Daniel Chuninlal top scored for Cosmos with 37.
By Sham Ali
(Celebrating 34th Anniversary – Match #1039):-
Pioneer cruised to a comfortable victory over Cosmos last Sunday at Van Courtland Park. The start of the match was delayed due a Twenty-20 Independence Cup that featured about sixteen teams which occupied all the fields from Saturday to Monday. They were vying for the top prize that carried the weight of a mouth-watering fifteen thousand Benjamin Franklin and after all the hype then back to the world on Tuesday. Melbourne, the local underdogs, took the prize in style.
And on the slower and much subdued side of the planet, Cosmos won the toss, a rarity this season, and elected to bat with the match reduced to 30 overs. Wicketkeeper batsman, Daniel Chuninlal, showed some maturity in the opening position as he and Kevin Prince walked to the crease for Cosmos. Prince welcomed his new role and appeared comfortable before he played across the line to a full delivery.
Rasheem James joined Chuninlal and the pair began to repair the inning. James has been in good nick, and scored the bulk of the runs for Cosmos as they fight against the tide this season. He didn’t get going on this occasion when he chased a wide ball on the leg side and managed a top edge. At fifteen years old, Noah Vaas looked composed and solid in his defense, and will be a player to watch in the years. He was next to go when he went walkabout-the-crease and got stumped.
Chuninlal though was still there putting together a mature inning. He played a few impressive shots; he pulled with authority to the midwicket boundary and then unleashed a classic straight drive that has the sign of a good young player. However, wickets kept tumbling around him, and he eventually fell for 37 runs when he too chased a leg-side wide. Cosmos middle order struggled and their inning closed on a paltry 79 runs, a somewhat par score this season.
Pioneer, another one of the new-look franchise team that is enjoying a loud half-life, made light work of the target as the completed a convincing 10-wicket victory.
Cosmos will play Sheffield next Sunday at Van Courtland Park.
