By Sham Ali
(Celebrating 46th Anniversary): – Ryan Ganesh and Gohan Gourdeen delivered two searing spells of medium pace bowling that left Eagles fluttering when the two teams met at Whitestone Park last Sunday. It was one of Cosmos’s signature all-round performances in the field thus far as they were almost perfect on the day.
Ganesh and Gohan Gourdeen combined for a brilliant spell of right and left-handed medium pace bowling as they ripped through the opposition line-up after Eagles won the toss and elected to bat. Ganesh started Eagles decent when he got the breakthrough with a good outswinger that clipped the edge of M. Verasammy and Ghanam Tariq held on to sharp catch at first slip. Alex Chunilall then plucked a one-handed stunner at short mid-wicket to remove S. Dhaniram to give Gourdeen his first of the next three wickets to fall. He then had F. Roopchand taken by A. Chunilall at mid-wicket and trapped St. Clair with a good in-swinger, 23 for 4 in 3.5 overs.
Ganesh then ripped into the opposition middle-order and took it apart with a controlled spell. Eagles batsmen succumbed to the pressure and instead of absorbing a few overs and play themselves in, they chose the aerial route and suffered the consequences. Cosmos was hawkish in the field and appeared as though they caught wind on this day. Baveshwar Utam, Cosmos newfound sensation, after standing on the sidelines last season, was lightning fast in the field and made two difficult chances off Ganesh on the mid-off boundary looked quite easy. Ganesh them picked up another two wickets to bag a fifer, 5 for 27, while Gourdeen kept tightening the screws.
Devindra Balgobin kept marshalling his troops well in the field and they were not prepared to give an ounce of extra air to the opposition, and at the end of Ganesh and Gourdeen’s spells, the opposition was panting at 8 for 45 off 12 overs. It took another over and one ball to finish the inning off when Utam, he got hands like a bucket, held on to another good catch at deep mid-off give Towgeshwar Thakoordeen his lone wicket. It took Alex Chunilall just one ball to end the procession when Ganesh held on to a sharp catch at point as Eagles bundle out their opponents for a paltry 53 all out in 13.1 overs
Cosmos went into the pavilion very satisfied with the effort in the field, and confident of getting over the line. Apart from an early hiccup when Antanio Rooplall poked at one on off stump to give the man at point a regulation catch, the chase to the finish line was academic. Yogeshwar Ramgobin and Ghanam Tariq ensured that Cosmos took command and control of the inning. Fittingly, Ramgobin finished the match off with a maximum over mid-on as Cosmos delivered a telling blow to Eagles and soared to a massive 8-wicket victory.
Cosmos will play Triniboyz next Sunday at Beach-58.
