Even when cub lions are born, they are never afraid to attack on other animals of the jungle who are much bigger and elder to them. They know their abilities and they back them up with full confidence and such a very similar case in cricket was witnessed a few days ago when a mere 17yr old Farhan Shaikh attacked the batsman who were almost twice his age and experience with his wily spin.
Mazgaon CC batting first at Oval Maidan were all out for 120runs, thanks to this little genius called Farhan who bagged a stunning 6/43 in 15overs against players with an average age of 28 to 30. Farhan bowled really well in the right areas and hardly appeared to be afraid playing against senior players as he kept on breaking the partnerships taking wickets at regular intervals.
Young Parsee CC in reply declared their innings at 112/5 in 30overs with their wicket-keeper opening batsman Bharat Singh top scoring the innings with a gritty 60 off 90balls(4fours). Young Parsee CC won the match on 1st innings lead and it was their 17yr old left arm spinner Farhan winning the hearts of everyone!
Remember Pardeep Sahu bagging all 10wkts in Kanga in Mumbai Cricket years ago or Anil Kumble bagging all 10wkts vs Pakistan in International cricket? Well this year it was this pacer Bharat Shinde on the verge of achieving that unique record joining the elite list of such experienced bowlers. Bharat who had taken 9wkts in an innings in Kanga in 2013-14 this time again missed that unique record by 2wkts but he definitely achieved the record of the best bowling figures across all divisions in Kanga League 2018 which is a commendable achievement for a bowler.
In the match which was held at Shivaji Park, Bluestar CC elected to bat first with an aim of making a decent total to put Navi Mumbai SC under pressure. However, the game changed upside down for Bluestar CC as fast bowler Bharat Shinde came up with terrific bowling figures of 8/10 in 14overs with 8maidens which restricted Bluestar to 75runs all out in 37.3overs. Bharat’s searing pace and consistent line and length made life difficult for the batsman as he simply did not allow any batsman to settle at the crease.
Navi Mumbai SC in reply made 130/8dec and it was a good day for Bharat as he remained unbeaten with the bat too hitting a boundary and a six at no.9. Navi Mumbai SC won the match on 1st innings and if was definitely Bharat Shinde grabbing all the attention with his pace bowling.
Played between MB Union CC and Kandivali CA at the Cross Maidan Ground, MB Union CC after being made to bat first were all out for 161runs in49.4overs. Left arm spinner Niraj Shah bowled an impressive spell bagging as many as 6wkts while conceding 63runs in his 19.4overs. Niraj bowled in the right areas while also maintained good line and length which fetched him good results.
On the other hand, Kandivali CA managed to score 146/8 in 36overs before the end of the game’s play. Kandivali team could have been all out for under 100runs but it was Ruturaj Mungekar who saved his team from narrow defeat. Ruturaj smashed almost half of the team total scoring crucial 71runs of 85balls laced with 5fours and 3sixes.
It was Niraj’s bowling and Ruturaj’s innings which saved their team from a defeat against MB Union CC.
There are some bowlers who can change the game in a matter of few sessions and Rahul Sawant is one such bowler who showed that in the last weekend of the Kanga League. Played at the Cross Maidan, Yogi CC took on Pandurangwadi CC where in Yogi CC batting first were restricted to 179/10 in 53.1overs.
Trailing 180, Pandurangwadi CC recieved a brilliant fight from the Yogi CC boys where in left-arm spinner Rahul Sawant changed the game for his team. Coming into the attack, Rahul Sawant went on to take a brilliant 7/24 in 15overs with 8maidens completely cleaning up the oppositions batting line up. Rahul has been amongst the top wicket takers for his team and this spell of him single handedly changed the game for Yogi CC.
Yogi CC won the match on 1st innings lead and it was definitely Rahul’s bowling which remained the highlight perfomance of the match. Rahul was also recently awarded the best bowler in Times Shield C Division.
Played between New Hind SC and Cricket Club of India at the Dadkar Maidan, CCI winning the toss opted to bowl first while it hardly affected New Hind SC as they amassed a very good total of 241/4dec in 53overs.
The openers gave a good start with 30’s but it was Sachin Yadav and Siddhant Adhatrao (55 off 94balls) at the middle order steadying the ship for their team with a 157runs stand. Left-handed Sachin Yadav went on to score a composed 102* off 115balls smashing 12fours and a six. Sachin played some amazing shots while also did good running between the wickets which fetched him a classy ton.
CCI on the other hand were on the verge of a narrow defeat before the game ended with CCI one wicket to spare at 69/9 in 23overs. The match ended in a draw while Sachin’s ton definitely grabbed all the attention.
Played at the United Cricketers Cross Maidan, United Cricketers were made to bat first by Apollo CC C team on their home turf. Their decision to bowl first was spot on as they reduced United Cricketers to mere 67runs all out in the 1st innings. The bowler who turned the game for Apollo team was Pratik Sargade bagging 5/15 in 11overs with 6maidens in what was a very impressive spell of spin bowling.
Apollo CC declared their innings on 87/2 with opener Riyaz Mohamad scoring an aggressive 54 off 48balls.United Cricketer were again bundled out for 126runs in their 2nd innings as the bowler on song Pratik Sargade this time bagged a stunning 7wkts for 49runs taking his tally of wickets to 12/64 in the match. Apollo CC batted for 4overs without the loss of any wickets before the end of the game’s play where they won the match on 1st innings lead.
It was a match where Pratik simply snatched the game away single handedly from United Cricketers helping his team win dominantly.
