ACA 2017/18: Falcons v/s Phoenix CC

The Falcons, with 2 victories on their back against ASU and Tucson Superkings at the start of 2018, entered Game 9 of their season to play Phoenix CC who were lurking at the bottom of the table. The Falcons, being favorites to win this game put on a thumping performance, bowling Phoenix CC out earlier on and wrapping the up target, ending the game at 13:33 local time.

The game started with Phoenix CC winning the toss and electing to bat, and in the end, what seemed like the only thing that went in their way on the day. The Phoenix CC batting order never seemed to gain momentum even though they were able to maintain decent run rate of 4 an over as they lost wickets to some good bowling from the Falcons at such regular intervals that it almost seemed like it was all being played out from a script that was already written for them. At the end of 20 overs as the teams went into their drinks break, Phoenix CC had lost a few too many wickets to their liking even though they were trudging along nicely in terms of run rate as they found themselves at 84/5.

Little did they know, what was in store for them after the drinks break. The middle and lower order batsmen couldn't figure out what the ball was doing in the air or off the mat, as off-spinner, A. Londhe picked up 4 of the remaining 5 wickets, also grabbing 3 wickets in the 24th over reducing Phoenix CC form 97/7 to a total of 97 leaving the Falcons 98 to get off their 40 overs. There were a couple of big positives for the Falcons as Off spinner, A. Londhe and Opening bowler, A. Tummala picked up 8 wickets between them, although they could only have helped themselves even more if they hadn't conceded the 35 extras that they did.

A. Londhe 48*(50b) [Left], M. Rohit 13*(7b) [Right]

The Falcons opened their batting with S. Murali and A. Londhe, who started off very well, striking loose balls to the boundary and rotating the strike with ease, giving nothing away to Phoenix CC. When handed a small target, cricket has seen many complacent teams lose control over the match, which wasn't the case on this day as the openers brought up a partnership of 61 in the first 10 overs before S. Murali got out caught behind. This led to a couple more wickets as J. Patel and G. Lal fell cheaply in the next few overs. But, the opener, A. Londhe brought another victory home, as he struck a boundary off of the first ball of the 16th over, alongside M. Rohit.

Comments

ACA 2017/18: Falcons v/s Tuscon Cricket Club

Game 6 of the 2017 season for the in-form Falcons was as simple as it could get, as the Falcons wrapped up another victory making it 6 wins in 6 games for the season. With 15 overs to spare and the Tuscon Cricket Club, 175 runs behind their target of 302, if one thought the high of the season was already attained, new members from the squad came to the fore finding form and familiarity in their new roles to top it off on a cold and windy afternoon at Mansfield park. Ending 2017 on a high (From R to L: H. Shahriyar, R. Mehta, M. Rohit, Dixit, J. Patel, Y. Sharma, H. Mistry, M. Manikarnike (squatting), C. Dekhne, A. Tummala, Siva) The Falcons won the toss on a cold morning, elected to bat first. C. Dekhne walked in to open with a new face on the other end, H. Shahriyar. The innings started off with W. Papria keeping a tight hold from one end, while M. Lateefuddin leaked runs at a brisk pace helping the Falcons' openers maintain a moderate run rate until C. Dekhne fell aga...

A Landmark Worth Remembering

This post is mainly for the people who are saying that Sachin's 100th century isn't that special because it came against Bangladesh. The others who don't think that way can read it and take pleasure in reminiscing all the great moments that this great man has provided over the past 23 years. First of all, saying that it's not that special because it came against Bangladesh is entirely wrong because Bangladesh are progressing well and they have shown signs of this in the ongoing Asia Cup, coming close to Pakistan's total in the opening game and beating India in their second. In fact their bowling attack is what they rely on to win matches most of the times. Getting a hundred off that attack is not as easy as everyone thinks. Secondly, there are opinions that when Sachin scores a century India lose which might have been true on so many occasions in the past. But, does that statement mean that Sachin is losing India games by scoring centuries? It doesn'...

A Season full of positives

The Falcons being presented with the ACA 2017/18 trophy [From L-R: C. Dhekne, A. Patel, R. Vasudevan, M. Rohit, H. Mistry, J. Patel, R. Mehta, M. Manikarnike, S. Murali; Missing: A. Londhe, Y. Sharma, A. Tummala, R. Pawera, H. Jamshed, A. Alexander, S. Vallabhaneni, G. Lal, S. Veereddy] The Falcons had a tremendous 2017/18 season in division elite in the Arizona Cricket Association finishing off at 15 wins out of 16 games. The captains. 761 runs in 14 games between them There have been several consistent individual performances from the Falcons throughout the season and one such performance was recognized at the annual ACA awards ceremony when Harsh Mistry was presented the best bowler award in division elite. A few records to follow, highlight the positives that came out of the season for the Falcons. Among the batsmen, 3 from the Falcons making it to the top 10 in division elite. Playing on tough pitches, these records say a lot about the techni...

Just Cricket

Search This Blog