17/2/06

Never Before!

At 7.00am this morning when I opened the Venetians there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. I woke the Captain and said when you win the toss you should bat. As we drove to the ground the sun was beaming through the glass of the windscreen so I expected a big score. What followed was amazing. New Zealand Cricket’s latest logo says “Cricket, Anything Can Happen” It sure did!

Everything went according to plan, Brett Randell won the toss and with the new opening combination of Rugved Deshpande and Shyam Mehta we were a little nervous but, we began well with Shyam keeping the first very accurate over off his stumps, a leg bye off the first of the second and we were under way. Next ball and a mixup between them saw Rugved only half way down the pitch when the bails were whipped off to run him out for zero.

Munsarim Ahmed is seeing the ball like a beach ball at the moment and was immediately off the mark with a single.

Shreyas Mishra has been in top form of late so there was a sense of relief in management to know that he was out there with the captain who unfortunately was given out off his thigh pad, caught behind, 36 for 4. Bhargav Dave bats at 6 for us and he immediately set about turning the strike over but Shreyas with the score at 49 chased a bouncer to get a thick top edge that was caught quite easily at third man. We were falling like leaves in autumn. Vivek Vaidya is one of the boys in our team who opens for us at times and he looked really good when he hit a perfect on drive through the field for 4 runs but, he was undone 5 balls later with the score at 58 for 6 from 15 overs. Drinks were taken and Jay Vaddagiri partnered Bhargav to get the score in reach of the hundred when he was bowled through the gate.

Enter Joshua Curran, a young man with lots of responsibility on his young shoulders. Unfortunately, undone just 10 runs later when he smashed the ball back at the bowler who held it aloft in his mitt, triumphant. Now was the time for decision making. Do we continue to bat until we are dismissed or do we wrest the initiative and declare?

We did the latter. We reached 122 for 9 from 31 overs at a run rate of 3.93. Of course, all this means nothing unless we bowl well.

Brett delivered his very first ball with venom making the batsman play defensively, and then the second brought a similar result. The third strayed onto leg stump and was despatched to the boundary followed by three more dots. Munsarim was also very accurate in his first over and our boys were throwing themselves around in the field cutting everything down to singles so after the first two overs they had 7 runs in the book.

Brett’s next ball smashed into middle stump that caused their first drop to stride to the wicket. He took guard on centre and never saw the missile that sent the bails flying in all directions, a golden duck.

A sigh of despair was heard as number four defended the hattrick ball, but Brett was bowling brilliantly and two more balls resulted in no further score added, a double wicket maiden.

Munsarim searched and probed with his next over but again the over cost 4 runs and Brett bowled another maiden. These two work very well in tandem, Munsarim came back with 2 more runs off his next and Brett went for a single before trapping their opener plumb. This, ……………, was getting exciting! Dot, one, dot, shattered middle again, 4 for 6 from 4 overs, yahoo! Munsarim continued to probe so well that he cost just a single off his next over and Brett also cost a single off his fifth over but the scorebook was blemished by a leg bye and four byes, spell completed! First ever 4 wicket bag, not just for Brett but for the team as well.

Munsarim had one over to bowl to complete his spell and he began well with a dot, then a leg bye was added to their total another dot a single a dot and the next ball was driven hard and low into the off side where Shreyas dived to his left to snare Munsy’s first wicket off the last ball of his spell. Now we have them 5 for 24 from 10 overs. Great bowling boys.

Now it was Hamish Kumar’s turn to have a go from the south with Bhargav from the north. We searched and probed for that sixth wicket and were finally rewarded in the 16^th over when Bhargav rattled the stumps with his last ball of the day. The last over of the day was bowled by Shyam Mehta, which went for 2 runs from the bat and 2 leg byes. Parnell were reeling, 6 for 45

Player of the day was Brett Randell with impressive figures of 4 for 7 for 5 overs with 2 maidens.

A mention goes to Bhargav Dave for his contribution with the bat of 27 runs and a wicket.

Kim Randell

(Yorkers Coach)

16/12/2006 

Comprehensive!

Today was our opportunity to enjoy the wonder of a setting that isn’t too dissimilar to an English common. Surrounded by trees with a terraced bank on one side Three Kings Reserve is a beautiful cricket ground, but the boundaries are very small in comparison to those we’ve been used to.

The first day of this match last week was cancelled last week so the rules call for a limited overs match of maximum 30 overs but allowing 25 to be bowled to make a game. The opposition was Suburbs New Lynn who have never beaten us but have more district representatives than we have so it was with some determination we arrived at the ground intending to wipe them off the planet.

The start wasn’t good after losing the toss and being sent in we had to rearrange our thinking because we wanted to bowl first. C’est la vie!

