Falcons beat United by ten wickets with 33 balls to spare.
United 190/7 in 20 overs (Sid 108 off 50 balls with 10 sixers and 4 fours, Javed 35 off 38 balls)
Falcons 196/0 in 14.3 overs (Kabir 140 n.0 in 54 balls with 16 sixers and 7 fours, Muhammad 39 n.0 off 33)
It's a privilege for folks in Milwaukee that we have the Regal T20 cricket league.
But for this league, life in this foreign land, especially in the summer, would be so boring and insipid indeed.
Thanks to this league, we have tons of happiness and a great feeling of being in our native, as we get to play a minimum of 15 weekends through the summer, a welcome break from the rest of the year, which is mostly spend in hibernation with bitter cold and heavy snow at times.
From the days when cricket was played for fun, the league has grown to be super competitive as some of the cricketers are so extraordinarily talented that anything can be possible as it was demonstrated in this game.
How can it be possible that a team which scored 190 runs in 20 overs have it chased down without any wicket loss by the opponent team and that too in a matter of 14.3 overs.
The answer lies in one of the most extraordinary batsman I have ever seen.
UNITED batting :
Coming to the game itself, United scored 190/7 in their 20 overs, thanks to a brilliant hundred by one of the most admired and friendly cricketer in the league, Sid Siddharth.
In 50 balls, Sid scored 108 runs, inclusive of 10 sixers and 4 boundaries. Although I was not present in the ground, knowing how powerfully he hits, am sure that many of the sixers would have sailed way past the boundary rope (typically about 65 yards or so).
Sid Sinha is one of my favorite cricketers in the league.
In fact the first time I saw him batting was a few years back when I was the then captain of Milwaukee Super Kings. In that particular game, he opened the batting and saw wickets crumpling at the other end. Within no time, they were seven wickets down for less than 50 or so. Although Sid was still batting, he was so restrained (Pujara like) that I thought that if we keep him at one end, we can restrict the opponents to 100 or so.
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| Siddharth, brilliant 108 with 10 towering sixers |
But, he totally shocked me with his batting later and went berserk with the tail enders. He scored an unbeaten 140 odd, which to this day is one of the very best of hundreds I have ever since, not because he scored so much but because of the determination and resolve he had in him even when he saw partners crumbling at the other end. That knock exemplified everything one admires, determination, self belief and fighting for a team cause.
Over the years, I have had many interaction with him off and on and every time I see him, he looks at me as a senior and respects me so much. Compared to him, am so infinitesimally talented, yet he gives that respect for seniority and admires that I formed a team after I was 50 years old.
It is because of such humility in his character that many of us in the league wish him to do well (even when we are opponents) as he is not only an exceptional batsman but also an outstanding fast bowler.
Not only that when he joined for combined practice session recently with my team, watching me bat, he was giving me tips as to how I can improve my feet movement by resting more on my toe rather than my heel.
Here I am, a 55 year old in the last leg of my career, being coached by a super good batsman who is more than two decades younger That shows the passion and respect that Sid has for this great game of cricket.
In the same league, where I have seen a few players questioning why am still playing, here is one who wants to me to do better. My admiration for him went up so much after this, as this illustrates how much he values the game not just for himself but for the game of cricket and the fellow players. Respect is always mutual and Sid certainly earns the respect by being respectful of everyone around.
Coming to the game itself, one of my fellow team member, who was the neutral umpire for this game, was full of praise for the chanceless and fantastic innings by Sid Siddharth.
Sid’s 108 was complemented by a polished 35 by their captain, Javed and a breezy 23 by my good friend Roshan, who is one of the member of the management committee and plays the game with sportsmanship and gentleness which typifies cricket.
Most of the teams scoring 190 batting first would have been pumped up during the break as to chase 190 in 20 overs, although not impossible, requires great batsmen ship skills as not only that that the chasing team has to score at a good clip but also need to ensure that they will not pressured by losing too many wickets at that top. Both are contrasting aspects of the game and can derail the chasing team very easily.
But, am sure that it would not have been the case in the dressing room during the break because of one batsman in the opposition team, Kabir Hussain.
He has scored over 10,000 runs across all leagues in the last five years and has notched up 14 hundreds, 25 75's and 126 fifties at a strike rate of close to 120. Phenomenal statistics indeed.
The way Kabir bats is something so pleasing to the eye as he is not one that muscles the ball but someone who times the ball and places in the gap so precisely. It is this innate ability to pick the length and direction of the ball so quickly that sets him apart from anyone I have seen.
FALCONS (Kabir) batting :
Kabir opened the batting for Falcons and all that required for United (opponent) was to get him out cheaply or at least when he is within 50 as that's the only chance to take this game closer.
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| Kabir, unbeaten 147 in just 54 balls with 16 sixers! |
We are not talking about gully cricket but full fledged T20 league on astro turf with full cricketing gear with reasonably long boundaries.
I was hoping to watch the final moments of what is expected to be a close game as I started my drive to the ground from home (about 40 minutes as we had a game in the afternoon).
When I started from my home, Kabir was batting at around 50 and by the time I reached the ground, the game was already done and dusted five minutes back. Such is the total dominances of this batsman as once he gets going, there is no stopping and I haven't seen any other batsman make such a simple meal of such stiff chases.
Kabir unbeaten 147 was ably supported by the other opener Muhammed who scored in 39 off 33 balls with four sixers as well, which obviously went unnoticed.
But as much as I admire Kabir bhai's batting, I am always upset that the game becomes too one sided when he bats so well. It is nothing against him, but as a cricketer, I want closer games and such extraordinary talent makes it less of a team game and more of one player brilliance.
Either way, glad to see two of my most admired cricketers score a hundred today although I would have wished for a closer game.
Go Regal
Disclaimer: The feelings expressed in this blog are mine and are meant to capture my emotions that day
Link to the scorecard:
Awesome capture of match summary, Subbu!
ReplyDeleteOmar: Very well written @Subbu. I know in the end it turned out to be a one sided game but both innings were a pleasure to witness. As you rightly pointed out, Sid’s was all muscle. I have seen him bat for the last few years and he has played some memorable innings along the way, most notably the 140 odd against MSK but the sixes he hit yesterday were monster hits.
ReplyDeleteIn contract Kabir’s were pulley timed strokes. He makes batting look easy. It doesnt look like he is hitting the ball too hard but he times it so well that they sail away for sixes.
Two awesome innings from two of the very best in the league going blow for blow while we all felt like spectators in a team sport :)