Episode 36
Mar 18 2007
Cricket Star XI get their first win!
This was the battle that the boys at the Cricket Star Academy had been waiting for. Not only were they to play a professional side that has won the Twenty20 tournaments, but they were also going to play a side that one of them will soon join as Cricket Star. Yes, this was the all-important game against Leicestershire Foxes or the LCCC XI.
LCCC XI captain, John Sadler, won the toss and elected to bat. Paul Harrison tried to get the innings going, but Rahil Sheikh picked up a couple of wickets. But the run flow was something the Cricket Star XI failed to curb in the initial overs. Ninety-one runs came off the first 10 overs and the LCCC XI looked like they were making the best of the wayward bowling of Praveth Kumar and Sukhvir.
The spin duo of Dinesh Salunke and Samandeep Singh put the brakes on the LCCC XI. James Allenby, who up until the 13th over was batting on 33 off just 26 balls, fell to Dinesh’s ball caught by Kadir Patel. The 14th over made life hard for LCCC XI as they lost two wickets to successive balls—wicketkeeper Tom New was run out by Sukhvir’s throw from the outfield and Marc Rosenberg fell to an lbw decision to Samandeep.
Thereafter, only David Masters stood tall, and the LCCC XI innings folded on the fall of his wicket, having made 24 off just 20 balls, including a six over midwicket and more than a couple of boundaries. The LCCC XI had only 143 to show on the board after their sumptuous score at the halfway mark.
The Cricket Star XI opened their innings with skipper Prabhu and Kadir Patel. But the chaos came almost immediately as Prabhu attempted to complete a run despite Kadir having slipped at the crease. The result was that Prabhu had to return to the pavilion and LCCC XI spirits began to soar.
Piyush Negi and Kadir Patel batted flamboyantly and took the match under their control. Negi batted well, while Kadir played out his innings with flourish. Negi was particularly severe, with a series of back-to-back boundaries, on the wayward Nick Walker. But then the LCCC XI skipper introduced all-rounder David Masters who reined in the batsmen. Negi fell to Masters caught by keeper Tom New for twenty-two.
Soon there was a flurry of wickets—Karan Joshi and Mohammad Abbas fell quickly, and Kadir Patel was out for 37, an lbw decision going Jigar Naik’s way. Cricket Star XI watched in horror as the game appeared to slip away from them at 105 for seven in the 14th over.
But there was one man in the camp who simply refused to give up. ‘Bad man’ Dinesh Salunke showed a determination that was both astonishing and impressive. Such was the partnership between Dinesh and Samandeep that the once consolidating effort soon became a match winning one.
Needing seven off the last over, Samandeep sealed the victory with a thumping boundary, handing the LCCC XI a humiliating defeat. Dinesh Salunke remained unbeaten on 24 off 25 balls, while Samandeep had an impressive 19 against his name.
Man of the match: There was little doubt about who the Man of the Match was. Dinesh had not only impressed the selectors, but also the opposing team for his all-round effort. Bowling in the crucial overs, Dinesh impressed all with his spin and his wicket taking ability, two in this match in a miserly spell that tested the batsmen. His sheer ability to change the match on its head put him in a class apart.
For Amiteshwar, life seemed to be getting increasingly difficult and the danger zone nomination only validated the point. Sukhvir fell foul with the selectors yet again and so did Mohammad Abbas. But it was Prabhu who had the selectors, especially Kapil Dev, very annoyed—because of his selfish save despite knowing Kadir could not make ground after he slipped at the crease.
All in all, it was a very entertaining day for the Cricket Star XI and the victory, albeit marred a bit by the process of picking men for the danger zone, will long be remembered as an experience of a lifetime.
