Kai Tak Vs St Georges, M.R
Kai Tak 120 M.Naqvi 47, B.Ward 21
St Georges 122 / 5 M.Boss 4-2-25, B.Ward 2-2-11
Well, not the best of days for the TAK. We put up a bit of a fight but in the end the Hong Kong star Najeeb was too good for us. Indeed it was a one man show and if we got him earlier who knows!!
I had it in my mind to field first to go for a target so that was plan A. We got off to a great start with the DB contingent turning up well before kick off. Unfortunately they took my suggestion serious of the one hour time change for DB residents and sure enough when i turned up they were already sweating. Dwight Johnson pulled it all back into reality when he had discovered in his haste to get to the ground on time, he forgot his pants!! Oh well more of that later.
We lost the toss and to my shock they chose to field. This was not in my planning so i had to get my head around us setting the target. We got off to a reasonable start with Mohs and Nick ticking the runs over. Unfortunately Nick went LBW for a few and i came out to continue the hard work. All was going well and after 10 overs, we were 1 for 60!! I had hit my couple of 6's and was let off when i hit one that brought snow down with it. Hong Kong hero, Najeeb then came on and with his very first ball had me out LBW in front after a bottom edge, out for 18. No probs, good platform and lots of batting. Unfortunately the plan fell apart, the St George bowling though was spot on and with each change a new bowler who put it on the spot from ball one. We struggled with this and some rash shots our wickets fell at regular intervals. Bob Ward gave some resistance with a solid 21. Mohsin had built himself a great innings and was showing that he could be the man to get us to 180 odd. He then went almost identical to the week before, a solid hit to covers who took the catch, out for 47. Not much else positives from the batting and we finally gave up at 120. Najeeb being the main culprit but he did top the bowling for Hong Kong recently with the most wickets and an economy of only 2.5 odd!! What are we to do!!
120 is 120 and i said to the boys, lets make them earn it!!! Very 1st ball Mitch puts in a short hop on the off and their Captain Javed cuts straight to the new boy Nihal at covers, 1 for 0!! What a start!!! Fidel was not his self and when Mitch came on again, he put one in short which the guy skied and was taken nicely, their square leg though called a no ball and keeping his head Mitch saw the non striker half way done the pitch and threw down the stumps, 2nd wicket. In Mitchs' very next over he got one to move nicely off the seam and got the edge he thoroughly deserved. So now it was game on, 3 for 14 after 4 overs!!! Alas thats where the fun stopped, in walked Najeeb and well he went about his business in a very disrespectfull way, clobbering everyone all over the place. As i said it really was a one man band, the other guys really didnt look like they would have given us much grief. Najeeb had an batting strike rate of 150 odd percent in the recent comp, so once again, what are we up against in Saturday cricket!! Geoff DeLaine and Nihal copt a battering by Najeeb but still showed very good signs for us in the future!!
I finally brought the slow guys on and once again Darren Fryer was on the spot and showed he will give us a great option for some slower stuff!!! They kept the pace up and soon the result was becoming inevitable. Bob Ward was brought on and as is his way got the wicket on about his 3rd ball. Najeeb caught by Fidel for about 70. 2 balls later their other batter who had been in for a while with Najeeb, oh actually he just made up the numbers whilst Najeeb batted. This guys was dumbfounded when he swept the ball and a diving Dwight Johnson pulled off one of the best catches i have seen in Saturday cricket in Hong Kong, a full dive to his right and the ball stuck!! By this stage it was too little too late and the rest of their batters plodded along to win the game.
So in the end Najeeb was too good, we need to learn how to face this sort of bowling, a target of 180 would have been quite defendable but hey, no shame in this one!!!
We really needed another 50 odd runs to have put the pressure on them but to their credit, one of the best bowling i have had the misfortune of playing against!!!
Some big games in November but i have confidence that we can bounce back!! We showed today that against a good bowling and batting attacke we are more than competitive, against Hong Kongs finest, well we can only do our best!!!
Drinks at Stauntons was well attended again with the nominations and awards being given out.
Mug of the Day: Hard one but there was no doubt that it had to go to Dwight who had forgotten his trunks!! This was not the worst of it, he then tried to pit the blame on his wife Jacky, who vehemently defended herself!! Sorry Dwight, great catch though!!
Throwing of the toys: Mohsin Naqvi. I would like to know why but i didnt understand his sledging to the Pakistani opposition, it did earn him a caution from the umpire though!!!
Man of the Match: Bob Ward. Big hitting and getting that F%$K Najeeb out on his 3rd ball!!
Go the TAK!!!
Steve