Atlantic Conference
Mercer County Park (MCP) played host to all the league games in New York tri-state area in the opening week. It was a landmark event for cricket in the region as the teams were welcomed by a brand-new turf pitch facility at the MCP. The newly laid wicket however, wasn't hospitable to the batters as the ball cocked and flew around from unusual lengths, making life difficult for the batters. Evidently, the average first innings score was reduced to 109 as the bowlers made merry with the extra bite off the wicket.
New Jersey Stallions endured a winless week as the batting failed to post anything over the hundred run mark twice. The Stallions crawled their way to 94 against the Manhattan Yorkers. The Yorkers eclipsed the paltry target at a leisurely place off the first ball of the 20th over, thanks to a resolute 32 from Hiren Patel. Stallions came back the next day again to be restricted to 100 against the Philadelphians, who cantered home in the 16th over after Ryan Scott crafted a magnificent half-century off 26 deliveries, laden with 6 fours and 4 sixes on a wicket where every other batsmen looked at sea.
Somerset Cavaliers rode on the back of Chanderpaul Hemraj's patient half century and Junaid Nadir's all-round effort to down the Yorkers by 51 runs. Nadir's 3-wicket haul and collective figures of 4 for 13 off the 8 overs by Cavaliers spinners Saad Bin Zafar and Kareema Gore, broke the back of Yorkers' batting in a modest chase of 134.
Baltimore Royals edged past Morrisville Raptors's challenge of 158 with 2 balls to spare. Former Gujarat and Rajasthan batsman Abdulahad Malek's glittering innings of 71, in conjunction with a 47-ball 50 from Jaskaran Malhotra proved to be enough for the Royals to get their campaign off to an auspicious start. However, the Raptors retorted back in the next game with an easy win over the Royals, racing home to their target of 161 with an over to spare as Trevon Griffith wreaked havoc among the ranks of Royals' bowlers with a dazzling knock of 77 in 47 balls.
Pacific Conference
Chicago Tigers crushed the might of Chicago Kingsmen who featured 7 first class cricketers including 3 Pakistan internationals in their starting eleven. The game marked the arrival of Fawad Alam to the US domestic scene as a local and calling quits to Pakistan cricket after 19 years. Former Pakistan U19 captain Hassan Khan put up an all round show with a rapid 50 off 26 balls and a miserly spell of 2 for 23, but was overshadowed by a devastating innings at the top of the order from Tigers' Subramanium Doraiswamy off 44 and Cody Chetty's mature innings of 51 off 44 in their pursuit of 166, seeing them home with over 2 overs to spare.
Former USA international Abhimanyu Rajp held his nerve in the final over, going onto defend 12 in the final over as Socal Lashings trumped San Diego Surf Riders by 10 runs in a low-scoring thriller. Before his incisive spell of 4 for 24, Rajp miraculously rescued the Lashings with a fiery cameo of 39 off 18 deliveries to lift the Lashings to 134 from 87 for 6.
The Lashings, however, failed to build on that momentum as a strong East Bay Blazers robbed them off a seemingly easy win with 44 needed off 32 deliveries and 7 wickets in hand. A 77-run opening stand in 10 overs between David White (68 off 52) and Vikash Mohan launched the Blazers towards a formidable total before a middle order muddle confined them to only a competitive 159. The Lashings lower order had few answers for Brody Couch and old war horse Rusty Theron's thrifty death over spells as Blazers wrapped up a 7-run win.
East Bay Blazers bowlers came back again the next day to strangle the San Diego Surf Riders by 25 runs in a middling chase of 153. Vikash Mohan top scored for the Blazers with 37 including valuable contributions from the rest of the middle order. The Surf Riders batsmen threw in the towel fairly early in the chase owing to a stifling spell of 3 for 11 by Musaddiq Ahmed.
Silicon Valley Strikers started life without their talisman Unmukt Chand with a rude awakening. Strikers missed the composure and maturity of Chand at the top of the order as they limped their way to a 21-run defeat in response to Lashings' 144. Buoyed by Ruben Clinton's 64 off 55 deliveries, Lashings bowlers had Strikers in the dock as Ayan Desai castled Lahiru Milantha for a duck. Shehan Jayasuriya's valiant effort of 55 in 38 deliveries couldn't save Strikers the blushes as the rest of the batsmen failed to make their presence felt.
San Diego Surf Riders , nonetheless, left no stone unturned in getting the former champions back to winning ways. Lahiru Milantha turned his fortunes around with a stormy 71 laden with 5 sixes to catapult the Strikers to 174. The Surf Riders buckled under the pressure of a tall chase to ultimately fold out for 119 with Srinivas Raghavan coming to the party with a spell of 3 for 26.
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August 09, 2023 at 01:38AM
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