Match Report: 5-Match Rivalry Series - June 4th, 2006
Shortness of Players Forces Xpress to Play a Game 5 Decider
Result: LCRC win by 45 runs; Scorecard
Sunday, June 4th 2006:
The series decider will be played this Sunday, June 11th between LVCC and LCRC due to the shortness of three key players. The Xpress were also cut short of two players as well forcing them to play with only nine players.
The Xpress, who were the local favorites to win the series in game, won the toss and put LCRC to bat. The weather pundits had predicted a scorcher where temperatures during the afternoon was to reach a little over 107 degrees Fahrenheit. The morning session turned out to be intense for LCRC as they lost quick wickets. Excellent opening spells by Anupam and Jahanzeb left their oppenents in shambles as they tried to recover from their quick losses. Luck sided LCRC's batsmen during the 7th over when Bindu got dropped by Lenin at 1st slip. This drop proved to be lethal as he rallied to score 53 runs to help LCRC reach a decent total of 160 runs.
Dabir, Jahanzeb, and Jahangir were the key trio is knocking the LCRC batsmen. Dabir, with his slow-paced deliveries deceived the opponents and managed to take three quick wickets. Pace bowlers Jahanzeb and Jahangir shared good success as they bowled out majority of their victims. Jahangirs' spell included an incredible pacy inswinging yorker that got the LCRC batsman searching for the bails.
A cautious and slow start for the Xpress may have led them succumb to pressure as they lost quick wickets in the 6th over. Jahanzeb and Arvin faced some tight bowling by the lankans. Arvin, a promising youth player, showed resilience but was unfortunate to get out early in his innings. Jahanzeb helped the Xpress cause by judiciously placing the ball around the park. Unfortunately, his innings of 23 runs was cut short by a confusion between he and the captain. Mixed signals seemed to have been the highlight of the match as the Xpress lost two main players through run outs, both of which was caused by the captain himself.
Adnan tried to push the runrate a little further by playing his aggressive game, but lack of technique was his demise leaving the Xpress in a no-win situation. Leaving the mishaps behind, the captain himself tried to save the match by playing a cautious inning but fall victim to a slower delivery by Chan with 5 more overs to go. He and Jahanzeb were the only two top scorers for the Xpress. The end result was somewhat justified as some of the key players did not step up to the plate. Despite the fact, the feeling in the dressing room was that they lacked a couple of players to provide a good support.
The Xpress really need to dig in their line-up for game 5 as they could face yet another defeat against a less talented LCRC team. The top and middle-order will have to play a great inning in order to secure a win. Key players will have to step up their game and show their worth.