After several days of uncertainty, changing availability and the second team fixture seemingly being cancelled, resurrected, cancelled again and then resurrected once more, Munich Cricket Club eventually managed to assemble a side for Saturday’s T20 double-header against CCB II.
Captain Jason’s instructions had been extremely clear: everyone at the ground for 10:00am sharp.
At 10:00am sharp, Phil and Nirmal were there.
That was it.
Players gradually began appearing over the next 45 minutes, including the captain himself at around 10:25, Hamza at 10:45, and Mucker making his entrance just as the rest of the team were putting their pads on to go out and bat.
So, organisationally, we were absolutely flying.
Match One – MCC 153, CCB II 157
Having lost the toss, MCC were put into bat and Phil, returning after a little time away from cricket, marked the occasion in the most efficient way possible: first-ball duck.
Welcome back.
The innings initially struggled to find momentum, with Jishnu making 7 and Hamza 12 while wickets continued to fall around captain Jason. Mucker provided a brief injection of aggression with 13 before Jason’s hard-earned 24 from 25 balls came to an end.
Then came the acceleration.
Akhil struck an excellent 22 from 17, while Nirmal decided that running between the wickets was entirely optional, smashing 37 from just 20 balls, including four towering sixes.
Ram added a useful 15 from 15 towards the end as MCC reached 153, our highest total of the season and a very respectable target to defend.
Unfortunately, CCB had other ideas.
Raja and Ram came under pressure early as CCB raced to 45 before losing their first wicket in the fifth over. Raja quickly picked up another, but a 64-run partnership between Rahul and Omid — apparently a tennis player who had unfortunately remembered he was also quite capable of playing cricket — took the game away from us.
Jason and Hamza both picked up wickets later in the innings, but CCB eventually reached 157 in 16 overs to take the first game.
Match Two – A Milestone for Raja
After a quick 20-minute turnaround, we lost the toss again.
And were sent into the field again.
Meaning MCC were now embarking upon the wonderful experience of fielding for 40 consecutive overs in 34-degree heat.
Thankfully, this time the lessons from the first game had been learned immediately. The bowling attack focused on keeping things fuller, straighter and attacking the stumps, and the difference was obvious.
Leading the way was Raja, who ripped through the CCB top order with three early wickets.
More importantly, those wickets brought Raja to a fantastic milestone:
50 WICKETS FOR THE SEASON!
An absolutely outstanding achievement in any cricket season and thoroughly deserved. Huge congratulations to Raja!
Mucca also claimed a wicket, while Jason produced an excellent captain’s spell of 2 for 24 from four overs.
Saksham also got himself into the wickets before producing arguably the most impressive demonstration of turn bowling seen all season: nine wides in succession, largely because he was turning the ball so much that the batsman had absolutely no chance of reaching it.
Possibly because it was several metres away from him.
Saksham also took a nasty blow to the hands during the game but battled on and continued playing — a fantastic effort from our little soldier.
Hamza chipped in with another wicket from an economical two-over spell, and at one stage CCB had been reduced to 64 for 5.
Unfortunately, we couldn’t quite maintain that pressure through the second half of the innings, allowing CCB to recover and post 165 from their 20 overs.
One Last Chase
With relegation already confirmed and little left to lose, Phil and Jason walked out to begin the chase.
Phil walked back again reasonably soon afterwards.
Mucca followed shortly thereafter.
And so, with their cricketing responsibilities completed for the moment, the pair sensibly headed to the shop to acquire some beers.
Back in the middle, however, Jason and Hamza had other plans.
The pair built an excellent 85-run partnership, providing exactly the stability the innings needed and ensuring there would be no late-season collapse. Jason made a superb 40, while Hamza contributed 39, as the pair gave MCC a genuine platform from which to attack.
Eventually, though, 40 consecutive overs in the field followed by batting in 34-degree heat began to take its toll. Jason fell first and Hamza followed shortly afterwards.
With around 60 required from the final four overs, Nirmal came in knowing there was only one realistic approach. He promptly launched one for six before departing shortly afterwards.
Jishnu was unable to add to the total, while Raja came in late and struck a couple of boundaries as MCC continued fighting until the end.
Ultimately, the target proved too much and we finished on 135 from our 20 overs, giving CCB their second victory of the day.
More Than the Results
Two defeats on paper, but actually a really enjoyable day of cricket.
Despite what has been a difficult season, the spirit throughout both games remained incredibly positive. There was plenty of encouragement, plenty of commitment and, importantly, a captain who continued to show genuine faith and belief in everyone in the side.
Thank you to everyone who made themselves available and helped ensure we could fulfil the fixtures after such a difficult week of trying to put teams together.
And congratulations once again to Raja on reaching 50 wickets for the season — a fantastic individual achievement and undoubtedly the highlight of the day.
Two games. Forty overs in the field. Thirty-four-degree heat. Two defeats.
But 50 wickets for Raja, 153 runs on the board in Game One, some excellent individual performances, and somehow everyone was still smiling at the end.
Not a bad Saturday after all.
Speak soon,
Phil