Raiders claimed the toss because some of the Hustlers players were tardy which didn't impress the captain much, and they then asked Hustlers 2 to bat first on a wet grassy wicket.
Chris and Ravi opened the innings and got off to a slow start as the ball was holding up on the grass. Chris fell trying to up the tempo with the score on 37, followed by the next batman Kesho who didn't last long and after the 13th over Hustlers were 50 for 2.
After the break knowing quick runs needed Mohan (The Classic Woodman) fell after hitting a massive blow for six , Mukesh and Ravi stitched together a usefull quickfire partnership before Ravi was out caught on the deep mid wicket boundary.
Young Michael was sent in ahead of the most experienced Basil and Cliff (Dances with Garbage Cans), and Rasheed, and he set about doing exactly what was required and proved what a good player he'll become in the not too distant future. The innings closed on 158 for 6 after 25 overs. Mukesh leading the way with a blazing 43 with 5 massive sixes, with added support from Rasheed and Basil who both chipped in with useful runs as well.
Raiders got off to a steady start at the begining of their chase helped by some sloppy fielding and drop catches by the Hustlers fielders.Both openers , Munni and Mark were dropped several times and made the most of it by scoring 63 without loss in the first half of the run chase.
After the break Raiders needed 8 runs per over with all 10 wickets intact continued putting away full tosses the fielding side was serving up. While both openers were there, the bowling side looked dead and buried but, as the saying goes it's not over until the fat lady sings, there was none except for a fat guy but he wasn't singing, he was too busy eating all our food and lashing drinks on the touchline.
Mark fell in the 16th over and thereby gave the fielding team a sniff. Munni tried his best to overhaul the score but eventually fell to a tired stroke. The other batters wasn't up to par with the likes of Mark and Munni and kept playing and missing with some good second half bowling from Rasheed especially and Amar (turn back the clock aka man in tights). Needing 11 from the last 12 deliveries, Rasheed gave away only 2 miserly runs from the penultimate over. Amar was left with task of defending 9 runs bowling the last over, not many bowlers would have liked the scenario but Amar (man that guy can play and chat too), with all his years of experience as a bowler choked the Raiders batsmen by giving away only 5 runs.
The Hustlers 2 players were jubilant and started running to all directions to celebrate a famous victory (even Usain Bolt would have been left behind).
A special thank you to our former Hustler 2 players for stopping by with refreshments and their support as well as all the other specatators wives and children who all witnessed a great game of cricket.
Also a big thank you to our scorer Devya for looking after our scorebook the entire game.
One of our sponsors Arnold came to view the Hustler squad in action and was impressed with the way the game went one way and then swung back another. He also reminded us all that catches win matches and that is a must when practicing next time.
Champagne moment of the Day..........
One of our most experienced players taking a spectacular catch on the boundary and finding himself playing push the garbage can over and seeing if he fits inside it. No names mentioned here this time for his sake but our manager came up with a classic quote when he witnessed this. " The Man Laden da Bin"........
Another great game played by Hustlers 2 and another enjoyable celebration afterwards. Classics all night.......He Laden Da Bin. SUPERB !!!!
ReplyDelete