A blistering century by Saghir, a hattrick by Imtiyaz, rest is detail

This is a season of one sided matches. This weekend saw two such encounters, both won by FNCC. The first was good clinical effort but the second was just a shear domination. Perhaps one thing that rescues the on-sided matches is the individual feats -- at the end of the day Cricket remains an individual games played in team formation. 

The century
Nobody deserved a century more than Saghir. We have seen Pandiyan scored one, then Rehan has collected few. But Saghir is the one from whom one expects more. Vijay is another of those guys who everyone would like to score a ton.

Saghir was having a mix of a season. Some false starts, some unlucky dismissals but there was light at the end of the tunnel we knew it, he knew it, the interesting point was who will be at the receiving end. Perhaps none expected that it would be such a bright one. After few watchful overs, Saghir dominated the bowling completely. With every shot the ball went higher up and further. In fact, each of those sixes went out of the ground. More than that, those shots just demoralized the opposition. 

Cricket is nothing if not partnerships. You can score all your runs by yourself. Saghir ran a lot with Vijay and then with Balaji. Both Vijay and Balaji while accumulating their runs (40+ and 30+, respectively), aptly supported Saghir.

Vijay's effort was completely overshadowed by Saghir's brilliance but in its own right, Vijays played a superb innings. It was a pleasure to see that shot selection and the partnership between two most equipped batsmen of FNCC.

After those spectacular batting effort, FNCC almost forgot how badly they started off. Vishv is now starting to taste what it means to open the batting. He was bowled off the first ball of the match. Rehan did not last too either. 

Finally, we invited the St. Gallen team to chase 232 in 35 overs. It was a touch more than 6 an over and we know that once the pitch settles, its not that difficult to chase such a target but it requires some really patience and intelligent batting, just big hits cannot take you there.

The hattrick
An LBW, but there was a hint of doubt that it might have nicked the bat, then a clean bowled, as if to confirm that the previous wicket was not just a  fluke and then he awaited for an over finish. And when he returned, he claimed another LBW. At our level to claim an LBW means that there was no chance for the umpire to hide. What an effort by Imtiyaz.

There have been at least two other instances previously by Rehan and Asif, and we had the third hatrick. After such bowling, the batting teams was completely tamed and they just played to the tunes set by the bowlers.

Nila capped it with a quick burst of three wickets. Before Imtiyaz and Nila, Srinath claimed a wicket on the first ball of his spell in the second consecutive match. What a day we were having.

It was almost immaterial that I had left the field after bowling just two overs, unable to stand with the shin pain. 

St. Gallen folded meekly with a deficit of more than 100 runs. 

The aftermath
There is no math needed after such performances. But as I have said earlier, we only as good as our opposition allows us to be. A good opposition will make you work for the win, and easy victory has the tendency to hide the chinks in the armour. Moreover, an easy win is only a testament that the opposition was not having a good day. 

We know that the St. Gallen are a very good side. And it will be a different game when we meet next time around.

Despite all these things, even if that weekend was a complete fluke and those two great shows by FNCC were statistical expected, FNCC still deserve all the praise to hold the statistics. 

Cricket Lions Karlsruhe prevail over FNCC: Spirit of Cricket League gets underway

This has been a curious season. Most of the matches we have played this season have been one-sided. We lost twice to Zurich Nomads without showing any fight. But we defeated Pak Freiburg, Winterthur, Ravensberg, Uster in one-sided matches. Not that I dont like stamping authority over other teams but close matches have their  own charm and nothing beats they way adrenaline flows in such tight situations. Last Sunday our away game quite close to becoming a close match. Despite the loss FNCC showed that they can fight.

It was the first game of the new experiment in the organisation of cricket in South of Germany. 

FNCC visited Karlsruhe. As has been the norm for this season that we lose one key player just before the match. This time Vijay could not travel with us and we were left with 10 players. With incomplete team, unknown playing conditions and a rather fast bouncy pitch, it was clearly going to a big struggle for the FNCC. 

FNCC Innings

Saghir who was standing in for Vijay wanted to bowl first, considering that we were a better side while bowling. But he lost the toss and CLK invited us to bat first. Vishv and Rehan started off well. Vishav was especially looking good. Rehan was starting to get to grips of the game but was apparently give out caught behind, wrongly, by me. But I was convinced that he had edged the ball.

