Phoenix Cricket Club Dismantles Intruders In Runs Fest
This Sunday’s New York National Cricket League (NYNCL) match at the Brentwood Cricket Field saw the Phoenix Cricket Club (PCC) boys in action against the Intruders Cricket Club. Nothing favored the Intruders team, who lost the toss to PCC Skipper Mahendra Persaud. PCC took first strike under a blistering New York sunshine.
Intruders started steadily by removing opening batsman Arnil Ragdnath for six runs and later removing the hard-hitting Dino Chooweenam for quick-fire 30 of just 23 deliveries leaving the score at 70-2 at the 7.2 over mark. Tejpaul Bishundat played well at the crease to gather 47 runs but missed out on his 50 after holding out to a good catch. However, the show’s star was the classy and hard-hitting exhibition of PCC vice-captain Avi Dhanpaul who tormented the Intruders bowlers, hitting them for 191 runs off only 100 deliveries as he raised his bat in honor three times.
His inning included 20x6s and 11x4s at a strike rate of 191. Dhanpual also gained significant support at the other end from Matthew Marques, who scored a well-played 32 of 25 deliveries. Marques, who also held out to a good catch. His dismissal brought in the hard-hitting right-hander Brandon Cabose, who quickly got things going with a few towering sixes. Cabose scored a destructive 76 runs off only 37 deliveries with a strike rate of 205. His at-bat included 9x6s and 2x4s. The pair helped PCC to a NY National Cricket League record of the highest first innings total of 442/6 off 40 overs.
In the second innings, Intruders quickly showed that the pressure of chasing such a record total would be too difficult of a task as they lost two quick wickets to the pace of Kenly Adams. He started the collapse of the Intruders’ batters by first clean bowling the opening batsman for 0, hitting the middle stumps out of the ground. At the other end, Samuel Mahabir joined the party by picking up four wickets from his spell of six overs. He ended with good figures of six overs, two maidens, and four wickets for 29 runs with an economy rate of 4.8.
With the opening pacers claiming six of the Intruders’ top-order batters within the power play overs, there was little that the lower order could do. Only Phillip Biggs of Intruders fought back as he enjoyed a well-fought inning of 48 runs off 47 deliveries. However, his attempt to notch his 50-run milestone ended after trying to sweep a quicker delivery from spinner Dino Chooweenam. Intruders’ misery ended when left-arm spinner Sharma Shawn Sukhdeo came into the attack. He quickly removed the two remaining batters and closed out the game with Intruders bowled out for 89 in 21.3 Overs.
PCC won the match by a record 353 runs placing them at the top of the NYNCL’s points table.
