Played at Walker Ground, Southgate
Report by Hassan Khan
This was an incredible fixture as our season drew to a close. A
spectacular professional standard wicket and ground, perfect
weather, our best individual bowling performance of 2019 and a
phenomenal 64 run partnership all combined to make this an
unforgettable match.
Having won the toss, I elected to field
against a powerful Southgate Adelaide batting line, full of
aggressive young strokeplayers. Debutant Ali Zahid opened up with a
silky smooth action and run-up, releasing 75 mph perfectly pitched
in-swingers. The Southgate batsmen swung too aggressively and were
reduced to 60-3 from 10 overs.
Skipper M Cox consolidated to
take Southgate to 120-3 and a score of 250 looked achievable. But,
cometh the hour cometh the man - yes - John Shaw, for the second
consecutive match. He ripped through the Southgate batting card with
a deadly spell of 5-19 in five overs. In the end, they limped to 176
all out, probably 30 runs below par for this wicket.
However, it was deja vu all over again when we batted, as an
excellent Southgate attack reduced us to 135-8. Enter tenacious teen
Ebrahim Khan to join Ali Hanan. These two batted sensibly, until
Ebrahim was stranded 10 yards short of his ground with the ball in
the wicket-keeper's hands ... only to be saved by a shocking fumble.
Ali Hanan, now obviously convinced that victory was in our
destiny, struck a superlative 86 not out. It was a masterclass of
excellent shot-making, mixed with expert farming of the strike. Thus
victory was grasped from the jaws of defeat.
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| Not enough: Their batting |
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| Just enough: Our batting |
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