Omar Afridi Lights Up The Scoreboard As Pioneer/Tristate Defeats River Valley

Metropolitan Cricket League
The new look Pioneer/Tristate Cricket Club started off the Metropolitan Cricket League’s 134th cricket season with a resounding nine wicket win over River Valley Cricket Club in a game played last Sunday at Gateway Oval in Brooklyn. Pioneer/Tristate boasted a number of young players from the New York Region who were representing the team for the first time.

Omar Afridi is certainly one of the most composed and intelligent youth batsman in the New York Region. Photo by Shiek Mohamed

River Valley arrived late and were penalized five overs based on the Playing Rules, but many persons thought that the rule is much too lenient. River Valley won the toss and proceeded to take first strike. Many of their batsmen had good starts but failed to capitalize.  Dennis Evans topscored with 49 followed by Andre Cousins, 26, Aston Clason 20 and Abdul Shakur 18.   In the end, they were bowled out for 151 as captain Twain Walters took 3 for 31 in five overs with his left arm spin. Another left arm spinner, 14 year old Abdullah Afridi, had the batsmen in all kinds of trouble as he took 2 consecutive wickets for 7 runs in one over.

Pioneer/Tristate opened with USA select Under 18 player, Omar Afridi and former USA Under 19 World Cup representative Sumon Bari, but the latter was sent back to the pavilion in the second over as Abdul Shakur got one to keep low and penetrate Bari’s defence with the score on 5.  However, the joy expressed by the River Valley team was short lived as Bobby Hamid arrived at the crease and under the watchful eye of Coach Linden Fraser and Technical Director, Clifford Hinds, he worked with Afridi to repair the damage and take away the initiative from River Valley.

Afridi  is a serious candidate to be selected for the USA Under 19 camp scheduled for Florida later this month after having scored 68 not out and 33 not out  in the New York region trials  last weekend. In this game he showed his class once again as he stroked a belligerent 83 not out with 16 fours, keeping the scorer, Tryola Marshall very busy. Bobby Hamid ended with a well played 52 not out as the pair added 148 runs for the second wicket as Pioneer/ Tristate ended at 153 for one.

The next hurdle for the team is Lucas Cricket Club with the game scheduled for Gateway on May 12.