That brought in Balaji, who was in superb form with a 50+ score in the previous game. But he was finding it difficult to read the bounce. But the runs were coming the form of extras, so there was not much concern. Despite a scratchy batting from Balaji (who eventually scored 31), Vishv kept is cool and steadily kept the score ticking. Vishv finally got out after scoring 28 runs in the 16 over. But that started the typical FNCC collapse. Saghir who was starting to look dangerous, was out caught when a ball took the leading edge. After that it was as if FNCC players just did not know how to bat. 

CLK's slow bowlers were suddenly appearing top-class spinners and a pitch, highly suited for batting was turned into a spinners' paradise. Soon the score was 129 for 8, it was around 65 for 2 after 16th over. Sharath and I joined at the wicket with seven overs to go. We just wanted to play all the overs. Things worked out in our favor and we added 40+ runs in seven overs. We ended our innings with 175 for 9. I scored 32 runs, which surprised me most of all. But the ball was coming on the bat well. A lot of credit of that partnership goes to Saghir who was umpiring and kept motivating us. During this partnership Sharath got his hand injured as he dived to make home for a single that was not needed. 


CLK Innings

176 in 35 overs was not a big total on that wicket but we were more confident. Saghir and I started off our defence in positive manner. While I was economical Saghir was devastating. He too two wickets in his first over. CLK was on the back foot. Nila came in for the 7th over and quickly claimed one. But from then on Ahmed and Omar slowly took the game away from us. 

FNCC bowlers could have done better but Ahmed steered the batting really wisely. He was defensive on the first and second balls, attacking on the 3rd and 4th but then was looking for a single on the last two. This way he not only protected his partner, but kept the score going. In between there were few economical overs but the asking rate was too low to climb to an alarming level.

This partnership was broken around 23rd over. Ahmed had a rush of blood and he hit me for a six on midwicket. We exchanged looks. And he could not keep from the temptation of hitting me again, Nila took a nice catch. One more wicket fell in that over and Omar was dropped by Imtiyaz. We saw there was a chance. But again besides, Saghir there was no venom in the bowling. Imtiyaj, Bala, Balaji, Nila, Shrath, all tried hard. Saghir even gambled with Rehan. But all were good in patches and consistency was lacking. 

Saghir had the challenge of keep the two us bowl in small spell while hoping that there will enough left at the end. But the 6th and 7th wickets took too long to fall. In the end they needed two runs in the second last over with three wickets remaining. 

The aftermath
We lost, but we fought. I think it was really important to see if FNCC can put up a fight. It was a very good show by a team of 10 players. 

I hope that our bowlers got a good lesson. Later everyone of us thought we were another 20 runs short. Perhaps thats too wishful. On that pitch we should have scored at least 250, given that we had 52 runs in extra. Batsmen need to take up more responsibility. They need to be aware of the match situation.

Saghir led from the front. He was unlucky with the bat but with ball he was just perfect. I should have done better. With such a score, being economical is not an option (I bowled 7 overs for 14 runs). My 3 wickets came a bit too late. Vishv and Balaji contributed with bat. But we need more from other players. In batting, Bala, Rehan (who was unlucky), Imtiyaz and in bowling Nila and Sharath have to step up their game. Finally, playing with 10 players is never an option, so even those who did not make themselves available should feel responsible for our loss. 

Despite the loss we enjoyed the game. The hosts were quite good. I wish that they had given us an extra fielder but then it was not their fault that we showed up one short. Also I think teams should refrain from discussing umpires' decisions. 

The new initiative is on its way with a near perfect start. Lets see how it proceeds. Tomorrow we take on the CLK for a return fixture. I am sure it will be a more intersting match -- if the rain gods decide not to come to the ground.

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.

