Twelve balls and 10 runs!
Hi,
The topic might be tad baffling, but believe me there is no other way to describe the first game that we played this past Sunday. It began on a rather disheartening note, but went on to be a winner of sorts. The sun was out and shining in all its splendor, but it wasn't all that bad. There were only 8 of us, which meant the fielding was going to be a bit challenging. But we all were up to it and by the time the game ended all of us had worked up quite a sweat. I had to leave a bit early and so couldn't stay back for the second game.
Team A: Siddharth, Pankaj, Chandru and Amit
Team B: Venki, Partha, Rajesh and Anand
Team A must have won the toss as they elected to bat. Amit opened the innings and did quite well to stay through till the end of his quota of overs. He batted sensibly and kept the score board moving. He declared his innings and came back to bat towards the end. He was replaced by Pankaj who blasted the ball in every corner of the field, He confirmed his affinity for leg shots and hit couple of boundaries in that direction. Siddharth carried the mantle after him and hit some huge shots. They both were responsible for accelerating the score in the middle overs. I found Siddharth to be quite unforgiving. Rajesh and I were taken to the cleaners by him. Rajesh is a good bowler and I too wasn't too wayward, but nothing seemed to stop him. The only way he could get out was if he committed a mistake. The bowlers did not stand a chance ... and that's exactly what happened. He got out while sneaking a run, Rajesh was too quick for him. Throwing from, very close to, the boundary line Rajesh was able to get the ball to the bowler on the second or third bounce. If I am not mistaken Partha was bowling and he committed no mistake in collecting and throwing the ball to knock the stumps down. Chandru the gave the final touches and helped the team register a score of about 50 odd runs. The bowling wasn't too bad, but Siddharth and Pankaj were just too hot to handle. They ensured that their team had a defend-able total.
Venki opened the innings for Team B. He gave them a good start and was able to lay a solid foundation. He played some of his trademark shots. The boundary line wasn't too close but he (for that matter Pankaj and Siddharth too) didn't have any difficulty in breaching the rope every so often. He declared his innings allowing Partha and Rajesh to flex their muscles. Both played very well. Partha was especially impressive with some 'opened the face of the bat' type of off-drives. Since the fielders were spread out the batsmen could afford to score some cheeky singles. If I am not mistaken Rajesh and Partha too declared their innings. Finally it all boiled down to last 2 overs in which 10 runs had to be scored. It was given that Team B would win the match ... they had to ... none of their batsmen were out and only 10 runs were needed of 12 balls. Now we just had to see how it all would unfold and when would Team B run away with the trophy.
Chandru was given the responsibility to bowl the penultimate over. He nearly gave his team their first wicket when he very valiantly tried to hold on to a very low lying catch. Unfortunately it dropped, but not before unsettling the batsman and sending a signal to Team B that cricket can be a funny game! The next couple of balls were bowled straight down the line and the batsman managed to take couple of runs. By the time the over ended, Chandru had done his job. He had not conceded too many runs and kept his team's hopes alive. At this critical juncture Pankaj came in to bowl the last over. I think 4 runs were needed of this over. We know Pankaj can hit the ball ... we know he is a brilliant fielder ... we also know that he is a fast bowler ... but that day he showed us that he can be a wily candidate too. The first ball was slightly shorter which rose just enough to distress the batsman, but not too high to be adjudged a no ball. Needless to say, the batsman missed the chance to make any runs of this ball. The next one was a similar delivery but this time the extra bounce awarded the batsman a reprieve. The next ball was a slower one on the off side which the batsman again missed. The pressure was mounting and suddenly that puny little task of making 4 runs in 6 balls wasn't looking so simple. Pankaj had the batsman wrapped around his finger. The fourth ball proved to be slight breather as the batsman was able to score a single. Buoyed by this, the batsman decided to go for the kill but instead could only manage to get his fingers onto the ball and it rose high up in the air. Partha then did the rest and put the batsman out of his misery. Venki came on to play the last ball. He did well and hit the ball high in the air and would have scored some runs, but unfortunately it went behind the wicket ... which meant ... Team A had literally snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. They kept their cool and didn't give up till the last minute. They maintained the tempo and did not stop fighting. Ultimately they won the contest. Kudos to them!
It felt quite awful to let the team down who had played so fabulously. They batted like champions, not once letting the other side dominate. The fact that not a single wicket was lost was a perfect testimony to their strength. On the other hand Team A never let the gauntlet down and kept fighting and were ultimately rewarded for their never say die attitude. Overall it was a great game, which went down to the last ball.
I had to leave early, but the rest of the team continued to play one more game.
As I said earlier, it was a bit disappointing to see only 8 folks o the field. Fortunately we know how to have some fun and as they say luck favors the brave ... we were rewarded with a very entertaining game. We had a surprise visit by an 'uncle' ... an elderly Indian couple had come for a stroll to get some work out when the 'uncle' saw us playing and couldn't keep himself from sending one down the pitch. Pankaj and Rajesh obliged and allowed uncle to bowl and few deliveries. Aunty was standing behind me by the steps and I could see a slight grin on her face ... must have reminded her of his days of youth when he might have pleasantly surprised her by his on-field antics. It was quite interesting.
Hopefully we will have a bigger turnout next Sunday and all of us can enjoy an thrilling game of cricket!
You guys have a nice rest of the week.
