Scorecard

British Airways v Phoenix Cricket Club Phoenix on Sun 29 Apr 2007 at 1.30pm
Phoenix Cricket Club Lost 5 wickets

Match report ICC - International Cricket Council

Chance - an opportune or favourable time; opportunity: Now is your chance.

Jason was at the helm of the Argo and with his Argonauts set sail to the Concorde club on our first of three local derbies (the others being Indian Gymkhana and Old Isleworthians & Heston) to retrieve Phoenix's first victory. In the times of ancient Greece it is said that the Argo was built buy the shipwright Argos and Athena (the goddess of civilization, specifically wisdom, weaving, crafts and the more disciplined side of war).

A lovely day welcomed both teams and the on winning the toss, the opposition captain asked Phoenix to bat first. A belter of track was prepared and a big score was possible.

Fabian and Zee opened the batting and gave Phoenix the perfect start with some affluent stroke play which meant the scorecard was continuously ticking over. After eleven overs Phoenix had scored fifty eight when Zee mistimed a pull shot and was caught at mid-on for a effective thirteen.

In came Nad who immediately went after the bowling and with Fabian now settled in, the confidence of both men grew and the runs came easily. Both Fabian and Nad peppered the field with some brilliant batting and found the boundaries with ease.

They scored fifty five runs in the next seven overs but Nad's luck ran out as he also mistimed a pull shot and was out for a rapid twenty four. At one hundred and thirteen for two off eighteen overs Phoenix had vision's of a score above two hundred.

Shiv joined Fabian at the crease and he also quickly got into the groove as he smashed the ball to the boundary with ease. We could hear Madonna singing but it was misguided since the Fat Lady was just exercising her vocals for later.

Fabian, with his eye in, continued to power his way to boundary after boundary and he ran riot as he hit ten fours in a fabulous knock of sixty six. Phoenix's first fifty of the season and at his dismissal Phoenix were one hundred and fifty for three of twenty five overs. Fabian gave the platform for the rest of the team to build upon.

What happened next would have dumb founded the International Cricket Council as Phoenix inaugurated its own ICC - Infamous Cricket Collapse. The last time it appeared was last year at Godalming but today the results were even more deadly.

Phoenix some how managed to lose the next seven wickets for only ten runs in the space of five overs. Phoenix scored six ducks as they were bowled out for one hundred and sixty with Shiv being left stranded on an excellent twenty eight.

On a lovely batting track, Phoenix knew that they had to both bowl and field well to give them a glimmer of a chance of winning. The par score on this pitch was two hundred and twenty and Phoenix were sixty runs short.

Ali and Farhan bowled with pace and without luck with the British Airways opening pair playing & missing and good shouts for LBW's going unanswered. The batsman also put the bad balls away with consummate ease. With wickets the key to victory, Jason got Sanj to bowl as early as the ninth over. In his short spell both the openers should have been caught but the numerous chances were not taken. At this moment the Swedish proverb, God gives every bird a worm, but he does not throw it into the nest, come to mind.

Riding their luck the British Airways openers put on eighty three for the first wicket of thirteen overs. The game was all but gone but Phoenix had their pride to play for. Amrit got the breakthrough as Ali took a fantastic low catch at backward square leg. Nad came on to bowl and immediately stemmed the run rate and produced another great display of slow left arm bowling taking two wickets for only eighteen runs of this allotted eight overs. Fabian bowled with great discipline and had the opener Salim caught at cow corner with Nad running from deep mid on taking a truly brilliant catch. Alas the damage was done as Salim had scored eighty three runs.

British Airways finally hit the winning runs in the thirty third overs with five wickets down. Phoenix's ground fielding was sharp as per usual with the extras column not reaching double figures. The difference in winning & losing was that British Airways took their chances, be it when batting or fielding, when it mattered most.

Well Done to British Airways on their derby win and as for Phoenix we shouldn't allow our missed opportunities to affect us so much that we lose our love of the game for there is always the next time. The following two quotes can sum up the above perfectly:

To quote Harvey Mackay, author of the bestsellers Swim With The Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive and Beware the Naked Man Who Offers You His Shirt, "It doesn't matter how much milk you spill as long as you don't lose the cow".

To quote Roy D. Chapin Jr, former CEO of American Motors, "Be ready when opportunity comes...Luck is the time when preparation and opportunity meet".

Phoenix Cricket Club Phoenix Batting
Player Name RunsMB4s6sSRCtStRo
extras
TOTAL :
 
for 10 wickets
0
160		        
Fabian Saverimuttu Bowled  66
Zahir 'Zee' Hussain Caught  13
Nadeem 'Nad' Rashid Bowled  24 1
Shiv Sud Not Out  28
Imran Khursheed Bowled  0
Inderjit 'Indi' Jassal Caught  0
Jason Saverimuttu Bowled  3
Farhan 'Rowdy' Nabeel Caught  0
Amrit Toor Run out  0
Shazad 'Ali' Iqbal Lbw  0 1
Sanjeev Kumar Bowled  0

British Airways Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
No records to display.

British Airways Batting
Player name RMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
 
for 5 wickets
0
161 (0.0 overs)		     
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Phoenix Cricket Club Phoenix Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Shazad 'Ali' Iqbal5.0018118.003.60
Farhan 'Rowdy' Nabeel4.103100.007.44
Amrit Toor6.0027127.004.50
Sanjeev Kumar3.003400.0011.33
Nadeem 'Nad' Rashid8.021829.002.25
Fabian Saverimuttu6.0134134.005.67