all know how fragile is our brain in deciding order of events separated by few milliseconds. It could easily have been pad-bat. Then after much noise from the batting side, sense prevailed and Khan left. 

After that there was little resistance but nothing substantial. Suddenly we also started to hold catches. Eventually, Ravensberg teams folded 24 runs short of the target with two overs to go.

The after match
FNCC secured a victory they they thought was theirs to begin with. But it is not really that clear. Ravensberg team gave a great fight, especially, it was a great effort from them in batting. But FNCC have no one else but themselves to blame to insert a defeat in the jaws of victory.

A lot to think and ponder. Conditions cannot be blamed. Ground shape or heat as a good team we should be prepared. We showed great resilience in our batting -- Vishv was great. With Kami and Imtiyz (who can bat in the middle order) we have more depth in our batting. It also very nice to see Adnan taking up the responsibility in the middle overs. 

In the bowling, Sharath must have learned a much needed lesson. He bowled beautifully except for one over and in the end that could have been the difference in the match. I was below average in my bowling -- I need to work on my shins. But Imtiyaz and Kami bring in more diversity and options in the bowling. If we start to hold the catches I think we can do really well. 

But the biggest surprises of the day were (1) that I opened the innings and (2) more than that I scored some runs. It was funny that when this was told to those who know me and were not with us in the ground -- they just could not believe it at all. But this is certainly a false dawn and I should not think much of me as a batsman.

But all in all as Rehan summarised it really well, with our performance on Sunday last, we did not deserve to win. Hopefully, when Ravenberg visit us tomorrow we can show them how good a side we are. With the return on Vijay, Raghu and Saghir we have a much stronger side available tomorrow.

Yousaf brothers' show: FNCC beat Zug CC

After the massive defeat against Zurich Nomads FNCC were very determined to right the wrong and give Rehan a much deserved win as a captain. Because of the cancellation on 25th May we got a full day of intense training. The match got delayed and in fact there was a fear that the ground was double booked but the end we started the game at 1200hrs. 

FNCC InningsRehan opened the innings with Fayas. It was the third opening pair we were trying this season in as many games. But they gave us a great start. The run rate was steady 5+ and both batsmen were freely playing there shots. Fayas was especially spectacular after getting a life in the first over. Rehan was riding on his luck. Once again the slow bowlers, especially Saman, started to turn things and between 10th and 15th over both Fayas, Vishv and Saghir got out and there was a little hiccup in our progress. 

That brought Adnan to the wicket. A typical FNCC style middle order collapse seemed imminent when Adnan looked to get in to his ultra defensive mode. But this was not to happen on that day. As Adnan found his feet and Rehan continued to get the dropped by Zug CC a much needed partnership developed. Adnan for the the first showed what he maybe capable of. Both brother slowly accelerated the run rate. When Adnan returned after scoring a marvellous 41 (or 43) we were all set to set a big target. Bala again failed to get going but Angelo was there to see that we do not squander the advantage. 

Last time we played Zug CC in 2013, Rehan missed out his century by nine runs. This time Zug CC were all set to reward him with one. As far as my count goes he was dropped at least seven times. Roshan from Zug CC told me it was more than nine times. In any case it was still Rehan who had to stay in keep scoring those runs and irrespective of the dropped catches he deserved that century. Congratulations Rehan !! And he carried his bat...

Finally we set a target of 226 in 30 overs. A very difficult target on any day on our pitch. 

Zug CC Innings
With such a score under the belt, were very confident. Like our opening batting we tried the thirs opening attack. This time it was Balaji. But he could not hold his nerves and wasted an opportunity. We got our first breakthrough in the third over. It could have been two in that over but Saghir failed to hold on to a catch but it was a horrible low full toss and the delivery did not deserve a wicket anyhow. But after that Roshan and Lakmal set their eyes in and aptly countered out second line of attack. While they did not lose their wicket, the required run rate kept climbing.  Saghir, Nila, Sharath were shuffled quickly in search of a wicket. But real breakthrough started to come when Rehan brought in himself and Adnan. 

Again both brothers exploited the conditions well. Our wicket as we are discovering really suits smart slow bowling, especially when batsmen are under pressure to score. Adnan and Rehan claimed three wickets between themselves and essentially broke the middle order of Zug CC. Rehan was a bit expensive but Adnan was there to keep the score in check, moreover, with a required run rate in excess of 8 an over we could afford few expensive over. 

