ISA Cup'08 Part II
I walked back with a bit of disappointment, but was reasonably happy with the start i gave. We had two of our main big hitting batsmen at the crease and just another 6-7 overs to go. They were beginning to find their rhythm and scored valuable runs in the next few overs. However we slowed down a little bit due to some terrific bowling by our opponents and our slog shots didnt find the bat. In the end we mustered 74 runs, and i thought we were probably 6-10 runs short of what we wanted to achieve.
However, with they way we bowled on the light-affected match, the previous match, and the fact that the other team had to chase under lights, i fancied our chances 60-40 to win.
Their openers were very positive and were in attacking mode. They took risks, irrespective of our bowlers and during the process they gave chances which we didnt take. For some reason, our fielding wasnt upto the mark, but i thought our bowling was pretty good and like the other day, we gave away very less extras. We bowled with good pace and made the batsmen work for their runs. But we gave too many second chances to their batsmen and slowly that was beginning to make a toll.
Our inability to take wickets and bring in a new batsman to face the music prevented us to slow down the run-rate. The other team was always in a acceptable run rate until the last 2 overs. We dropped several chances in our penultimate over which resulted in valuable runs and under the context of the match each and every run was killing us and the moral of our team. Their main batsman who was still at the crease, because of our generosity, was finding the meet of the bat and was easily putting bad balls to fours.
It came down to 9 runs off 1 over with their main batsman still at the crease. I gave our chances 70-30. First ball was a dot ball. Second ball a risky single which resulted in a double because of a overthrow. I was not happy with that overthrow as wickets was our least concern at that time and there is no reason to bring their main batsman on strike. The next thing we know, the batsman hit two consecutive fours to seal the victory. The bowling in the last over was not great, but it wasnt bad too. They played some shots better than us, took more risks than our team and it all paid in the end. They lifted the ISA cup finally that has been avoiding them for a while and I would like to congratulate them on this victory as well as providing an exciting finals to our audience.
Except in the field, our team gave their best and i enjoyed playing with this team. The camaraderie started with designing our own t-shirts (at odd times) and ended at misty's. We had our own official team manager, photographer, cheerleaders as well as a Video Camera Specialist. Only thing missing was a team song!!!!! Btw our team name was Red Bulls!!!!
The tournament, however brought an end to a fantastic cricket season i have ever been involved with. I had a terrific time both on and off the field and had an opportunity to make some new friends.
With the football season, expected to start soon, the next few weeks are required for a much needed break!!!!
However, with they way we bowled on the light-affected match, the previous match, and the fact that the other team had to chase under lights, i fancied our chances 60-40 to win.
Their openers were very positive and were in attacking mode. They took risks, irrespective of our bowlers and during the process they gave chances which we didnt take. For some reason, our fielding wasnt upto the mark, but i thought our bowling was pretty good and like the other day, we gave away very less extras. We bowled with good pace and made the batsmen work for their runs. But we gave too many second chances to their batsmen and slowly that was beginning to make a toll.
Our inability to take wickets and bring in a new batsman to face the music prevented us to slow down the run-rate. The other team was always in a acceptable run rate until the last 2 overs. We dropped several chances in our penultimate over which resulted in valuable runs and under the context of the match each and every run was killing us and the moral of our team. Their main batsman who was still at the crease, because of our generosity, was finding the meet of the bat and was easily putting bad balls to fours.
It came down to 9 runs off 1 over with their main batsman still at the crease. I gave our chances 70-30. First ball was a dot ball. Second ball a risky single which resulted in a double because of a overthrow. I was not happy with that overthrow as wickets was our least concern at that time and there is no reason to bring their main batsman on strike. The next thing we know, the batsman hit two consecutive fours to seal the victory. The bowling in the last over was not great, but it wasnt bad too. They played some shots better than us, took more risks than our team and it all paid in the end. They lifted the ISA cup finally that has been avoiding them for a while and I would like to congratulate them on this victory as well as providing an exciting finals to our audience.
Except in the field, our team gave their best and i enjoyed playing with this team. The camaraderie started with designing our own t-shirts (at odd times) and ended at misty's. We had our own official team manager, photographer, cheerleaders as well as a Video Camera Specialist. Only thing missing was a team song!!!!! Btw our team name was Red Bulls!!!!
The tournament, however brought an end to a fantastic cricket season i have ever been involved with. I had a terrific time both on and off the field and had an opportunity to make some new friends.
With the football season, expected to start soon, the next few weeks are required for a much needed break!!!!
posted by Praveen @ 2:23 PM
0 comments
