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

Saghir made sure that Rhine cup will stay in Freiburg for yet another year

Cricket is played in bursts. There are pauses of 10-30sec. between deliveries and slightly longer between overs. These pauses are interrupted by very sharp and calculated actions at last for about a second. While this pauses and fast activity characterised the state of affair for the batsman and bowler int he middle, there are even longer pauses for the batsmen who have yet to come in and bowlers who are waiting to bowl and fielders who are waiting for the ball to come to them. 

It is these pauses that separate Cricket from other sports and make one of the most cerebral games after Chess. Thinking can lead to proper planning, calculated risks and eventually a victory despite odds. But thinking can also set in the panic and it is very easy to loose even from a winning situation. This is something that happened in Basel last Sunday.


FNCC innings
We posed a modest target. 145 runs in 35 overs on a wicket with true bounce. Our batting struggled to come in terms with the bounce in early overs and spin in the later overs. Except for Vijay and Saghir none of us looked in any shape to score freely. Vijay was very watchful and selective, while Saghir was in a mood to destroy the spinners' confidence to make it easier for the following batsmen. Both had their moment of success. But except for helping each other in the most important partnership of our innings, there was nobody help them. Bala did show some resistance and will to make runs but once again there was not much support for him. 

We expected Adnan, Vibhore and Angelo to fire up the batting. Unfortunately Adnan was hit by a rising delivery on his right thumb. Adnan perhaps learned that hard lesson that defending a PhD thesis (which he did last week) is easier than defending a rising delivery. Now he is out of action for at least three weeks as they had to remove the nail. Vibhore underestimated the abilities of the spinners, particularly Jit Singh, the senior bowler had lot of fun with him. Angelo did not show patience to get the eye in. 

In any case we did well to play the 35 overs. Since the rules were a bit different in this match, we did not get so many wides. A big credit to the Basel bowlers who kept our batsmen guessing, especially the three spinners. Danny on the other hand exploited the new ball. He should have got more wickets for the quality of his bowling. A lot of credit to Zaheer for orchestrating the bowling and fielding. Not at all easy when some senior players are in the team.

Basel Innings
The ball was bouncing and I was enjoying it. But Zaheer was in very defensive mood. Not that he was not going to whack the loose balls but there was no interest in taking risks. Why should he? He knew that if he stayed on 145 runs in 35 overs required no heroics. The score was around 20 runs in 8 overs but the openers were still batting. 

Then came Arpit, and struck on the second ball. That brought in Jit Singh. We expected a quick wickets but then there is something to experience. While Zaheer time and again went for boundaries, Jit was happy to be in the middle without any panic. Vijay tried and so did our bowlers. But except for a couple of half chances Basel were on their way. Slowly the heads of the FNCC were going down.

Bala was given the ball and Zaheer had a lapse of attention and tossed the ball to Shiva. The hope came back. But Danny and Jit were not easy. And took the score to 120s. The run rate remained more or less in the range of four an over. This shows our determination but also the cautious attitude that Basel took. 

The thrilling finish
At some point when the score was hovering around 100 for 2 in 25 overs, I was thinking about the inevitable. But cricket is never over until the last wicket has fallen, last run has been scored or last ball has been bowled. But the realisation of the inevitable pumped new energy. Saghir who was forcing himself to bowl despite a pulled muscle in his back, got Jit out caught by Angelo. This was the key point in the match. 

While panic set in Basel camp, FNCC were pumped with success. But Basel needed 19 runs off four overs and they had six wickets in hand. Nila translated that energy into a wicket. Score was still in 120s and Basel had lost five wickets. Arpit bowled a genius of an over. He claimed two wickets in that over and another one was run out. Sagheer took another wicket and we were really sniffing victory. When I started off the 34 over Basel needed 14 runs off two overs and one wicket in hand. 

At this point two young brothers were at the crease (sons of Jit Singh). I wanted to win but suddenly I lost the drive to bowl. Somehow I did not consider them worthy opponent. But I was so wrong and Anil took just two deleiveries to tell me how wrong I was. First bowl was a loosner on the legs and defended nicely. The second a half-volley out side the off stump, not very fast and was smacked in the covers. Perhaps the best show of the match. This was however, enough to wake me up and the match was over on the next ball...

Arpit finished with 3 wickets, Saghir and Nila got two, Bala and myself took 1 each. And there was one run out. Since we took the match to the 34 over all the bowlers were very economical. I was particularly pleased with my bowling, while I was not effective in taking wickets, I kept Zaheer and Danny (the two who faced most of my bowling) tied up and finished with 6.3-2-12-1. in retrospect it was not a bad strategy on my part to keep the scoring rate low for other bowlers to feel a bit safe in terms of runs.

Once again Cricket was played in the brain and the display on the match only reflected the state of the two teams. While one panicked other took the advantage. We were of course well trained in the last match when we lost a close finish. 

We won
Indeed it was good to win, especially in such a close match. We have to give credit to Basel for putting up a great show and fight. We have to remember that they had fielded a rather inexperienced and perhaps under-trained side. 

So despite the win there is a lot to learn for us. We cannot face the Geneva Srilankan team with such performance. Our bowling was decent. Saghir and I were only economical but not effective in taking wickets. The second line of attack also did not come very effective. And we certainly need someone to back up Arpit in the spin department. However, it is our batting which is more of a concern. 

Saghir is back in batting form which is a great news. With Vijay already in runs, there is some stability in the top order. But the middle order needs to improve their act, desperately. We need runs from Vibhore and Angelo and support for Bala.


Umpiring
It was really nice of Darren Kirby to officiate the match as an umpire. He did a good job. 

There are no rules in cricket. We only have laws and they have to interpreted by the umpires. He came up with a very interesting interpretation of the wide rule. According to his interpretation, if a batsman flashes his bat to reach the ball, the ball couldnt be called wide. He was consistent with both the teams, that part is fine. But I cannot agree with his interpretation and many share my opinion [see also]. I thought that only on LBWs people can have their own opinion and wide was a relatively easy thing. Evidently, Darren needs to rethink his interpretation.

Rhine cup 
This year we decided to play only one match. This victory not only kept our record clean against Basel but also ensured that the Rhine cup will stay in Freiburg for the third year in running. Great work FNCC. The match ball was given to Adnan and Saghir very fittingly was the man of the match.

A special thanks to Jason Ransome to help out with Adnan's injury. It was just when he left the field with Adnan that Basel started to dominate the match. They took some time to return but when they did, FNCC resumed being the dominating team. Well I am not superstitious but I do study, define and detect patterns in my day-job...

right arm over
Arvind