After Lakmal and Roshan there was essentially no one in Zug CC to provide them stability and score both at the same time. So our all our bowlers took wickets. Sharat was unlucky to miss out on this time but he bowled really well.

The After Math
It was a show of the two Yousaf brothers. Rehan scored a century and took a wicket and led us from the front to secure his first win as a stand in captain. His younger brother, Adnan played an even better innings and bowled even better to wreck the Zug middle order. It was a great sight to see these two in the middle winning it for the FNCC.

We won by more than 90 runs. We had defeated Zug last year with similar margin. We were especially happy with the way Fayas and Adnan batted. It was a bit worrisome to see Saghir fall without much on the board. But we know that he is a quality player and knows his mistakes. In bowling department, we need to use the pace attack more creatively. The ball gets old rather quick on our wicket, so I think we should use that time for pace and then switch to slow bowling. 

A very important thing to keep in mind is that the Zug team we played was a very much depleted of its important players, who could not come to Germany to play. With them in the team they would have been a very competitive side. Even with this team if they had held the catches we could have been in trouble. So we should keep our feet on the ground and realize that there is still along way to go between our potential and performance. A massive win like this should not obscure our own reality. The return game agains ZUg would be a different affair.

Zurich Nomads crushed Freiburg Nomads

Cricket return to the seapark Freiburg ground after long slumber of nine months. FNCC hosted Zurich nomads.  We had started of our season with a massive win and things were looking good with the team except that in this match we were a seriously depleted side. Our heroes of last match Vijay, Raghu were away. Angelo was not available due to a family tragedy, Saghir was half-fit and so on... With that we took on the strong ZN team. Despite a good start and we let the opportunities slip away and slumped to a massive loss by 90+ runs. Congratulations to Zurich Nomads. It 2-0 to ZN in last two seasons. 

Zurich Nomads Innings
With Saghir not fully fit, Rehan opened the bowling with me and Sharath. ZNs started very positively. The very second ball was pasted to the boundary. But still it was an economical first spell. Sharath started with an LBW. Balaji took a stunning catch in point region to break the second wicket partnership. Soon after Adnan topped it up with an even better catch at the covers to send back Fahim, one of the top batsmen of ZN. In between one more wicket fell and suddenly ZN were 29 runs for three wickets in 8 overs. Saghir, Nila and Sharat had claimed one wicket each.

This was the time when Vicky and Shafqat came together. They started very cautiously but were very stead and saw their team to reach 52 runs in 14 overs with any further damage. And from that point wit their eyes set they took the game far away from us. With every over they accelerated the run rate. In between Shafqat was dropped by Adnan -- it was a sitter. Except for that one flaw it was a chance less innings and completely rattled our planning. Rehan, quickly shuffled bowlers in a vain hope to find the right one who could either break the partnership or at least stop the runs. We did perhaps a touch delay in setting up a more defensive field but we have to admit that against that batting our bowling was inadequate on that day.

Shafqat took advantage of the dropped catch and scored a 100 and retired gracefully. It was a fantastic innings. Vicky who is a more accomplished batsman was playing the second fiddle to Shafqat but score a well deserved and dominating 50. He was dropped on the ropes by Srinath, except that it was also a flawless innings.

The batting that followed was pretty ordinary but the damage had already been done. They lost few more wickets but put up a score of 235 runs in 35 overs. This, if we consider the fact that they were at one point 52 in 14 overs, shows how Vicky and Shafqat built their innings and pretty much demoralised the fielding side.

FNCC Innings
It was a very big target but FNCC have shown that they have the ability to chase such total or at least put up a fight. But this time around it was a bit of a different story. Our star batsmen from the previous game, Vijay, Raghu and Angelo were not available for the game. Rehan was out of practice and Saghir unfit. Remaining batting line was a bit inexperienced.