Bye.
Anand
The topic might be tad baffling, but believe me there is no other way to describe the first game that we played this past Sunday. It began on a rather disheartening note, but went on to be a winner of sorts. The sun was out and shining in all its splendor, but it wasn't all that bad. There were only 8 of us, which meant the fielding was going to be a bit challenging. But we all were up to it and by the time the game ended all of us had worked up quite a sweat. I had to leave a bit early and so couldn't stay back for the second game.
Team A: Siddharth, Pankaj, Chandru and Amit
Team B: Venki, Partha, Rajesh and Anand
Team A must have won the toss as they elected to bat. Amit opened the innings and did quite well to stay through till the end of his quota of overs. He batted sensibly and kept the score board moving. He declared his innings and came back to bat towards the end. He was replaced by Pankaj who blasted the ball in every corner of the field, He confirmed his affinity for leg shots and hit couple of boundaries in that direction. Siddharth carried the mantle after him and hit some huge shots. They both were responsible for accelerating the score in the middle overs. I found Siddharth to be quite unforgiving. Rajesh and I were taken to the cleaners by him. Rajesh is a good bowler and I too wasn't too wayward, but nothing seemed to stop him. The only way he could get out was if he committed a mistake. The bowlers did not stand a chance ... and that's exactly what happened. He got out while sneaking a run, Rajesh was too quick for him. Throwing from, very close to, the boundary line Rajesh was able to get the ball to the bowler on the second or third bounce. If I am not mistaken Partha was bowling and he committed no mistake in collecting and throwing the ball to knock the stumps down. Chandru the gave the final touches and helped the team register a score of about 50 odd runs. The bowling wasn't too bad, but Siddharth and Pankaj were just too hot to handle. They ensured that their team had a defend-able total.
Venki opened the innings for Team B. He gave them a good start and was able to lay a solid foundation. He played some of his trademark shots. The boundary line wasn't too close but he (for that matter Pankaj and Siddharth too) didn't have any difficulty in breaching the rope every so often. He declared his innings allowing Partha and Rajesh to flex their muscles. Both played very well. Partha was especially impressive with some 'opened the face of the bat' type of off-drives. Since the fielders were spread out the batsmen could afford to score some cheeky singles. If I am not mistaken Rajesh and Partha too declared their innings. Finally it all boiled down to last 2 overs in which 10 runs had to be scored. It was given that Team B would win the match ... they had to ... none of their batsmen were out and only 10 runs were needed of 12 balls. Now we just had to see how it all would unfold and when would Team B run away with the trophy.
Chandru was given the responsibility to bowl the penultimate over. He nearly gave his team their first wicket when he very valiantly tried to hold on to a very low lying catch. Unfortunately it dropped, but not before unsettling the batsman and sending a signal to Team B that cricket can be a funny game! The next couple of balls were bowled straight down the line and the batsman managed to take couple of runs. By the time the over ended, Chandru had done his job. He had not conceded too many runs and kept his team's hopes alive. At this critical juncture Pankaj came in to bowl the last over. I think 4 runs were needed of this over. We know Pankaj can hit the ball ... we know he is a brilliant fielder ... we also know that he is a fast bowler ... but that day he showed us that he can be a wily candidate too. The first ball was slightly shorter which rose just enough to distress the batsman, but not too high to be adjudged a no ball. Needless to say, the batsman missed the chance to make any runs of this ball. The next one was a similar delivery but this time the extra bounce awarded the batsman a reprieve. The next ball was a slower one on the off side which the batsman again missed. The pressure was mounting and suddenly that puny little task of making 4 runs in 6 balls wasn't looking so simple. Pankaj had the batsman wrapped around his finger. The fourth ball proved to be slight breather as the batsman was able to score a single. Buoyed by this, the batsman decided to go for the kill but instead could only manage to get his fingers onto the ball and it rose high up in the air. Partha then did the rest and put the batsman out of his misery. Venki came on to play the last ball. He did well and hit the ball high in the air and would have scored some runs, but unfortunately it went behind the wicket ... which meant ... Team A had literally snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. They kept their cool and didn't give up till the last minute. They maintained the tempo and did not stop fighting. Ultimately they won the contest. Kudos to them!
It felt quite awful to let the team down who had played so fabulously. They batted like champions, not once letting the other side dominate. The fact that not a single wicket was lost was a perfect testimony to their strength. On the other hand Team A never let the gauntlet down and kept fighting and were ultimately rewarded for their never say die attitude. Overall it was a great game, which went down to the last ball.
I had to leave early, but the rest of the team continued to play one more game.
As I said earlier, it was a bit disappointing to see only 8 folks o the field. Fortunately we know how to have some fun and as they say luck favors the brave ... we were rewarded with a very entertaining game. We had a surprise visit by an 'uncle' ... an elderly Indian couple had come for a stroll to get some work out when the 'uncle' saw us playing and couldn't keep himself from sending one down the pitch. Pankaj and Rajesh obliged and allowed uncle to bowl and few deliveries. Aunty was standing behind me by the steps and I could see a slight grin on her face ... must have reminded her of his days of youth when he might have pleasantly surprised her by his on-field antics. It was quite interesting.
Hopefully we will have a bigger turnout next Sunday and all of us can enjoy an thrilling game of cricket!
You guys have a nice rest of the week.
Bye.
Anand
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