2021 Regal League - Thrilling Tie between Gladiators Panthers and Super Kings - 19 June 2021 (Lincoln Park, 1:30pm) - Part 2

Chasing 164 @ Lincoln is a par score.  So long as the chasing team keeps scoring at about 7 runs per over in the first 10 overs, without losing too many wickets (three at most), should be a comfortable victory as the lower order can hit a few hits out of the park as the pressure of bowling at the death can lead to length balls.  

With my renewed opportunity to open, I was looking forward to making a telling contribution to ensure that the chase is underway in earnest.  To my personal disappointment, which was very short lived, Aditya asked Zubair and Jeffry to pad up.  If I were the captain, that's exactly what I would have done as we are starting the second round, chasing an on par total and if we get a breezy opening partnership, the chase will be lot smoother.   This was the right combination and with Aditya and Shiv to come next, a great start is all that is needed against a very good side in Panthers.

Panthers opened the bowling with their best in Rizwan and Abdul who both bowled well within themselves, keeping a tight line outside the off stump, not giving length balls which is key to restrict lofted shots and they are seasoned champions as they showed. By the end of the first four overs, Super Kings could only muster 17 for the loss of Jeffrey.  

Aditya, leading from the front

In came the captain, Aditya who was in a totally positive mindset.   When I was captaining the team, I always gave a free hand for him although time to time, he used to take the role of sheparding the team and even in those circumstances, he used to start positively.  But after being the captain, we were all noticing that he is too defensive at the start.  As the best batsman in the team, it is up to him to set the tone at the start of the innings where else but in the power play overs.   In the practice session this week, the team could see his positive intent but also his mindset to hit straight and that made a telling difference in the outcome of the game.

In the next three overs, the score moved by another 32 runs (49/1 in 7 overs) with two brilliant straight sixers and a fantastic cover boundary all by Aditya.  The straight sixers were such a treat as they sailed well past the boundary and also dispatched with disdain by steeping outside the crease. Precisely what he is capable, setting the positive undertone for the intention of his team. 

In the meanwhile, Zubair was playing brilliantly by rotating the strike and not really attempting any big hits, realizing that his captain is in a positive mood and all he needs to do is play the second fiddle. Such knowledge of the game come through experience as he could have easily tired to match the captain in shot making and Super Kings might have ended up losing another key wicket before the tenth over, which would have dented their hopes.  

Subsequent to the game, found out from Zubair that his less than normal aggressive intent was due the lack of stamina as he is certainly not as fit as he was two years back when he breezed to an amazing hundred against Lions when he looked so fresh even when he was in the eighties.  For the good of Super Kings in the remaining games, being such an important player, Zubair better work on increasing his stamina.

By the time Aditya got out after making a brilliant 47 runs off 34 balls (with three sixers and a boundary), the chase was well poised. Aditya got out in the 14th over with the score at 104/2. 

It was an invaluable partnership of 87 runs in about 60 balls and it very nearly cemented a Super Kings victory as they were just a couple of hits away when Aditya holed out as he was left pondering in the dug out.  

So Super Kings needed exactly 10 runs per over in the remaining six overs, which should be relatively cake walk against any team. But Panthers are a champion team and they know a thing or two about putting pressure. 

Shiv made 15 off 12 balls within no time as Zubair began to accelerate albeit fatigue was also setting as his fifty included forty runs he ran (plus the ones he ran for other batsman).

At the end of the 17th over, Super Kings was sitting at 130/3 with the asking rate having mounted to 11.3 which is not difficult as all one needs is a couple of big hits and with the pressure on the bowling side, there will always be a couple of length balls.

Zubair - Lynch pin for the chase 

When I walked in at #5, that's precisely what I was thinking,  looking for a length ball to hit straight and clear the rope. Further having lost only three wickets so far, there is also very little pressure of losing my wicket as Zubair is still there. 

But Zubair, despite being tired, was keen to take the mantle of hitting and requested me not once but twice to take a single and give the strike to him as I faced Mansoor who bowled a shorter raising ball which I fended and the ball went straight to the right of Mansoor on his follow through.  Despite knowing it's a suicidal run, to have Zubair on strike went ahead and promptly got run out.  Yet another of my proud run outs which goes with a zero under my name. But happy that Z got on strike as he hit his last boundary of the very next ball.  What a player Zubair is and his 57 off 52 balls shaped the chase so brilliantly as he was just one hit away to get the team to win.

Unfortunately in the same over, John also got out as we lost two wickets for only 6 runs in the 18th over and the asking rate for the next two overs jumped to 14 in two overs with a tired Zubair. 

