A stinker of a win...

Well that was one hot Sunday...we looked to be the older team on the day as our poor fielding effort nearly cost us dearly. On this Sunday we looked every bit as tired as the skipper, but somehow with Coach urging us on...and God opening the heavens at just the right time we pulled a win out of a stinker of a performance...as we won by 8 runs/ run-rate.

Let's start from the top down...team leaders/ veterans first.

Paul - 7.0 (2.5 batting, 1.0 fielding, 2.5 bowling, 1.0 discretionary)
Batted well to come not out, although bad fitness resulted in lack of positive aggression later as was warranted. Fielding was tested and proved to be a low point on the day. Bowling was good and economical with a couple key wickets. Man of the match self awarded...lol...even with poor fielding was an abnormal process further illustrating that no one really had a good enough day.

Tanmay - 8.0 (1.5 batting, 3.0 fielding, 2.5 bowling, 1.0 discretionary)
Batting was very positive but lost his wicket at an inopportune moment with two power play overs still to go. Bowling was economical band deserving of more than two wickets. Took a blinder of a line drive on the long off boundary...a good day for the Vice.

Tiki - 8.0 (2.5 batting, 2.0 fielding, 2.5 bowling, 1.0 discretionary)
Top score of 42 for the team but still did not convert his start to a 50+. Keeping was again good but he dropped a chance off Tanmay. Bowling was much better and under 5 economy is acceptable for a leggie...but we need more wickets from a leggie than 1 in 6 overs.

Wazza - 6.0 (0 batting, 3.0 fielding, 2.0 bowling, 1.0 discretionary)
Batting was all out of sorts due to pace and bounce coupled with the bowlers sussing out his less desirable leg side/body line bowling lines & length. Fielding was brilliant with 2 great catches. Bowling was a bit too expensive at 5 RPO considering the batsmen were not of the exceptional variety.

Chuck - 6.0 (0 batting, 2.0 fielding, n/a bowling, 4.0 discretionary)
His keeping looked much improved but a bit of work still needed there as evidenced by the penalty runs (5) that could have easily been the difference in the game. Batting seems to be coming back, but his stay was very short....considering we expect him to bat a long innings. Not a particularly memorable day for him.

Dalip - 6.5 (1.0 batting, 1.5 fielding, n/a bowling, 4.0 discretionary)
Got us off to a flyer and got out to good catch...such is the life of the master blaster at times. His throwing was much improved which leads me to believe its just a matter of taking time to line up his body, the target and focus. Dropped a skied sitter and took and good catch later to complete a mixed bag of results for him on the day.

Umair - 6.0 (0 batting, 2.0 fielding, n/a bowling, 4.0 discretionary)
Did not bother the scorers much not spend any real time at the crease...which is his job. He seemed sleepy at times in the field and needed reminding on field positioning for different bats per the plan...that was tiresome for an already tired skipper.

Bala - 6.5 (1.5 batting, 2.5 fielding, 1.5 bowling, 1.0 discretionary)
Fielding was good. Got some quick runs with the bat this time, but not enough to warrant mention. Bowled well enough to deserve a wicket or two, but offered up the boundary ball a bit to much by striving for the yorker and instead offering a half volley. This caused him to be expensive at over 6RPO...if he develops a bit he can be great for us. Needs to add varying his pace to his repertoire and good controlled well disguised slower ball. He is a find for this team and his talent will blossom in the short term as his shoulder heals and with more experience.

Jacob - 7.5 (1.5 batting, 2.0 fielding, n/a bowling, 4.0 discretionary)
Batting was OK in two balls faced but he did not get a good swing in and might have been LBW on ball one. Looked a little sluggish in the field after not playing for so long. He was his usual motivated self though and showed that the team has definitely got some depth.

Gowtham - 7.5 (1.0 batting, 2.5 fielding, n/a bowling, 4.0 discretionary)
Again...fielded really well at silly throughout most of the game and almost pulled off stunning catch. His batting was cut short by a run-out mix-up with the skipper. His hustle throughout the game though was exemplary.

Reddy - 7.0 (1.5 batting, 1.5 fielding, n/a bowling, 4.0 discretionary)
Ground fielding was wonderful, but he dropped a crucial catch...making it at least his third such offense in just a few games played..he needs to clean that up . He played some lovely aggressive strokes and it was what the doctor ordered in the end with the tiring skipper holding on for dear life on the other end. I would say this was a good day for the youngster.

7-3-1 three wins in a row and still two points out of second place. The bowling was less disciplined than usual with way too many wides. The batting though offered a glimpse of good things to come. Lots of positives can be taken out of this game...namely the W we added and the development and experience garnered by players in a very tight contest...but at the end of the say the stench still lingers ever so slightly. Next week we play Lauderhill Jammers in a game that will determine our playoff destiny!