Still we started off very well. Rahul hit a six already in the first over. But such blitz do not last long especially when they start in the very first over. Rehan was joined by Fayas. Rehan was looking good. Fayas for the first time showed his potential as a sheet anchor. But wickets fell around in rather regularly and in most cases due to the mistakes of the batsmen. Nischal looked goo in short stay but he needs some more experience at the top. Saghir was great but he was under tremendous pressure to raise the asking rate which was up to 8+ an over by time he arrived at the crease. Exactly at the point he was looking to bring us back in the game, he was out and with FNCCs hopes. 

Fayas hung around until quite late but it was mere a formality. FNCC batsmen struggle to play the slow deceiving spin of Shafqat and Dinesh. Strangely enough they were better against the pacers. However, I would say that we did rather well by scoring 149 runs in about 30 overs, given our current state.

The causes
Our bowling failed. Except for Sharath no one responded well to the situation. Once I realised the correlation between my bowling quality and our overall bowling performance. To some extent we can blame the balls which deteriorated rather fast and we got basically no skidding from the pitch. But more importantly we did not respond to the pressure that a good partnership brings. ZN gave a us a good lesson. Our pace bowlers were a touch too slow for the batsmen to time and drive. On the other hand we dont have good reliable slow bowlers. Rehan's part time bowling cannot be effective if its called in action once in a season. Adnan on the other hand should have been better...

Second reason for conceding so many runs is that we took a bit long to realise the scoring areas. Shafqat scored a century but most of his runs came off due to cross bat shots -- which was possible because there was no movement, pace and bounce in the pitch.

While we took took two stunning catches we dropped two sitters and both batsmen duely punished us for those mistakes. The fact that at one time ZN were 29/3 was not because of the quality of our bowling but it was a testament of our fielding. Still after that we got carried away and lost it.

Out batting was a bit too one dimensional. Except for Saghir not one showed the ability to step out and whack a couple to the spinner to break their rhythm and confidence. Fayas, although played the role of a sheet anchor, he can be blamed for keeping the batting slow. After his eyes set, he was expected to accelerate -- I think this where we lacked a crucial step in match planning. Same for other batsmen -- I think we have the ability to put up a good fight even while chasing such huger target but it was not our day -- perhaps demoralised bowling also demoralise the batting...

The aftermath
The defeat was a shock, especially after our performance against PFCC. As is the FNCC  tradition, this called for a serious brainstorming right after the match. Rehan was especially heartbroken. Indeed he should -- he usually get to stand in for Vijay and often times he ends up as the losing captain -- not because of his fault but because of weaker teams he get to lead. But I the correlation was bothering him a bit too much. Its not a good sign to see your leader getting desperate. 

The positives
There were several positives from the game, Fayas showed that he can hang around fro long, Vishv emerged as a wicket-keeper, our fielding except for two lapses was top class, NIschal showed his potential and in Sharath we have a very effective medium pacer. 

Fail better
Somebody recently told me that victory is a moment and the loss stays with you forever -- how correct and how essential that memory of a loss remains so as to remind us of avoiding the mistakes that brought the emotional trauma of losing. I think we hate to lose because we do not want to witness or even admit our weaknesses. But we should embrace it and use the opportunity to improve. As Samuel Beckett once wrote

Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better

I think FNCC has now 'failed better' and its time to show what Samuel Beckett meant through these words. Indeed a number of good things came after discussion and hope that FNCC will be on the right path and gift Rehan a much deserved victory in the next game which again a home affair.


right arm over
Arvind

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.

Saghir won it for the nomads

Question:In a limited over cricket match if the second highest score is 19, and the third highest score is 3, then what could be the final score in that inning.

Today,against the Strasbourg Strollers (SS), after being put into bat first, our second and third highest scores were 19 and 3, respectively. It was a miracle that we managed to score 122/10 in 31 overs. Saghir made that miracle happen with his inning of shear brilliance. While on the other end our batsmen were struggling and succumbing to the uneven bounce, Saghir stood tall and contributed 62 runs, more than double of what remaining team contributed with bat.

Other than Saghir, Pandiyan showed a lot of character to stay on the wicket and follow the ball until the last millisecond. After making a wonderful 19 runs he also fell LBW to a low delivery. Remaining batsmen only provided temporary support to Saghir. The mini-collapse of our batting in Ketsch, matured into a full blown collapse. The uneven bounce was the main reason for the struggle of our batting but at the same I should give credit to SS bowlers who varied the length very intelligently.

