Club Statistics
Match Summary: vs. Millfields, Sunday, 07 Aug 2022
Ground: Hilly Fields
Captain: Jibran Ahmed
Match type: 35 overs
Toss: Millfields elected to bat
Weather: Sunny
Opposition: Millfields scored: 198 for 6 (35 overs)
Exiles Score: 187 for 9 (35 overs)
Result: Lost by 11 runs
Man of the match: Ajmal Safi 55 & 1 for 35
| Batsmen | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ajmal Safi | ct. | 55 | 69 | 12 | 0 |
| 2 | Muhammad Umair | b. | 8 | 17 | 4 | 0 |
| 3 | Muhammad Ansar | b. | 7 | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| 4 | Shahid Iqbal | ct. | 25 | 33 | 4 | 1 |
| 5 | Yahya Khan | ct. | 4 | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| 6 | Jamil Wadair | ct. | 5 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| 7 | Jibran Ahmed (C) | b. | 23 | 31 | 2 | 0 |
| 8 | Muhammed Siyar | ct. | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | Azhar Shinwari | run out | 26 | 29 | 2 | 0 |
| 10 | John Crossland (W) | not out | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | Naren Patel | not out | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Extra(s) 8w 22b 2lb | 32 | |||||
| 187 | 210 | |||||
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | Avg | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Naren Patel | 5.0 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Muhammed Siyar | 7.0 | 3 | 32 | 1 | 32 |
| 3 | Muhammad Ansar | 7.0 | 0 | 45 | 2 | 22.5 |
| 4 | Jibran Ahmed | 4.0 | 0 | 32 | 1 | 32 |
| 5 | Yahya Khan | 7.0 | 0 | 37 | 1 | 37 |
| 6 | Ajmal Safi | 5.0 | 0 | 35 | 1 | 35 |
| Player | Catch | Run Out | Stumping | Penalty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shahid Iqbal | 2 |
There’s aren’t many people in the world who can lay claim to having played cricket in a desert, however following our most recent fixture, there are 11 Exiles players who has some idea what that might feel like.
Captain Jibran arrived nice and early to find a pitch so baked by the recent heat wave that finding a green blade of grass was like finding Wally with blurred vision. If there was ever a day to win the toss and bat, this was it.
Unfortunately the toss was lost and Millfields put us in to field. Bowling started well, with some very tight bowling from Naren and Siyar, restricting the openers to just 15 after the first 10 overs. The unpredictable pitch came to the aid of the bowlers as the ball moved every which way, leaving the batsmen struggling to play shots. Naren even managed a vicious bouncer which dislodged the opener’s helmet.
The first bowling changes brought about wickets as Jibran and Ansar dispatched the opening pair. Unfortunately, this brought in some more aggressive batting from Millfields, who quick picked up the run rate as almost everything, whether it came of the middle or the edges managed to find the boundary. A couple of drop catches were capitalized on by the Millfields middle order who formed long partnerships, taking them to 198 for 6 at the end of their allotted 35 overs.
After a much needed tea break, featuring home made samosas and pakoras, the exiles batting got off to a good start, with Ajmal and new comer Umair keeping up with the run rate without playing any risky shots. Unfortunately the pitch got the better of Umair who was clean bowled by one the stayed very low and Ansar soon followed suit after some late movement off the pitch.
Shahid and Ajmal continued to keep up with the run rate, however following Shahid’s departure, wickets began to fall. Ajmal, having put on a skillful and well-tempered 55, was caught at the legside boundary leaving us on 133-7. It looked like the match would be over early, however debutant Azhar and captain Jibran refused to let the Millfields bowlers have an easy finish. They added 40 between them before Jibran was eventually bowled on 23 in the 32nd over.
Exiles made it to 187 for 9 at the end of their 35 overs, falling just 11 short, however given the situation after 20 overs, we did well to get so close. It’s probably fair to say that the toss played a big part in the outcome of this game. That and some very unlucky dismissals of the top order due to unusual bounce. All in all though, a good day of cricket despite the driest surface seen this side of Africa.
Report By: Jibran Ahmed