Match Report: 5-Match Rivalry Series - May 14th, 2006
Extras Led the Way as LVCC Falter in a Thriller Game 2
Result: LCRC win by 4 wickets; Scorecard
Sunday, May 14th 2006:
LVCC fall victims to some poor umpiring in game 2, but managed to create a thriller finish as LCRC barely managed to win game 2 to tie the series.
LVCC started off again to a poor start as they lost quick top-order wickets. There was some shuffling in the batting order as the Xpress captain tried to find a winning combination. The shuffle as explained by the captain was an experimentation to give him an idea as to who should be the role players in the team. The move turned out to be somewhat disastrous, but proved to be revealing toward the end as the Xpress managed to post 167 runs in 29 overs. The rebound was spearheaded by the captain himself and Anupam who seem to be in great form. Avi (33) and Anupam (45) put on a great batting performance as they clobbered through the LCRC bowling line-up.
LVCC lost two quick wickets of Sunny (0) and Adnan (3). Sunny's middle-stump got knocked down as he attempted to place an outswinger to deep fine leg. Luck didn't side Adnan too well either as he got bowled out of a ball that rolled into the stump after hitting his toe. Nasir, the sole left-hander showed resilience and scored 22 runs as he placed the ball well around the park. A lazy sweep shot was his demise as he got bowled out. Avi and Jahangir tried to stabilized the innings, but to no avail as Jahangir, the star player of game 1, got out to a lazy shot in the covers after scoring 11 runs.
Lenin (7), Aurangzeb (2), Ankit (2), Dabir (6) were lacking severe form but gave good suppot to Anupam who was masterful in sculpting a dashy innings. His greatness came to an end off the last ball of the 29th over.
LCRC yet again had a shaky start to their innings as the openners had trouble with some excellent seaming deliveries. Aurangzeb and Anupam created confusion between the batsmen as they were beaten by many unplayable deliveries. Poor and biased umpiring resulted in disturbing the line and length of the Xpress bowlers as the extras surmounted during the first 15 overs. After the drinks break, the Xpress bowlers came through with a tentalizing attack as wickets for LCRC began to tumble rapidly. Auranzeb was yet again the call to the Xpress prayers as he quickly took out the top order. His spell included 3 wickets, two of which were taken behind the wicket by a pair of safe hands by Adnan.
The highlight of the match was a one-handed diving catch caught by Adnan off Jahangir's delivery. The ball was travelling with immense speed toward first slip, but his quick reaction resulted in a spectacular catch that left the batsman and the opponents up on their toes. After the catch, the LCRC umpires resorted to foul play as unnecessary wide deliveries were called off every Xpress bowler. The end result was LCRC winning by 4 wickets.
The Xpress need to regroup and forget about the loss as they have heaps of talented players in their corner. Game 3 is crucial and will make a huge turning point for both teams in order to win the series.