Previously, when we had such dominant solo performances (Once by Saghir and once by Raghav) we as a team failed to capitalize on those amazing performances. So, I took the gamble of reminding the team of this fact. 

When we started our defense, a target of 123 was looking very good. We were confident of a win given the ground and pitch conditions. SS made a smart move and sent their lower order batsmen to open the inning. The ploy was to waste our frontline bowlers. And this ploy worked to  a certain extent. I did not get any wicket in my first spell (1 runs off 3 overs), Arpit managed one wicket. Given the batsmen, we both should have cleaned up the first three wickets in three overs. There was no pressure of run rate, the SS team was happy with their strategy. When we went for drinks after 17 over, SS were around 68 runs for four wickets. 

We were confident because we assumed that two more wickets from that point on would be enough to wrap up the match. Rajesh got us the breakthrough, right after the drinks break, as Purav took an outstanding catch of Nomi, the SS captain. We were hoping for one more wicket to consolidate our advantage. But the new batsmen, Sultan took us for some good runs and at one point SS were moving towards a victory comfortably, as they needed 12 runs with four wickets in hand. At that crucial point Saghir produced a surprise slow delivery to clean up Kamran. From that point on it was a matter of nerves. 

In the next over Arpit took out a wicket at the expense of four runs. I bowled the next one, and I had Sultan, who was looking very dangerous, caught at deep mid-on by Rajesh. On the very next delivery Shakeel launched the bowl directly into Rajesh's hands. Rajesh could not hold the catch but he held his nerves and returned the ball to the non-striker's end and we had a run out.

Saghir was the bowler of the choice when we needed a wicket and SS needed two runs. Two balls later Saghir forced the batsman to cut a short delivery in the hands of Rakesh, who took a great catch. Nomads erupted in joy and celebrations as they had pulled off an amazing victory. In my memory this was the closest match and win for the Freiburg Nomads. And no one deserved it more than Saghir, who did every thing to win the match. 

After Saghir's monologue in batting, it was all team effort. Vijay once again placed fielders in the right areas, coordinated his bowlers pretty intelligently. He himself had an off day, first he got LBW to a ball kept way too low, in the field the ball seemed to be repelling him. We also had three dropped catches, none too expensive, fortunately. Our fielding was good in general, as reflected by the three run-outs. 

Today, on our way to Strasbourg, Purav indicated that we wanted to spend at least 20 overs in the middle. He was unlucky as the ball took a leading edge and he was caught and bowled.  But he still spent a lot of time in the middle as a runner for Saghir -- it was impressive to see his commitment, the way he ran and converted dot balls in single and so on...

There are many areas that we need to improve upon if we want to take on Karlsruhe team. First we still need to work on our wides, in both matches so far our bowlers (every one) have struggled with their line. In addition, it may be a good idea to bring Arpit as a change bowler. He is clearly struggling with the new ball. New bowlers, Nila and Rahul have shown lot of promise in the short spells they have been used. Perhaps its time to give then opportunity a bit early in the match. Today was not a good match as we were struggling to save a rather small total. But, when we are bowing first or defending a large total, we should bring in Nila and Rahul to give them more confidence. KCC has a good pitch and that could be an opportunity for them to step up.

Besides, Saghir, Pandiyan and Purav our batsmen havent done much of note in the last two matches this season. So we need to reinforce our middle order. Although Rehan did not have a good day today, as he fell to a very good catch, it is good to see him on the field. Once Rehan gets into his rhythm we will have another solid batsman in the middle order. Finally, extra work is also needed in taking high catches.

With all that the team is looking good. With so many young players, there is great atmosphere in the team and more than anything, today's match was won in a large extent by the self-belief that every player had. There was, at no point, any panic, everyone wanted to win and knew what exactly they needed to do. And this is a good sign. 

SS team also deserves an applause as they fought very hard and made this match worth a memory that will stay for a long time. Win or loss by one run is not a good measure of the relative strengths of two teams, so the two teams need to play more and I look forward to host the Strasbourg Strollers. In the meantime Nomdas enjoy one more away victory and set your sights on the upcoming challenge.

Nomads start the season with a win: A great team effort

A victory is important to any team. But the importance of a victory, and that too in an away game, can not be overstated for a team in rebuilding phase.

