FITCH U19 CHAMPIONSHIP - DLSW Report
Day 1 - MONDAY 17TH DECEMBER
Game 1 – Hong Kong Cricket Club V Diasqua Little Sai Wan Cricket Club 9:30 am start at HKCC
Hong Kong Cricket Club captain Jhatha Subramanyan won the toss and elected to bowl first under blue skies in the opening match of the 2018 Fitch U19 Championship.
Jhalalafzal and Ali Khan opened the innings with Jhalalafzal striking a few clean boundaries to get the innings started. Ledger kept check of the LSW innings with an excellent new ball spell of 1-7 off 3 overs including the initial breakthrough with Jhalalafzal being well caught at mid-on by Dhruv Sodhi for 12. The power play was completed with the game in the balance at 27-1.
Ali Khan began to take ownership of the LSW innings with a flurry of boundaries taking the score to 67-1 off 10 Overs. Subramanyan made the second breakthrough tempting Ali Khan to hit to the longer side of the ground with Tej Sheopuri taking an excellent catch at deep mid-wicket. The introduction of Vidur Malik into the attack saw the 3rd wicket Furrukh comprehensively bowled for 7 (79-3). Brij Sheopuri upon being introduced to the attack made light work of the lower order to finish with figures of 4-6 off 2.5 overs to see LSW bowled out for 94. The LSW case wasn’t helped with only being able to field 9 players for the game.
Tej Sheopuri and Jhatha Subramanyan opened the batting for HKCC. Sheopuri was straight into his stride in the opening over punishing errors in line and length with 23 taken off the opening over. The runs continued to flow with the 50 partnership coming up inside the first 5 overs. Subramanyan found his groove as the target continued to be reduced with some excellent shots mostly through the leg side. HKCC cruised to a 10 wicket victory inside 8 overs with Tej Sheopuri finishing on 49 Not Out off 22 balls and Subramanyan 31 Not Out off 26 balls.
Standout performances:•Brij Sheopuri (HKCC) 4 for 6 off 2.5 Overs•Tej Sheopuri (HKCC) 49 Not Out off 22 Balls•Jhatha Subramanyan (HKCC) 31 Not Out off 26 Balls.
Result: Diasqua Little Sai Wan Cricket Club (94 all out) LOST to Hong Kong Cricket Club (95-0) by 10 Wickets
Day 2 - TUESDAY 18TH DECEMBER
Game 4 – Independents V Diasqua Little Sai Wan Cricket Club1:30pm start at Tin Kwong Road Recreational Ground
Diasqua Little Sai Wan Cricket Club won the toss and elected to bowl first with both teams looking to avenge opening day defeats to HKCC.
Bukhari and Singh strode to the crease and instantly imposed themselves upon the DLSWCC opening bowlers with Bukhari playing some excellent shots through the off side for boundaries. LSW kept their nerve and without taking wickets they kept the run rate in check with the game in the balance at the end of the first power-play with Independents on 34-0 after 6 overs. Jhalalafzal made the first breakthrough having Singh well caught by Gill at Mid-on for 17 (38-1). Faizan Khan got his due rewards for an excellent spell in dismissing the dangerous Bukhari well caught at extra cover for 23 (43-2). Faizan and Farhan bowled an excellent spell in tandem with Farhan getting his first wicket having Jayaweera caught behind for 3 leaving Independents on 50-3 in the 11th over.
M khan and Z Hayat bought up their 50 partnership inside 6 overs with some fantastic batting with some imperious ball striking mixed in with some good strike rotation. Hayat departed courtesy of a wonderfully judged catch at long on by Saif Ali Khan off the bowling of N Ahmed for a well-made 24 off 19 balls (109-4). N Ahmed picked up his 2nd wicket of the innings courtesy of a skied caught and bowled to dismiss the dangerous M Khan for an excellent 41 off 32 balls (117-5) and then struck twice more in his final over to finish with excellent figures of 4-27 off his allotted 4 overs. Independents finished on 139-8 after their full 20 overs.
Chasing 140 to win, DLSWCC got off to a poor start with Saif Ali Khan (1) and Jhalafazal (0) dismissed in H Singh’s opening over. N Ahmed who had starred with the ball showed his all-round skills by counter attacking on behalf of his side with Farhan Khan proving good support. N Ahmed was trapped LBW to E Muhammad for a well-made 26 off 20 balls and at this stage DLSWCC were 51-3 in the 7th over. Farhan Khan continued to hold the run chase together until he was the 4th man out caught by MJ Khan off the bowling of E Muhammad for an entertaining knock of 32 off 38 balls. 59 off the best part of 7 overs was the target at hand and Independents showed their skill to dismantle the DLSWCC middle/lower order with the final 7 wickets falling for the addition of only 15 more runs. E Muhammad finished with 3-19 off his 4 overs and Z Hayat had excellent figures of 3-4 off 2.3 overs to see DLSWCC bowled out in the 18th over for 96. Independents therefore won the match by 43 runs.
