By Sham Ali
(Celebrating 47th Anniversary – Match# 1342): – It has been an inspired performance from Cosmos in defense of a small total which they turned into an impossible target for the opposition. A mere determined approach in the field that was triggered by Ahmad Dodson, with ball in hand as he sparked his team momentum with an inspired spell of fast bowling.
There is always good reward for staying the course, work hard and remain focused on achieving the simple things, and this Cosmos team led by Devindra Balgobin has been doing just that, while they mute the noise that arises from time to time, and Captain Devindra Balgobin must be extremely satisfied to see his team delivered one of their most signature all-round performances last Sunday at Ferry Point Park last Sunday when the came up against GT Fire.
It was Dodson who dominated a vital 8-wicket partnership with Ryan Ganesh that recovered Cosmos from a dismal position, and that ultimately proved to be a defining phase of the match. At 101 for 8, Cosmos batsmen had gifted their wickets with a series of irresponsible shots. Vitindra Koomar went in the first over when he attempted to clear mid-wicket but top edged to short third-man. Yogeshwar Ramgobin swiped at nothing. Govin Persaud partnered the reliable Ghanam Tariq but then drove loosely to cover. Antanio Rooplall looked comfortable for a while, but them went via lbw when played a headless swipe at the crucial stage. Chatram Nauth then found the man at deep mid-on, and Cosmos scorecard had a worrisome look.
But Cosmos most reliable batsman, Ghanam Tariq, held the inning together and carried the burden. He kept looking for a reliable partner in the middle, but could not find one as Cosmos kept losing wickets at crucial stages of the inning. Tariq eventually went for an excellent 45 runs in the 20th over when young Ziyaad Changah took a brilliant low catch on the deep cover point boundary. At 97 for 7, Devindra Balgobin had enough time to mark his crease, and was at sea when he moved onto the backfoot to a full ball where he played south to a ball that came north. Akash Rahim, who had featured in a good partnership with Dodson in the previous match, apparently had forgotten to remove his roller-skates after he had padded up. He pushed to the man at short extra-cover and took off as if he had seen a ghost with a dagger behind him. Dodson gave him the signal to keep going, 101 for 8.
Dodson remained unfazed in the mayhem as he produced a cameo 20-ball 32 runs in a 37-runs partnership with Ryan Ganesh. That partnership showcased the dept of this Cosmos batting line-up, and would prove to be the defining one in this match as the Cosmos inning closed on 140 all out in 27.2 overs with F. Ali taking 3 for 23, A. Lallbeharry 2 for 38, R. Dewlall 2 for 35, however, M. Lionel was the pick of the bowlers with 1 for 16 in his 6 overs.
At the interval, GT Fire sounded the bell that they had this match in the bag, but this Cosmos outfit has been gradually improving and showed that in their defense. They fired on all cylinders in this match, focused and relentless giving nothing away as they pounced on this opposition, and turned a small total into a mountain for the opposition courtesy of a brilliant spell from Dodson that ignited the team, and it was backed up by an equally brilliant performance in the field which overshadowed Cosmos’s earlier display with the bat.
Cosmos struck in the first over when Dodson handed Vijendra Bhir a first ball duck with a good out-swinger that made some height and Antanio Rooplall plucked a sharp catch, out of thin air, over his head at first slip. The left-handed Richie Gayadeen took Dodson back over his head one bounce into the boundary, but then he had no answer for one that pierced through the gates to the sound of the death rattle. Mark Lionel then nicked another out-swinger from Dodson and Koomar obliged, 2 in 2 balls, and 3 down. Yogeshwar Ramgobin got into the action when in Dodson next over Navin Dewlall sliced to point where Ramgobin dived forward, a rarity for him (notes for Rahim and Balgobin), and came up aces, 4 for 30, and Cosmos smell blood. Errol Velaidum got an umpire’s reprieve in the same over from a huge nick to denied Dodson a fifer, and then Balgobin grassed a straight forward catch at mid-off to deny Dodson again.
The introduction of Cosmos ace, the left-arm orthodox Towgeshwar Thakoordeen, kept GT Fire very low on fuel as the runs dried up. The young Ziyaad Changah looked composed for a while, but then Thakoordeen drew him out with a well flighted delivery and Koomar whipped the bails, 52 for 5. Chatram with is first ball ended Velaidum (24) resistance, trapped off the backfoot leaving this opposition line-up in tatters. Thakoordeen then accounted for another two wickets when Fawwaz Ali drove hard to deep mid-off boundary and Govin Persaud tracked it down to his left, and held on inches off the ground as the ball was dying on him.
Rahim, still with skates on, waited ages and took a skier at deep mid-on. You couldn’t keep Dodson out of this match, he was all over when he plucked a rocket from the left- handed Khemchan Salaiman that was headed for a maximum on the deep mid-wicket boundary, but Dodson is a tower and rockets must fly high. If Rooplal, Ramgobin and Govin made the cut for the best catch so far, then with that catch Dodson entered the ranking. Govin then send a tracer from deep mid-off to Chatram to run out Rogeshwar Dewlall going for a second run, and that throw summed up Cosmos brilliance in the field, and just like that Cosmos blew the fire out to wrap up the match with a convincing 64 runs victory. The birthday cake for Cosmos youth player Ziyaad and Ghanam after the match tasted much better as Cosmos was near perfect on this day.
Cosmos will play NY Alliance/Renegades next Sunday at Beach 32 at 1:30pm.
Cosmos Kings will play Demroc on Sunday at 8:30am.