FNCC start the season with a convincing win over Pak Freiburg

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

Amateur Cricket Leagues: To join or not

In last few years another serious question has become a key part of the season planning -- whether we want to play in a league or not. League fixtures often are a sore experience given the unprofessional attitude of the players and league leadership in view of the exaggerated competitiveness of the matches. Together with this, the financial burden (usually 300-400 Euros) more than often discourages young students from joining clubs. So most teams in big cities reach a state of stagnancy and teams in smaller city remain deprived of the new talent so necessary for them to remain competitive. All in all it seems that the amateur cricket leagues they way they are run currently, are not really doing any good for the development of cricket at the club level in the south Germany. 

After a long slumber, FNCC is slowly waking up. For a small club like ours based in a small (but really beautiful) town like Freiburg, every season brings predictable challenges. For instance, every season starts with the news of player who had already left or will leave Freiburg soon. Sadly it has never happened the other way that there is a list of new players who are lining up. We usually rely on hope to get the season going. Other challenges are more manageable such as raising money for equipments, buying equipments, securing the ground contract and getting the practice going. 

In last few years another serious question has become a key part of the season planning -- whether we want to play in a league or not. 

In 2010 an amateur cricket league was floated in the state of Baden-Wuertumberg. It was supported by the German Cricket Board. There was a lot of excitement about it, perhaps being a new thing or because we were hoping for more organized and competitive games.

That season FNCC did not do too well. Still we bounced back after a disastrous start and ended up on the Vth place. In the T20 league we lost in the semifinal. We were for sure better than that. 

But we decided not to participate in the league in 2011. It was decision taken based on the way the league was being organized. First, in the name of competitiveness most teams were very hostile to each other. There was no mutual respect and winning was the sole aim as if their life depended on that. Combine this with the complete unprofessional attitude of the league leadership and untrained and unqualified umpires. Overall we thought that we play cricket more for the fun of it and love for the game and winning/losing is something that is just a part of the game. Essentially FNCC players wanted to leave the ground with a good feeling not filled with animosity towards the opposition.

Once we sat down and did the math, we found that we paid some 200+Euros to get 8/9 fixtures and in return we also lost the peace of mind that comes with playing cricket. So we decided to step out of the league. 

In 2011 we went solo and arranged out fixtures as we did without the league setup. We travelled a bit too much and played in total 12 games and lost just once. Perhaps the best season for the FNCC. It was a lot of fun and everyone enjoyed their cricket. So we decided to continue with the same experiment in the 2012 season.

This time around it was a bit sore experience. This was primarily because we could not arrange many fixtures. We had a great season going by cricket, but we mainly played Basel CC (multiple times -- in process forging a great relationship with them).

We noticed that most of the teams in our neighborhood in Germany and Switzerland were part of their respective league. Typically the league schedule is full and there is little space to have the so called friendly fixtures. This awareness was very disappointing and depressing. There was only one way out of this. 

But we were sure that the leadership of the Baden-Wuertemberg leagues was practically the same with different faces and therefore that league was not an option. So we decided to go with our friends in Basel and participated in the Swiss League, which we later learned was one of the two leagues currently in a legal battle over their claims to be 'the swiss cricket league'.

It started out to be a good experience, although a bit expensive in terms of money. However, the way we were treated in the semi-final of the league has completely destroyed our faith in these cricket leagues runs by amateurs and people with vested interests which most of the times lie way outside the cricket field. 

So we are back in the state to decide whether to go solo or become part of the sham some people consider a league. 

I do not want to appear a capitalistic person here. But if we do the math we find out that the participation in any league costs something in the range of 300 Euros and costs for 'Neutral Umpires' which in my view usually are the most undesirable players of their teams. In addition we have buy the so called league balls. So all in all we get to pay something in the range of 600 Euros. The 'other' swiss leagues costs go as far as 800 euros. 

In return what do we get? Guaranteed fixtures in the range of 6-10 matches depending on number of teams and how far we proceed in the league. There is not real prize money for the clubs who win or reach to the semifinals. Clubs like ours are always strapped for money and increasing membership fees only dissuades new players from joining. Moreover, many players just do not turn up because they find the hostility that comes in the name of competitiveness very very discouraging. So I wonder how do these leagues help the development of the game and teams. 

More important I wonder where does the league membership money go? It is certainly not spent in terms of subsidising the club expenses or any other facilities -- at least FNCC has yet to enjoy the benefit of this membership fees. 

