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Whirlwind Shan gun down MCC
Two fielders in the V he clears the rope, three in the V yet the same result, four in the V but mere spectators. It was the nut shell of an exquisite and explosive innings of 62 from just 36 deliveries by Griffins opener Shaan who made the MCC bowling a mockery in a match to loose for both the team. The five wicket win, with a telling all round display, at John Ruskin Park kept Griffins titles hope alive and on the other hand MCC’s title hope dented in match marred by the heated exchange of words on and off the field.
Griffins 132/5 22.4 overs (Shaan 62, Manu Nath 22, Biju 2/12, Zaibak 2/22) beat MCC 129 all out 29 overs (Shahul 37, Sanju 21, Parag 3/25, Manu Nath 2/6) by 5 wickets
Chasing a modest target of 129 was not seemed as easy under the heavy overcast whereas the innings of Shaan looked like it was a placid track where MCC blowers seemed hapless. Such was the audacity of his innings belted with 11 fours and two hits over the cow corner. He picked the gap easily in ‘V’ and the red ball was racing to the ropes in a blink of an eye. Shaan and Vijay opening stand of 82 off just 10.1 overs sealed the match though MCC tried to pull the match with some late wickets, but it was too late to react. When the duo started smashing everything outside the park MCC’s bowlers were under the cosh for the vast majority of the innings, while their fielding could have been better.
Shaan flew out of the block with a lighting boundary over the mid-on off Rejneesh and it was just a caution of what the Griffins batsmen aiming for as they want to gun down the target before the rain. Second over yielded 9 more and the instinct was clearer in the third over the innings bowled by Shahul leaked 16 runs when three ferocious hits off the bat of Shan over the infield. Shaan effortlessly picked boundaries in each overs that eased the pressure off Vijay and he loved keep the strike off to enjoy the marauding Shaan at the other end.
Griffins was cruising to the target in hurry and the first wicket 50 runs comes up in the third ball of seventh over when Shaan lofted Rejeneesh over the long off. The mercurial innings come to an end when Shaan tried to slap first delivery off Zaibak that displaced the bails off. Shaan got a rousing applauds from the spectators for his wonderful feast of boundaries while he walked back to the dugout by that time the chasing was all but done.
MCC got another wicket immediately after the departure of Shaan by getting rid of Sudheesh for a first ball nought. But the cameo from the skipper shut any late push by compiling a 16 balls 23. The towering hit over the long off virtually was the final nail of MCC coffin. Viyay scored a calm and second fiddle 22, with two hits to the fence, that brought the Griffins innings together before a sharp catch at first slip off Biju. Captain and deputy perished their wicket while trying to see off the target before the break. Parag and Stanlee were at the crease while the team scored winning runs. The former scored 13 off 22 and the latter hit winning boundary.
It was a good toss to loose for Griffins in the morning as MCC chose to pad first. MCC openers started innings steadily but Griffins hit back into the match with the wicket of Sanju, caught at third man off Vinil for 21. Sooner Griffins smelled bood and the bowling changed worked in their favour. It was dream debut for Parg who bagged three wicket including the price wicket of MCC batting mainstay Aghilan. This was the first single digit score by Aghilan, the leading run scorer in the current edition of UKMCL, who deceived by the slow pitch and could ended up in a caught and bowl.
Unlike the batting, where Shaan scored major chunk of the runs, the bowling unit contributed equally to the team’s performance either by taking wickets or contain run flow. Form 29 for no after five overs loss Griffins pegged the MCC inning to 53/5 by 16th over in a spirited display of disciplined bowling. MCC captain Praveen and top scorer Shaul tried to resurrect the innings by adding 45 runs for the sixth wicket whereas Anooj break the deadlock by bowling Praveen through the gates while he played with a laden foot on top of his electric respond at the field left stranded Shahul at the pitch.
Griffins bowlers never allowed MCC to cut to loose and gain momentum for their innings as the regular break through that folded their inning for 128 with 39 deliveries unused and at least 70 runs short of a fighting total against a mighty batting line up. Debutant Parag was the pick of the bowlers returned with a figure of 3/25 and he got an excellent support from Abdul Samad from the west end by bowling full and fast five unplayable overs that leaked only 12 runs. Anooj and Captain Manu shared two wickets apiece and cleared the tail by not allowing to wag while Vinil made the early inroad by getting rid of opener Sanju.
It was a match to loose for either of the team as one more defeat will shut the glimmer of hopes of title challenge. The vital win helped Griffins to move third on the table of UKMCL 2016 and remain a strong contender for Friends 11 title challenge.