Every end of season for the Freiburg Nomads means that some of the old players will move and new player will come to the fold. This season is not different. However, this season the changes are more apparent than ever. 

In the first match of the season, that too an away game, four player made their debut and our wicket-keeper and one-down batsman was returning to competitive cricket after nearly two years. Having so many new players can go either way, while the new guys dont carry the burdens of the past, inexperience has its own set of problems. 

We tried to remove the inexperience part by having three/four very good practice sessions. This not only helped us work on our cricket but also helped us in bonding well. So we embarked on our journey from Freiburg to Ketsch we were in high spirit and keen to start the season on a winning note.

Vijay lost the toss and we bowled first. The first spell was tight. Arpit, particularly, was spot on, hardly ever the batsmen looked like going for runs. I was pretty ordinary but still runs were not coming easy and we had claimed a run out in the third over. 

Next spell of Saghir and Rajesh was very good for us. First, Rajesh, on not a very good delivery, got a wicket. There was some confusion on who wanted the catch as the ball went very high up in the air. Next Saghir had a very good LBW shout denied. But on the very next delivery he took his revenge. That was perhaps the best ball of the inning. After that until 17th over when we went in for the drinks break we were on the top with Ketsch team struggling with 54 runs in 17 over with five wickets gone. 

After drinks break our debutant bowlers started. Nila, was expensive but found his line pretty quickly. Rahul ended his first over with a wicket, Arpit took a well judged catch at the square leg boundary. Shiva, was a bit more expensive, partly because he was bowling to a rather attacking batsman. But he also ended his over with a wicket. After that the main bowlers returned. Rajesh and Arpit responded with a wicket each. It was a perfect finish by Arpit who got a wicket on the final delivery of an excellent spell. I was better in my second spell and the last over I bowled gave me lot of confidence and a wicket as I closed the batting.The target was 130 runs in 35 overs.

Except for a good partnership for the sixth wicket, Ketsch batsmen never looked comfortable. Bowlers did a very good job and they did it so because they were so very well supported by the fielders who were very well coordinated by Vijay. There was hardly any lapse in the fielding except for a couple of over throws and one dropped catch (a rather difficult one),. 

We started with Purav and Ajit in a very cautious manner. There was no pressure of the required run rate. Purav and Ajit did a very good job of seeing through the new ball bowlers. Their first bowler was very good but other bowlers were not so consistent and score kept moving with the help of extras. Ajit departed in the seventh over. Pandiyan, who had a great day behind the stumps continued his successful match with the bat. Both Purav and Pandiyan nearly took us home with their watchful but still attacking partnership of more than 60 runs. When Purav and Pandiyan got out in the same over we needed less than 30 runs to win. We had a mini-collapse as Arpit (who was promoted), Vijay and Saghir together could only brought us within 17 runs of the win. There was a small panic in our side and the Ketsch teams saw a chance to win. But with wides coming regularly there was no real problem and Rajesh and I saw the team through. 

In pre-match talk Purav said he would score a 50 and he did exactly that. Statistician may discuss how coincidental was that but I saw Purav's inning as I was doing umpiring and I can say that Purav was all along focused and determined to achieve what he had promised. A very good inning with hardly any false shot. Pandiayan was almost like a discovery as a wicketkeeper but he showed how good he can be with the bat. 

Now both Purav and Pandiyan have raised the bar, but I am sure they can do better and so can everybody else in the team. Bowlers conceded too many wides, we had  a mini collapse of the middle order. So there are things to improve but there are a lot of things to enjoy. The new players have looked promising. The older player are slowly coming to their colors. It is rather difficult to predict how the whole season will go, I would like not to build too much on the success in one match, but initial signs are looking very very positive. Moreover, everyone in the team is keen on improving and learning from mistakes.

Last season our campaign in the Baden-Wuerttemberg cricket league ended as we lost to the Ketsch team in the last must win league match. It was very disappointing as we had a good shot at the victory that time. With that in perspective, this victory was really very special and to mark it we recorded short interviews of all the players as we did after the loss last year.

I would like to thank the Ketsch team for being an excellent host.  The food was great. I look forward to return the hospitality. 

In the meantime well done nomads and lets repeat our success in Strasbourg on the coming Sunday.