Cosmos Sailed Over Islandwide In T20 Encounter
David Mohammed hit a quick 23 off 7 balls in Cosmos win. Photo by Shiek Mohamed
By Sham Ali
(Celebrating 33rd Anniversary – Match #1029):- Scorecard: (Cosmos 132 for 7 off 15 overs. Islandwide 102 for 4 off 15 overs.)
An excellent all-round performance from Cosmos sealed a convincing 30 runs victory over Islandwide in the Metropolitan Cricket League (MCL) T20 quarter finals at Idlewyle Park last Sunday. Islandwide won the toss and asked Cosmos to take first strike after the match was reduced to 15 overs.
It was a move that proved unworthy for the opposition but one that fitted perfectly for Cosmos as Amjad Khan and Jetendra Sookdeo raced to an opening partnership of 45 runs in five overs. Khan (27) then tugged a half tracker to the man at mid-on after three consecutive blows to the boundary. Sookdeo and Rasheem James kept scoring at a healthy rate in another mini partnership of 43 runs before James (17) and Sookdeo (27) went in the 10th over and Sohan Dass was run out from a direct hit. David Mohammed played a little cameo, he went big over mid-off and mid-wicket to move to 23 off 7 balls as he and Ralston Levy push the total to 123 runs in the penultimate over before Cosmos inning closed on 132 runs in the allotted 15 overs.
These two teams seem to have been strangers in the same league and this was the first time they met for the season, and only by the probability of their ranking on the points table. This is a much improved Islandwide team, however, they got off to a shaky when their two hard-hitting batsmen were sent back early. Dass perhaps inspired by Glen Lorick’s catch the previous day in Everest Masters win over Crusaders settled at short mid-on under a skier that took ages to come down and when it did come down Dass cuddled it to get rid of Fontinellie. Serioux handed Sookdeo a stinger at short mid-on, both off Sham Ali.
Islandwide never recovered from their early loss and the required rate kept climbing with Dass holding guard at the pavilion end. At the change, Levy and Thohidhuzzaman Rana subsequently put a lid on the inning with two tight spells, Rana was nippy off a good line while levy spun his magic. At 67 for 2 off 12 overs, Cosmos had full control of the match leaving the opposition with a slippery hill to climb.