Vivek Vaidya faced the first ball that kindly sailed outside the wide line to give us our first run and then he found it very difficult for the next four balls to get bat on ball but ran like the wind on the next as it was so wide the keeper couldn’t gather it in. So, Munsarim Ahmed faced the final two balls of the over, kept them out and Vivek faced the next over to take a single off the last ball of the over. The next ball he faced was driven hard across the ground to cross the boundary in very quick time. With a single off the next ball it appeared the training session last Wednesday had paid off and after the next few balls were very wayward we had 19 runs in the book from the first four overs. The opening partnership grew and grew and after Munsarim had smashed two fours and a two off consecutive balls in the tenth over he swung across the line to lose middle stump and end it at 61 for 1.

Rugved stepped up with the coach’s thoughts that it was time he made a score and today, he obliged, in first a partnership with Vivek of 7 before Vivek fell to a slow bowler who deceived him with flight and then in a feature of quick singles with Brett Randell until with the score at 94 Brett was bowled having a heave at the ball that had hit him on the leg whilst taking a run just a moment before. Shyam Mehta had the unfortunate experience of walking out and back in one ball that brought Pranil Ranchhod to the middle. Finally Rugved misjudged the one that was not wide and on the wickets so that brought our newest team member, Atmay Goradia to the crease but he was run out after only 3 balls. Pranil scored a swashbuckling 10 before he was caught outside his crease and was stumped by some sharp work by their keeper and we had a mini collapse having lost four wickets for just 19 runs, up stepped Joshua Curran into the arena.

Shreyas Mishra replaced Atmay; Swing of the bat, miss, 2 byes; Swing of the bat, 4 runs back over the head of the bowler; Swing of the bat, high in the air, lands safely over mid wicket while Joshua and he run two; Swing of the bat, 4 through square; Swing of the bat, fielded, dot; Swing of the bat, missed, wide outside off; Swing of the bat, wide down leg side over the boundary, 4;  Swing of the bat, fielded, dot; 16 runs off the over. That! ……, Was beautiful to watch.

131 for 7

Both Coach and Manager instructed the boys that they needed to bowl and field very well as it is a small ground.

We couldn’t have asked for anything better. Brett began well with a bye and 1 run off his first over, Munsarim took a wicket with his second ball and Shyam took care of the other opener with his ninth not to mention Hamish Kumar ripping number three’s stumps out of the ground after bowling more accurately than ever before and Jay Vaddagiri with the only maiden of the day. Our bowling and fielding were very tight so that by the time drinks had arrived they were reeling at 56 for 3 and needing 7.6 runs per over. Pranil gave them a little hope as they smashed him to all parts of the ground but Shreyas took care of that with a wicket from his first ball. Ravikesh Ram knocked over their danger man when he ran him out for 30 and not to be undone Joshua threw the stumps down to despatch the Captain who was beginning to open up. Rugved thought he couldn’t be left out and had one of their “big hitters” caught at mid-wicket in his second over. Once Ravikesh chimed in with the third ball of his third over and Hamish took a second with the first of his fourth it was left to Brett to mop up the tail with the fourth of his third over.

All out for 101. A resounding victory and a very, very fine team effort.

It was really quite difficult to nominate players of the day but Pranil took out that honour with fielding that might put the Blackcaps to shame.

Joshua took a white ribbon for his fielding with 2 catches and a direct hit runout and Vivek grabbed the other one for scoring his personal best with the bat. Well done boys.

The day was not yet complete though requiring one more award, that of Man of the Match;

Hamish Kumar 4-0-12-2

18/11/06

Walked!

An amazing example was set today, but, wait, let’s talk about the game.

For days the forecasters have been telling us it was going to rain the next day, so when we awoke at 6.30am and it was overcast but fine it looked as though they got it wrong again.

We set off to a ground we had never played at before and when we drove down the hill and saw the ground below us it was quite a pleasant sight. Some of the team were there already and others got a little lost but did arrive before too long. The captain won the toss and chose to bat because we had discussed the effect the strong winds could have on the bowlers and the thought that it might not blow as hard later in the morning just before the forecast rain would come.

Vivek Vaidya faced the first ball that came sweetly off the bat towards mid-off and 5 balls later had successfully negotiated a maiden over. First ball of the second was wide and so called so that gave us our first run to start the day and last ball of the same over Munsarim Ahmed tickled the ball round the corner for a single and he was under way. Two balls later he knocked one past cover and while attempting the second run the ball came flying in from the fielder and wiped the stumps out to catch Munsi short of his ground by inches.