Standout performances:•M Khan (Independents) (41 off 32 balls) and (1-16 off 3 overs)•N Ahmed (DLSWCC) (4-27 off 4 Overs) and (26 off 20 Balls)•Z Hayat (Independents) (3-4 off 2.3 Overs) and (24 off 19 Balls)
Result: Independents (139-8) BEAT Diasqua Little Sai Wan Cricket Club (96 all out) by 43 runs
Day 4 - THURSDAY 20TH DECEMBER
Game 9 – Pakistan Assocation Cricket Club V Diasqua Little Sai Wan Cricket Club1:30pm start at Tin Kwong Road Recreational Ground
DLSWCC won the toss and elected to bat first against Pakistan Association.
The left arm wrist-spin of A Zaidan struck an early blow dismissing Saif Ali Khan in the opening over trapped LBW. Mehran Zeb joined N Ahmed and set about dominating the initial 6 over power play however, N Rana made the second breakthrough dismissing Zeb courtesy of an edge through to the wicket keeper leaving DLSWCC on 37-2. Things worsened for DLSWCC with Jhalalafzal then stranded by his partner (48-3) and worse could have followed straight after however PACC made a mess of more of a number of opportunities for further run outs. N Ahmed was well caught by a fine catch at square cover for a run a ball 24 and with that DLSWCC were 61-4 off 9 overs with two relatively new batters at the crease.
Urslan Abdul was the 5th wicket to fall skying a catch towards extra cover (73-5). Umair picked up his second wicket and PACC’s sixth in dismissing M Hassan who struggled to get going making 9 off 23 balls before slicing the ball to point (82-6) The arrival of Farhan to the crease instantly lifted the tempo of the innings with some excellent placement and running between the wickets showing excellent maturity for someone so young. Furrukh was well held at cover for 8 (111-7). Farhan was eventually run out for a well-made 17 and with that DLSWCC concluded their innings on 119-8.
An eventful first over by M Hassan included the opening breakthrough with N Rana being bowled to leave PACC 13-1. Hassan struck again to make it 2 in 2 overs trapping Qureshi LBW for 3 (17-2). A useful 3rd wicket partnership of 23 was broken when Urslan struck for the first time dismissing Aaliyann for 6 (40-3). The PACC innings was mostly held in check with boundaries not easy to come by in the opening 10 overs and they found themselves 51-3 off 10 still requiring another 69 runs to win.
The responsibility for the business part of the innings rested on the shoulders of PACC captain Hamaz and Mohammad with M Zeb bowling with excellent discipline from the Lion Rock end making runs difficult to come by. Zeb completed his 4 overs finishing with exceptional figures of 0-4. PACC were 64-3 off 13 overs still needing 56 to win off the remaining 42 balls. PACC preferred the pace on the ball and that aided by some ill-discipline with No Balls from the DLSWCC seamers meant that the game was still there in the balance for both teams. M Hassan returned for his final over in the 15th over with DLSWCC sensing that they needed a breakthrough going into the final stages of the game. The breakthrough duly arrived when Hassan bowled the dangerous Hamaz for 16 (78-4). 38 off 30 with 6 wickets in hand with both of DLSWCC’s premier spinners having bowled their full quota of overs. N Ahmed returned for the 16th over and turned the game in DLSWCC’s favor by dismissing Umair for 4 and Mohammad who made 33 off 43 balls in successive balls (83-6). The Hat Trick ball was avoided however the damage had been done. Urslan completed and excellent run out at the bowlers end off his own bowling to dismiss Mehar for 2 (90-7).
Arbaz refused to give up and struck 2 excellent boundaries over the leg side to leave PACC needing 25 off 18 balls with 3 wickets in hand. N Ahmed returned for his final over and picked up his 3rd wicket dismissing Arbaz well caught at backward point by Farhan (96-8) to finish with 3-22 off his 4 overs. Fittingly, Farhan Khan put his imprint on the final stages of the game by dismissing Waheed, well caught at deep mid-wicket by M Hassan for 6 (104-9). The game went into the final over with PACC needing 15 to win and DLSWCC 1 wicket. 3 off the last ball followed by a dot ball then Zaidan chipped one to cover which was well caught by the retreating Saif Ali Khan. DLSWCC win by 11 runs!