Typically the leagues are run by people who are not there for the development of cricket but to exert their authority and in most cases completely unjust authority. Players who play in these leagues try to use cricket a way to boost their ego and if they are being hampered by others in reaching this goal, either by better play or by the laws of the games, the do not stop from breaching the whole essence of cricket. 

By contrast, the non-league based matches are far more fun. People act like guests and hosts as opposed to two teams with sole goal to defeat the other team. In most cases irrespective of the result of the game, players from the opposition sit together share a drink and discuss the game. The short talks which often mature into long terms friendships. 

With the financial burden (membership fees are raised from the players) and unfriendly nature of matches in many ways discourages new players to come in the fold. This leaves teams in big cities stagnant because people do not move so much, and are in a position to bear the financial costs. In the smaller cities there are more consequences -- if new players cannot afford to play then the cricket is greatly reduced in the places as teams in smaller cities are usually composed of students who come to the University for a short duration (one or two seasons).

So I wonder how these amateur cricket leagues are run and more importantly the higher organizations like German Cricket Board and Swiss Cricket Board must review their policies to better run the club cricket. What is important is that there is space for teams who do not want to play in any leagues to find fixtures. That is, the league schedule should have enough free days to accommodate friendly games. Second, it would help if the leagues fees could be reduced if not completely removed and teams are informed how the money is being used.

More suggestions are of course welcome.

The conundrums will continue throughout the season but I am positive that we will find a way to maximize the Cricket and Fun factors, despite the increasing complexity of the problem.

right arm over
Arvind

Rain ruined an exciting match: FNCC vs Basel CC

FNCC remains undefeated by Basel CC, but this match promised surprises the way Basel started the chase but alas... rain stole an exciting finish. While we wanted to ensure our place in semi-finals, Basel wanted to break the jinx and get their first points but when you play against rain, only cricket looses.

FNCC innings:
Vijay opened with Rehan, who returned after a gap of few weeks. Both looked solid. They gave us a very solid and attacking start. They dominated the new ball attack and that gave them some breathing space when spinners came on. Just as we failed to get a wicket for 26 overs againsta GenevaSLCC, our openners remained unseparated until 20th over. Vijay made 40+ and Rehan showd his class in making 80+. Saghir did not have much time but he is in a great touch these days. These three stand performances covered the failure of the rest of the batting. Feyas and Arpit did show some courage to score runs. But our inexperience against good slow bowling of Adeel and Toufeem was clearly exposed.

210 runs was an imposing total for 30 overs. This score however does not reflect the lopsided performances by the FNCC batsmen. Twice Basel bowlers were looking for hattricks. At one point perhaps they did but the umpire (i.e. me) declined a very enthusiastic appeal against Balaji. So if at all we only learned partly.


Basel Inning:
Basel started in an attacking mode. I was struck for two fours in my first over. Saghir was in better form and he contained runs. But Zaheer and Umer gave Basel CC a started that they needed to chase a score of 210 in 30 overs. My shin splints started to bother me already in the second over and I was sitting outside already in the eigth over. Score was cruising along at a healthy rate of 6 runs and importantly Zaheer was in full flow. An exciting match was underway.

But by this time the clouds were already coming to watch (ruin) the match. Umer lost his patience to Rehan's bowling (yes he can bowl -- at times very effectively). On one end Zaheer was driving the score and other end was kept in solid defence. It was a strategy that was working well. But then came a turning point. Zaheer was adjudged out hitting the ball twice [see below for more on this]. This was over number 13th and we needed to bowl at least 15 overs to call it a legal match.

With the rain rule, Basel CC needed to have scored 105 runs at the end of 15th over. They were 82 ot 85 in 14.4. Rain was getting stronger and we wanted to get over with the remaining two balls. It should have happened. But then had a great idea. In a giant stroke of genius he got himself run-out -- meaning the match had to interrupted for the change in batsman and with rain getting string by the drop, it was just not possible to continue.