Enter Rugved Deshpande, we’ve been really blessed by this young man’s inclusion in the team and when after facing 5 balls he nicked one that the keeper gloved the appeal was almost heard back at our clubrooms 30 minutes drive away. The umpire remained static so Rugved set an example to anyone and everyone who might consider dishonestly staying at the crease; he walked!

The opposition gave him a standing ovation and our Captain, Brett Randell, strode out to the middle with the thought of a long innings on his mind. Eighteen balls and 12 runs later the partnership between Vivek and Brett was broken when Vivek smashed one straight back at the bowler who snared it in both hands and we sent in Shyam Mehta to join Brett and the pair set about building a valuable partnership that was interrupted with a rain delay. Finally at drinks with the score at 44 for 3 the heavens opened, we were saturated and the pitch became unplayable.          

Man of the Match:           Rugved Deshpande          Superb sportsmanship.

Notable Achievements:    Brett Randell                   11 from 29 balls

                                    Shyam Mehta                  10 from 28 balls

11/11/06

Caught Out!

The day dawned with grey skies, the pitch was soft and green, and so when our Captain won the toss it was only sensible to choose to bowl.

On practice night we had trained with an older team who batted which gave us the opportunity to change our bowling order to see if we could negate the opposition’s very fine top order. At practice we kept them to 51 from 20 overs so it seemed a positive step, and it proved to be. After the first four overs by Joshua Curran and Pranil Ranchhod we had starved the opening pair for a measly 9 runs and then when Jay Vaddagiri and Rugved Deshpande followed up with 12 from the next four the pressure on the batsmen was beginning to tell. So when Shyam Mehta arrived at the bowling crease it only took 5 more balls before the first batsman was sent back to the shed.

Vivek Vaidya followed up with another great spell going at just 4 runs from his 2 overs.

We were ripping through the overs so that when drinks were taken the time was only 10 past nine and in the very next over Ravi Sharma had his first Yorkers wicket when Munsarim took a magnificent one handed catch over his head just behind gully so after 15 they were 42 for 2. The plan seemed to be working as Hamish Kumar supported Ravi at the other end for 5 from his 2 then Brett Randell and Munsarim Ahmed combined for 12 off their 4 so that after 20 overs bowled they had scored exactly 60 runs. Round about now the batsmen felt the pressure and began to up the run rate so it was welcome relief when Munsarim threw the stumps down to dismiss the next batsman after they had ravaged Jay’s second spell for 10 runs.

We continued to tie them down with Shyam from one end and Munsarim at the other who finally dismissed their number 3 when he smashed one down Shyam’s throat at square leg and was easily caught.

It was now that we were faced with the left and right hand combination and this really upset Ravi’s line but he managed to take his second wicket even though he went for 10 off the over. About now overthrows cost us dearly as some of the boys got a rush of blood to the head and began to try and throw the stumps down from all over the park. But Munsarim sent another back to the hutch with a superb throw back to our keeper Marcus Barfoot who whipped the bails off as number 8 ran short of his ground.

After Ravi trapped number 9 in front of the stumps he finished his 4 overs with 3 for 16, a creditable second outing for this accurate fast medium. We should have kept them under 100 but as it resulted the score finished at 105 for 7 from 29 overs. We had let them off the hook.

One might think this game is looking like a Munsarim benefit and as he took guard to face the first ball hopes were high. He was off the mark immediately and Vivek responded in like fashion and 2 balls later Munsarim had the first 4 of our innings. After four overs we had 19 runs in the bank but Munsi sent Vivek back to his end as he attempted a quick single that just wasn’t there and Vivek was run out.

Pranil hadn’t played at first drop for most of last season so when Rugved began the game carrying an injury on his knee I asked Pranil if he would play at 3. He agreed and began to support Munsi but in the seventh Munsi popped one in the air and he headed for the pavilion, 26 for 2. Enter the Captain, very confident with new bat in hand and instructions to simply keep the score ticking over which he did from the first ball he faced with an easy 2 through cover and point. Two balls later Pranil succumbed to popping the ball up to be caught at midon. That brought the Vice-Captain to the middle with the need to keep the ball on the ground but unlike Shyam, he lobbed the ball to square leg after facing just 3 that had us reeling at 28 for 4. Rugved favoured his injury somewhat and Brett at the other end gave him plenty of easy running by defending the ball and then hitting a single to keep Rugved from the strike. The run rate required began to climb so at drinks with the score at 46 the rate had risen from 3.6 required to 4 runs per over but we were struggling for batsmen. Four balls after drinks Brett was brilliantly caught inches from the ground as the fielder dived forward to a ball that was hit hard enough to make the boundary. Tough luck but great cricket.