A special mention about Rizwan who bowled a brilliant 17th over giving away only 4 runs and then followed by the 18 over where Mansoor gave away only six runs and taking two wickets, including my run out. This is precisely why Panthers are such a good side as they can come up with critical plays at the right time with  their experience 

18.1 (136/6) -  A tired Zubair gets bowled off the wily Abdul who came back for his last over. 

This is where the game changed.  

Rahul, brilliance at its best

Rahul joined Arvind Iyengar.  I have seen how well Rahul can hit during that remarkable partnership with Simeon when he single handedly with the last wicket got 28 runs way back in 2015.  Knowing how straight he can hit and how hard he can hit,  I was sure that he can tank of couple of length balls over the rope and the situation was not different from when Super Kings had a fantastic win against Warriors in 2019 when Zubair's two big sixers one over swung the game for us. 

With 28 needed in 11 balls, the time to hit the ball out of the park is precisely now and my God what a hit we had in the first ball Rahul faced.

18.2 (142/6) - Length ball from Abdul to Rahul. Creamed straight as an arrow out of the park with the ball going at least 12 yards beyond the boundary.  If there was one decisive hit that changed the fortune of a game that was this one, just like that square cut by Z against Warriors (in 2019) which also went for a six. 

In the next four balls, four singles were milked along with a wide to make it 147 for 6 by the end of the nineteenth over. 

Here we are starting the last over of the game with Atif with Super Kings needing 17 to win with Arvind Iyengar on strike.  Although he was capable of big hits, having had very little practice, it was imperative that Rahul was on strike as we felt that they should have planned the strike better in the last over. 

But again, cricket is a funny game and now we are looking to need three boundaries to win the game which can be a tall order but anything can happen as just like the batsman, the bowler also is under pressure and he can very easily slip a full toss or a length ball.  I was still confident that if Rahul gets strike in the second ball, we still have a chance.

19.1 (148/6) - Atif to Arvind. Single taken and Rahul gets strike to a standing ovation from Super Kings team

19.2 (152/6) - Atif to Rahul.  A full toss in the leg and disdainly dispatched to the square leg boundary. Brilliant shot and exemplified agony (Panthers) and ecstacy (Super Kings). Pressure mounting.

19.3 (158/6) - Atif to Rahul - Length ball, sailing over deep mid wicket, Gone, Gone, Gone. What a shot. In five balls, Rahul had scored 18 runs with two gigantic sixes and a boundary, all brilliant shots with thundering sound of the bat.   Need six to win off the next three balls. One hit away

19.4 (159/6) - Atif to Rahul -  Leg bye taken to the agony and howling from the Super Kings dug out. Why did Rahul keep the strike to tank another six?  

Why we love this game of cricket is precisely these nail biting moments and the pressure in the middle and the dug out goes to a crescendo in such close games as I started wandering aimlessly in the dug out, praying for that one big hit by Arvind.

19.5 (162/6) - Atif to Arvind - Ball drifting way down the legside and Arvind gets a tickle  to fine leg with no fielders behind the keeper. They scamper for an incredible three runs. Probably one of the very few times in his league career, Arvind ran a three. But what a time to run those invaluable runs as the game need one to tie and two for a great Super Kings win off the last ball with the hero, Rahul on strike.

Wait!  Arvind come back to the pavilion. As we struggle to understand why he is coming out with only one ball remaining, he seems very tired after running that three and has retired out so that we can have fresh legs for the last ball.  Although it seems that it may not fit into the category of fair play as the batting team is adjusting their batting order based on match situation, the rules of the game allow a batsman to get retired out at any time as this is certainly not the case of a retired hurt as Arvind didn't limp out because of cramps but more because of tiredness. 

Kausik joins Rahul who is on strike for the last ball.

19.6 (163/6) - Match is tied.   Atif bowls it very cleverly, shortish outside the off stump and Rahul can only guide it through the vacant gully. It looked like it was an easy two but alas Rahul could not make it back and the match ends in a deserving tie. 

Wow!!  What a game.  With the game in Super Kings pocket with Aditya and Zubair in commanding form, Panthers clawed back brilliantly and only a remarkable innings by Rahul (am sure that this is the second of his  folk fare for grandchildren , turned this into an amazing game of cricket which will be etched in our memory for a long time. . 

Gladiators Panthers 163/9 (Ikram 30, Khurram 24, Shailesh 2/19 in 3 overs, Aditya 2/22 in 4 overs)

Super Kings 163/8 (Zubair 57, Aditya 47, Rahul 19 off 7 balls, Abdul 2/31 in 4 overs, Mansoor 2/29 in 4 overs)

Go Super Kings

Go Regal

https://cricclubs.com/MilwaukeeRegalT20/viewScorecard.do?matchId=400&clubId=110