While, Rehan, Vijay, Saghir set the match up and Zaheer made it exciting, it was the conspiracy of rain and Shubhu that saved Basel from facing another defeat ;) 

Rain rule:
I wonder why Swiss league decided for a simple rule. They should know that simple does not mean correct. I had argues for Duckworth-Lewis method. Now mobile phone apps are there two calculate D-L par scores but the applicable rain rule only care for scoring rate without considering the wickets. After 15 overs at any point if the match is interrupted then only net-average run rate is used to calculate the score. At one point Basel CC needed about 130 runs on 17 overs with 7 or 8 wickets in hand. With about eight overs lost, they needed 81 runs in 11 overs with same number of wickets in hand -- clearly an easier thing to do. DL would have given a different par-score. Something to change in the next round as we do expect the clouds to watch some of our cricket... I mean, its not really 'cricket' if some time is not lost because of rain.


Out hitting the ball twice:
I was hurt, less because of my injury, more because I had to sit out. But I was acutely aware of the importance of the wicket of Zaheer. So when I saw him touching the ball again after he had played a defensive shot, I suggested for an appeal for 'hitting the ball twice'. Our team duly complied and umpire  (from Basel CC) after some discussion adjudged the batsman out. It was disappointing end of a beautiful innings.

Then comes rain (for the first time) and in the break we had a chance to see the rules again? It turned out that the rule of very ambiguous, that is there is no clear way to say whether the batsman is saving the wickets or not. In Zaheer's case we immediately realised that he was dealt with unfairly. So FNCC decided to invite him to bat again. But Zaheer is a very proud man and a great sportsman and understand cricket. He, in the true spirit of the game accepted the decision (albeit wrong). Thats how cricket should be played. Thus, he may not add runs to his name but certainly increased his respect among his peers.

The league semifinal will be on 25th Aug. Few teams are already out i.e. Basel CC, Eagel CC. But other six are still in the fray. FNCC needs to win at least two of the three remaining match but we want to push to top the league phase to get the semi-final in Freiburg. But lot was exposed in the rain ruined match. Batting lapses are easily visible but more worrisome were the cracks in the bowling. I need to to work on my fitness, this is not fair to anyone if I play with injuries and we need a second spinner. At the same time out batting needs more practice against slow/spin bowling.

right arm over
Arvind

The new Freiburg Nomads: rebuilding starts for the new season

In late 1990's some British and Australian expats started the Freiburg Nomads Cricket Club. Over the years FNCC has transformed from a largely social club to a highly competitive cricket team. This change has also come with a change in the demographics of FNCC (see a previous blog entry -- changing landscape of FNCC). I now tend to believe that this also reflects the expats demographics in Freiburg. 

Despite the changing style of cricket and demographics one thing that has remained constant is that every season there is a massive change in the players. Freiburg being a relatively small University town does not offer many job prospects so we usually get young students who leave after playing for a couple of seasons -- around the time they really learn their cricket. But we have to pay this price if want to keep a high IQ for the FNCC. 

I have been part of FNCC since 2003 when we moved to the current ground at the seapark. So this is my 8th full season but I did play some matches in 2006, and 2008 as well. With such long association with the club I tend to be philosophical and metaphorical about the change that I see every season.

The best metaphor that comes to my brain is that of a river. The water that constitutes the river is always changing but still it remains the same river. This is largely because the river banks change rather slowly over time. 

So is with the FNCC. The players change but the club fundamentals have been passed form one set of players to other. The key to be a FNCC player and FNCC spirit has been to play cricket hard but fair and respect the opponents -- the way cricket should be played. Freiburg Nomads have played cricket for the sake of cricket and winning etc. have just followed. 

FNCC 2013: I am behind the camera.

We have been fortunate that every season we find some new talented and motivated players to take up the FNCC mental and help maintain the FNCC its character. So far we have been very successful in instilling the FNCC spirit in the new members that why the club has retained it character that was essentially set at its start. 

Players like Saghir Butt (since 2004), Rehan Yousaf (since 2005) and Vijay (since 2007) have remained instrumental in every success of the FNCC. A number of players besides these three largely from the class of 2011 have gone out of their way to shape FNCC's evolution in to a very good cricketting side.


This year reminds me of the year 2011, when a number of players joined us and we ended up with an amazing season. I hope that the new one who are going to be called the Freiburg Nomads i.e.