Marcus swung and missed o quite a few occasions before he also succumbed to cupped hands under the ball. Now it was Joshua’s turn at bat who also found it difficult to score but when Rugved was runout with the score at 49 for 7 Hamish and Joshua began a very important partnership realising 11 runs until Joshua skied one to be caught as well.

Jay has moved up the order with the introduction of Ravi to the team, so 46 runs required was a large hurdle for Hamish and him to climb over. Hamish tried really hard but couldn’t get bat on ball very often and Jay was caught out of his ground deceived by the flight of a spin bowler to be stumped. Ravi faced the last ball of the over and Hamish scored another 2 off the first ball of the next but 3 dots later it was all over when he was trapped LBW to complete our innings 33 runs short of target.

Kim Randell (Coach) 

4/11/06

Not quite!

Another glorious day greeted us so there was a certain good feeling amongst the team especially knowing that we now had a 12^th man. Ravi Sharma joined us today.

Cornwall Morrison won the toss and chose to bat that played right into our hands.

Our first game of the season on grass and the pitch was beautifully prepared with damp outfield from the dew. It all looked and felt really good and what unfolded was a really great game of cricket.

Brett Randell took the new ball and proceeded to send down the first delivery to an ex-team member but unusually for Brett he couldn’t find the target and went for too many extras in his first spell. Not to be undone we stayed with our bowling attack and after some extremely tight bowling from Munsarim Ahmed, none for 2 from 2, Hamish Kumar, none for 2 from 2, Shyam Mehta, none for 5 from 2 we had them at none for 21 from 8.

They retired our ex-team mate on 8 after 8 so our new team member,

Ravi Sharma entered the arena with more tight lines. Jay Vaddagiri attacked the batsmen at the other end and in his second over had the first wicket LBW as first drop was caught plumb playing back, our first LBW was in the book. It certainly was a beautiful ball and the score was 37 for 1. That brought their Captain to the middle and together with the other opener they gained another 13 runs before Joshua Curran had him sky one to cover and Shreyas Mishra held a great catch, 50 for 2.

By now their opener was beginning to hit out so it wasn’t until 49 runs later that Hamish with the sixth ball of his second spell had him pop it straight up in the air and Marcus Barfoot, our keeper, raced around took the ball on the bounce and threw the wickets down, 99 for 3. In the very next over Shyam had his first wicket of the season when he got through the batsman’s defence and knocked his castle over, 104 for 4. Two overs later Brett took a brilliant running catch at short midwicket off Shyam to have them 117 for 5.

Brett came back for his second spell with fire in his belly and their number 7 batsman copped a perfect Yorker that was stopped by his foot and he retired hurt. Four balls later he had his first wicket of the season as the batsman didn’t pick the pace and the stumps went flying.

They set us a target of 120 from 25 overs so with run rate at 4.77 we set a plan of defending the good ball and putting the bad ball away. Joshua was given the task of opening with Munsarim today and the pair set about quick running between the wickets so that after the first 3 overs we were right on the run rate with 14 runs in the scorebook.

The very next ball saw a big swing from Joshua at a ball that wiped out middle stump. Enter Rugved Deshpande who had batted so well the previous week with Munsarim but in the 5^th with just another 6 runs added Munsarim was drawn into having a go at a full toss that he put in the air and the catch was taken, 20 for 2, regroup, regroup!

Out strolled the Captain who promised much with a single off the first ball he faced but Rugved was to lose his patience just 8 runs later.

Shyam and Brett have been in these situations many times before, they knew what was needed and set about compiling and collecting that might have seen the Blackcaps into the ICC final. At drinks they had moved the score along to 55 for 3 but then Cornwall put the brakes on so the run rate climbed over 6 an over, so with instruction from the coach they began to swing at everything and with 22 more in the book Brett was caught brilliantly at cover for 20, 77 for 4 and just 7 overs left to get 43. That brought Pranil Ranchhod to the crease who popped one in the air and was sent back to the shed.

Up stepped Shreyas, our pinch hitter, but to no avail, four balls were all he could manage this week as he succumbed to a catch behind point, 84 for 6. So next it was to be Hamish and with 9 runs per over needed he had to swing at everything, bang went the middle stump in the second over he faced, 88 for 7. Marcus was looking forward to his turn at bat and he and Shyam put on a quick fire 11 before Shyam was clean bowled that brought Vivek Vaidya out of the hutch to take us through to 103 for 8.

Player of the Day went to Shyam Mehta with 19 from the bat and 2 for13 from 4.

Performances of note were: Brett Randell, 20 with the bat, 1 for12 from 3 and a catch;

Marcus Barfoot, 10 not out and great keeping.

Kim Randell (Yorkers Coach)