Into the final leg of the tournament, the last week must be an emotional match for many cricketers who enjoy playing Kanga League. This Sunday was unfortunately the last day for A and B Div teams and Vaidik Murkar ended the tournament on a stylish note hitting a classy ton.
Played between Sind SC and Shivaji Park Gymkhana on their home turf in Dadar, Shivaji Park boys elected to bat first which is quite a rare occurrence in Kanga league. Their decision to bat first went well as they notched up 199/5dec in 43overs. Opening the innings Vaidik Murkar smashed a brilliant 102* off 115balls. Vaidik batted till the very end smashing 6fours and 3sixes while equally toiling hard between the wicket which resulted in a very classy ton.
Sind SC in reply escaped a narrow defeat as they were 9down for 95runs before the end of the game’s play resulting in a draw.
It’s a rare sight to see both father and son playing active professional cricket in the same tournament and it’s a furthermore rare sight to see father and son top their divisions with the bat and ball. Mumbai Cricket just got to witness it this year as Safaraz and Naushad Khan won the hearts of many with their individual performances.
In the last match of A Division-Dadar Union and Payyade SC locked horns with each other where in Dadar Union batting first were reduced to mere 128runs all out in 38.3overs. Quickster Badrey Alam left behind a mark in the last match of the tournament with an impressive bowling spell of 7/54 in 14overs. The tearaway fast bowler bowled at great line and length troubling the batsman and not allowing them to settle down. Payyade SC who were 2wkts down for 0 runs got a stable comeback as Sarfaraz Khan who has been in top form with the bat played one more rescuing innings of 83runs at no.4 facing 78deliveries laced with 10fours and 2sixes. Sarfaraz also stitched 119run stand with the experienced Parag Khanapurkar who scored a brilliant 78* off 71balls as Payyade declared their innings on 172/4 winning the match on 1st innings lead.
Naushad Khan who also played his last match of the tournament in B Division ended the game by taking 4wkts taking his tally to 18wkts in the Tournament. Naushad Khan at such a senior age gave his best even after going through a knee injury in his last match.
While Sarfaraz has proved a strong point for making a comeback into the Mumbai team, father Naushad Khan on the other hand proved that age is just a number.
Both Father and Son this season in Kanga League’18
Sarfaraz Khan (RHB)- Naushad Khan(Spinner)
Matches-4 Matches-5
50’s-2 Wkts-19
100’s-1 Average-10
Average-71.00 Econ-3.46
Strike Rate-94.00 Best Bowling-6/33
Best-109 5wkt hauls-2
30th September 2018- the final decider match between Parel SC and PJ Hindu Gymkhana, two teams who have given some amazing performances this season. It was the match which would decide who will lift the B Division title while also a win will make the winner promote to the top tier of the Kanga League.
Played at the PJ Hindu Gymkhana, Parel SC after being made to bat first were cruising at one point on 82/2 before left arm spinner Salil Agharkar delivered at the right time in a high pressure match. Salil went on to take 6/38 cleaning up the middle order while taking crucial wickets restricting Parel SC from 82/2 to 132all out in 32.4overs. It was a big twist to the game as Salil changed the game with his wily spin.
What’s more trailing 133 was a cakewalk for PJ Hindu Gymkhana’s in form batting line up with Sachin Katkar giving a great start opening the innings with 56runs. Prathamesh Pawar (76 off 107b) and Sachin Wagh (56* off 55b) smashed crucial half centuries steering the team to 233/3dec in 46 overs before the end of the game’s play where PJ Hindu Gymkhana Gymkhana won the finals on 1st innings lead.
With this win, PJ Hindu Gymkhana not only become the winners of B Division but also gets promoted to the A Div of Kanga league.
Some important pointers-
PJ Hindu Gymkhana Cricket secretary- Maulik Merchant, Sub-committee members Ashok Kadam and Bakul Mistry also played a important role in the team’s progress behind the scenes.
Skipper Anup Revandkar has led from the front with good leadership.
Sachin Wagh with 170runs at an average of 85.00 in 3matches along with a fifer and 7wkts overall has been PJ Hindu Gymkhana’s best all-rounder in top form.
Sachin Katkar with 155runs in 5innings has been a crucial contributor
Salil Agharkar with 9wkts in the Tournament takes him into the Top 10 Bowlers of B Div this season at no.7.
DSO Tournament since many years has been a wonderful platform for youngsters and this year has also witnessed a great start to the tournament. Let’s take a look at some of the bright performances from the last weekend.
In the match between DSO Don Bosco and Raj Rani Malhotra Vidyalaya, Don Bosco School Borivili batting notched up 134/7 in 15overs and restricted opposite team for the lowest total for 14runs all out, Don Bosco team did a fantastic job of restricting the opposition as they bundled out Raj Rani School for a record lowest 6runs. Varun Pednekar(2wkts), Meetul Waghela(3wkts) and Yash(2wkts) bagged 7wkts together in their 6overs combined while only giving away 4runs. Don Bosco defended a low scoring match as their bowlers did a fantastic job.
In the match between Janki Devi Public School and Vibgyor School, Janki Devi team after being made to bat first managed to score 114/2 in 15overs. Lave Shivani scored a brilliant 45 laced with 6fours while Krrish Upadhyay also chipped in with 35runs. Vibgyor High School in return were bundled out for mere 25runs as Lave Shivani impressed with the ball too taking 3/4 in 3overs. The rest of the bowlers also did a brilliant job as Janki Devi team won the match in a commanding manner.