• Bala (he comes from Offenburg to play)
• Balaji
• Ehsan Bhai (he comes from Basel to play)
• Eldho
• Farookh
• Guru
• Pranjal Srivastava
• Sreedhar



FNCC 2013 -- Our captain Vijay is behind the camera.

• Vibhore Rastagi

will follow the traditions while giving FNCC a new identity and new set of successes and memories. Welcome guys. 

Also Arpit and Rahul -- welcome back after a break of one season.

The loss against GSLCC has ignited a lot of interest and highlighted the importance of the practice. The new ones are taking it very seriously. I was so pleased to see that 18 guys showed up for practice in Friday last. If this passion continues I am sure we can better the success of 2011.

With this the FNCC Future may be tense, it might also be imperfect, but it certainly looks continuous and the river called FNCC will continue...

right arm over
Arvind

FNCC crashed out of the T20 tournament - An unforgettable defeat

Finally the season started. So what if it was with a T20 match. Global warming i.e. extended winter (trust me extended winter is a consequence of global warming) and precisely timed rains (i.e. on Sundays) meant that start of cricket was considerably delayed. 

Following the changing world view of cricket, the Swiss league also decided to have a T20 tournament. Basel hosted the teams. It was a kock-out tournament. Since there were eight teams, the first round was like a quarterfinal. 

We played the second game against the Geneva Srilankan team. We had clear memories of playing the GSLCC teams in Geneva last season. We didnt do too well that time. We wanted to change things this time around. Although we could not practice much a lot was discussed before the match. Sadly lot was discussed after the match without much change in the result. And our campaign ended just after one match in the T20 tournament of the Swiss league. 

Bowling:

We got too few wickets at too long intervals
(as measured by runs scored).
[Photo courtesy: GSLCC facebook page]

Rehan won the toss. Saghir our main batsman admitted that he likes to chase first and I also clarified my preference that I prefer to draw the first blood. So we bowled first.
As a change Saghir started the bowling. He was sopt on. There was only a little shadow of his back injury. I came in as the second bowler. I had a lucky start but a pretty flattering one as I got a wicket off the first ball I bowled this year. The first spell was pretty controlled. Rehan gave us three over each. In hindsight perhaps it was not necessary but I did get my second wicket third over. 

All was well up to that point. However, there were clear indications that the GSLCC batmen were well equipped to deal with slow short balls. Rahul Raaga (welcome back) and Pranjal (playing his first match for FNCC) followed me and Saghir. Runs started flow but not too many. After 10 overs they had 60+ runs. All was normal up this point. 

Nila who came in only after 10 over bowled beautifully. He has really matured in to a fine medium pacer now. It was very good to see that he remained nerveless when he was bowling the free-hit ball -- conceded no score on that. By this time runs were starting to flow at a decent rate of 6 or 6.5 an over. Then came an over from Pranjal in which three catches were dropped near the square leg boundary and each one conceded either a four or a six. He conceded 22 runs or so. In short matches such overs are detrimental. Field was scattered and runs came even more easily. The over Rehan bowled to accelerate the over rate only accelerated the run rate. Saghir and I had only one over each and we came a bit too late to control the runs. Saghir took two wickets in his last over. I ended up with three wickets. Nila was well rewarded with two wickets.

Sadly this kind of shot were played way
too often. FNCC bowlers sent in too many
short deliveries.
[Photo courtesy: GSLCC facebook page]

Although we had an eye on the scoreboard but it was quite shocking that we had conceded 172 runs. This despite the fact that both Nila and I gave away less than 20 each. There were few byes. But Eshan looked quite comfortable behind the wickets. We had certainly conceded 40 runs too many in that ground with such heavy outfield. 

Batting:
Fazed by the target score, we were uncertain of our openers. Angelo who was very successful again GSLCC last season was supposed to open but he injured himself while fielding and wanted to wait a little. So Rahul very bravely stepped up to open with Ehsan. But in the very first over he got himself runout. This was one many such dismissals. Adnan who has had some match practice as he had played for Pak Freiburg earlier this season was elevated to one down. He looked very confident but he was undone was a brilliant piece of fielding. No fault of Adnan but we were two down without any runs of the borad. 

