New York City C.C. Powers Past NY Devils C.C.
By Umar Alizai
New York City Cricket Club has had a reduced schedule over the last three weeks with Memorial Day weekend and a washed out game last week, however, the team was fresh and ready to take on a strong NY Devils Cricket Club squad at Kissena Park.
Bilal Shahid struck 89 that included 3 fours and 4 sixes in New York City C.C. win.
Having won the toss, New York City C.C. had a tricky decision to make; NY Devils C.C. is renowned for their batting strength. However, skipper Farooq Haider with a stroke of genius decided that his team would fare better chasing at Kissena Park.
Farooq Haider would take his team out to the middle, motivating the team to maintain discipline, to be a level above the rest of the teams, to fight hard, to chip in as much as possible in and off the field. The start was not ideal as keeper Umar Alizai dropped NY Devils C.C. opening batsman on the fifth ball of the inning. At the end this was not a costly mistake as Bilal Shahid’s precise medium pace was too good, and he had the batsman driving at a length delivery.
Missing their in-form bowler for the start of the game, New York City C.C. called upon their premier off-spinner Shahzaman Akber. He would prove to be a handful for NY Devils C.C. senior batsman G. Gaurav, but once again, the fielding would let the bowler down as Bilal Shahid would grass a tough chance. As any good batsman, Gaurav would make the bowlers pay, smashing Hamid Nawaz for three humongous sixes.
The game was setting up nicely with the run rate flying and Gaurav becoming ever more confident on 49 off just 28 balls faced, but New York City C.C.’s finisher, Abhishek Nayak would come in and turn the game on its head. Abhishek Nayak struck hard in his spell, taking key wickets but NY Devils C.C. batted long and deep. Their middle order would provide great support, maintaining the run rate, as Kunal Kapoor helped put together a strong stand with Danny S.
New York City C.C. knew that Kunal Kapoor was the key wicket to dig into the tail. As soon as Kunal Kapoor departed, the fielders could sense an early finish and were on their toes, two preceding run outs led to a strong finish for New York City C.C. This was the sort of finish that is expected after a strong bowling performance, something that New York City C.C. lacked early in the season.
York City C.C. needs to focus on their catching, as four easy chances were grassed which could have been costly.
Chasing 164 in 30 overs is typically an easy equation, but things can easily get tricky with a poor opening start. Openers Umar Alizai and Bilal Shahid would ensure no hiccups, as they opened the inning very confidently, picking off singles at will and punishing anything loose. Umar Alizai would depart on 30, playing his part in a solid foundation for the team. Bilal Shahid proved to be too much to handle for the bowling team, on his way to his third 80+ score. He would finish at 86 runs, with 3 fours and 4 huge sixes. It was really impressive to see how well the team played around Bilal Shahid. Newly promoted Siluvai George and Ali Syed both handled the pressure and rotated the strike. Siluvai George surprised everyone with a gigantic six over long-on, as New York City C.C. chased the score in 22 overs with for the loss of only three wickets. Bilal Shahid was awarded Man-of-the-Match for his 86 and 2 scalps.
NOTE: Bilal Shahid has now surpassed 500 total runs for the season with an average of 47.1. The whole team is feeding off his prolific batting form. On top of his batting, he is also the leading wicket-taker with 22 wickets at an average of 10.3. He is by far one of the best players in the Commonwealth Cricket League and the team wishes him success in the second half of the season.