With this win DLSWCC keep their hopes alive, and a big win over KCC tomorrow morning could see them qualify for the finals. However, PACC remain in pole position, and are likely to get another crack at HKCC tomorrow afternoon.
Standout performances:•Farhan Khan (DLSWCC) (17 off 19 Balls)•Umair Khan (PACC) (2 for 14 off 4 Overs)•Mehran Zeb (DLSWCC) (16 off 16 Balls and 0-4 off 4 Overs)•Mohammad Hassan (DLSWCC) (3-21 off 4 Overs)•Noman Ahmed (DLSWCC) (3 for 22 off 4 Overs)
Result: Diasqua Little Sai Wan Cricket Club BEAT Pakistan Association Cricket Club by 11 runs
Day 5 - FRIDAY 21ST DECEMBER
Game 10 – Diasqua Little Sai Wan Cricket Club V Kowloon Cricket Club 9:30 am start at Tin Kwong Road Recreational Ground
The Kowloon Cricket Club elected to bat first after winning the toss, in a game that DLSWCC needed to win by a substantial margin if they were to make the finals. Both sides struggled with the absence of key players to the U19 CWC Qualifiers, DLSWCC managing to pull off their first win on Day 4 against Pakistan Association Cricket Club, whilst KCC still searching for their first win.
KCC did not get off to a great start, losing openers Aarush Bhagwat and Ahaan Trivedi in the PowerPlay for just 18 runs. Harpreet Singh and Adit Gorawara rebuilt the innings, as DLSW mixed up pace and spin will on a slow pitch. DLSWCC finally broke through in the 14th over, as Farhan Khan judged a skier off Harpreet Singh perfectly, and the very next ball they ran out Arjun Sharma for a diamond duck. 61/4 in 13.4, and DLSWCC were in a dominant position.
But that's when Adit opened up, and the HK U-19 skipper put on a unbroken 49-run partnership with seam bowling allrounder Vikas Sharma. They scored at over a run-a-ball, and together took KCC to 110 in their 20 overs, Adit ending on 42 and Vikas on 19. A stiff target giving the conditions, and all but eliminating DLSWCC from the finals in the process. They also set the stage for KCC to pick up their first win of the competition
They then got off to a great start - Malhaar Vora getting Saif Ali Khan stumped off a wide on the very first delivery of the chase. What followed was a fine back-and-forth battle between bat and ball. Munir Khan (34) held steady, and put on quick partnerships with Mehran Zeb (14) and Ursalan Abdul (21), taking DLSWCC to 56/3 in 8.3 overs in the process. However, Ahaan Trivedi then struck twice in two overs, and bowling in tandem with Harpreet Singh, brought the game back into balance, at 75/5 in 14 overs.
Needing 36 runs in the final 6 overs, Farhan Khan and Munir Khan both found the fence, and over the next three overs scored 26 runs. That should have been the game, but there was another twist left in the tale. Ahaan Trivedi secured a direct hit to runout Farhan Khan, and Ryan Gilkinson conceded just 3 runs from the 18th over. Gauransh Baveja then picked up two wickets in two balls in the 19th over, including a good catch by Trivedi, and conceded just 4 runs from it. Suddenly all three results were possible entering into the final over - DLSWCC needing 3 runs to win with 2 wickets in hand.
The drama didn't end there - after pinching a single first ball, Munir Khan was runout second ball trying to get back on strike - Trivedi the fielder yet again. 9 down and with 2 to get, the pressure was all on Faizan Khan, and after playing out another dot ball, he then nailed a drive back past the bowler and down the ground for four runs, getting his side over the line with just two balls to spare. A good win for DLSWCC in an exciting game, but nowhere near enough to get them into the finals. KCC ending this tournament with a couple of tight finishes, but unable to pick up a win.
Standout performances:•Adit Gorawara (KCC) (42 off 50 balls)
•Munir Khan (DLSWCC) (34 off 45) and (0 for 19 off 4 overs)
•Ahaan Trivedi (KCC) (2 for 19 off 4 overs and 2 run-outs)•Ursalan Abdul (DLSWCC) (21 off 12) and (1 for 7 off 2 overs)
Result: Diasqua Little Sai Wan Cricket Club 113/9 BEAT Kowloon Cricket Club 110/5 by 1 wicket