Saghir enetred with lot of expectations. He got gem of a delivery--- something you get once in a season. He was unlucky to get that as the first delivery he faced this season. I was not sure what was happening. We had lost more wickets than runs on the board. Batsmen after that showed little more commitment.
Angelo was the pick of our batting. He started off where he had left in Geneva last season. His technique of stepping out to play the bouncing balls again worked. He was full of confidence and runs and started to tick the score. Things started to respectable but he got himself runout. This was not a brilliance of fielding. Ehsan had by now seen three runouts. He remain on the wickets until 11th or 12th over but our fight has already ended with Saghir's wicket. Rehan who in my opinion should have gone higher up played couple of good shots but I think was succumbed by the pressure.

According to me it was an achievement that we played out 20 overs without getting bowled out. But the score of 73 in 20 overs for 9 wickets was in no way anything respectable. We avoided a defeat by 100 runs run by a whisker. 

The humiliation:
A crushing defeat by 97 runs in a 20 overs match is not just a loss. To me it was just a pure humiliation. How could we underperformed by so much? How come we did not rise up to the challenge. We cannot hide behind the reasons and excuses but the question remains to what extent this defeat reflected the new order in the FNCC?
Cricket is a mind game and there is every danger that the dents of such massive defeat will affect us in our future games. Moreover our opponents will tend to have a psychological advantage.

The excuses:
There is only a subtle difference between excuses and reasons. We can fall for the easy bit and come up with perfectly logical but incorrect causes (i.e. excuses) for our underperformance e.g.:

• First and foremost we can argue that we did not have any practice before the match
• We had 4-5 players who were either playing first time for the FNCC or were returning after few seasons. This meant that we could not plan ahead according to the strengths of our team. Perhaps also the reason for five run puts.
• Few key players (Vijay, Raghav, Arpit) were missing from the line up. 
• We struggle to place fielding when batting is done at both the ends.

These are perfectly logical reasons. But we did not lose because of any of these.

The reasons:
This is now my opinion and other may differ from me. Following were the main causes: 

• We dropped too many catches. I myself was guilty thrice. Twice I could not even reach the ball even though I should have. Why so? Part of the reason was of course we were out of practice. But also we failed to place fielding properly. Under the pressure to finish overs quickly we compromised the fielding -- especially the placement.
• Our bowlers fell in the trap of bowling short deliveries. Such bowling is effective when you have pace. When Saghir was hit for that flat six bowlers should have learned their lesson. In that heavy outfield it was not easy to cross the boundary on ground shots.
• We essentially forgot the basics. Except for one run-out (that of Adnan) other four could have been avoided. But our batsmen just forgot when to go for a run. Clearly the chase of 173 runs  clouded their judgement.
• We experimented too much with batting line up. The fact that we were playing a 20 over match affected us too much. Rehan should have stepped up. It was clear that we could not chase 173 runs against the Geneva Srilankan team. So we should have been honest and planned differently e.g. we could have assigned ourselves a reachable sub-tagtet for first 10 overs and so on...

The acceptance: 
I think after all said and done we also have to admit that the Geneva Srilankan team is a very good and to defeat them we have to raise our game to the next level. Now we have seen it twice. Hopefully when they visit us in Freiburg, it will be a different story.

What is next:
We are not so bad as the result reflected. It was just one off the matches and there is no reason to draw line through a single observation. Our opponents in the league will be making a severe mistake if the will start to evaluate us on that single defeat, which we will prove in the subsequent match that was just a statistical aberration. 
The turn up at the trainings and they way new players are getting in the grove and the older ones finding their rhythm is very promising.
The first Swiss league match  for us is still two weeks away but ground availability and global warming is unlikely to provide us much of practice time. But I am sure we will be ready... ready to correct that one statistical aberration and more.

PS: I have been thinking of writing this entry since two weeks but to write it meant to go through the agony of remembering (to an extent reliving) the match. Finally I motivated myself to do it because cricket and all the memories that come with are worth cherishing whether it is a defeat or a victory. 
PPS: This was the debut of Pranjal, Balaji and Bala for the FNCC. Aldo (also new to FNCC) was 12th man. Rahul Raaga returned to FNCC after a gap of one season.