Competition: Cricket Switzerland National League
Draw: CSNL Round - 1
Date & Time: 7th July 2024 | 1300 hrs CET
Venue: Deutweg, Winterthur
Result: ZLCC won by 169 Runs
On a gloomy Sunday afternoon, GICC won the toss and elected to field against ZLCC. Ankush and Kanishk opened the innings for ZLCC, but Kanishk fell quickly. Mayank, coming in at number 3, attempted to stabilize the innings. However, ZLCC soon found themselves in trouble as they lost four wickets in quick succession. Seshu and Senthil departed cheaply, leaving the score at a precarious 31 for 4 in 9.3 overs. Ankush held his ground, rotating the strike and maintaining composure as wickets tumbled around him. He began to rebuild the innings with Akash, who hit the first boundary in the 11th over. Runs started to come more steadily, with Akash finding the occasional boundary. Their partnership grew to 55 runs before Ankush was dismissed for 24(47), leaving ZLCC at 86 for 5 in 17.2 overs. Najeeb joined Akash at the crease, but he too fell quickly at 105 for 6 in 22 overs.
Mayur joined the fray with Akash and immediately went on the aggressive, showcasing his stroke-making abilities and injecting much-needed momentum into the ZLCC innings. Akash, already set at the crease, supported him with powerful shots, including several towering sixes that dominated the opposition. The left-right combination of Akash and Mayur made it difficult for the GICC bowlers to maintain consistent line and length, resulting in additional runs through extras (45).Their partnership was crucial and highly entertaining, with the ball frequently sailing over the boundary. Akash remained determined and watchful, playing delightful shots to reach a well-deserved century off 72 balls.
Mayur was equally destructive, raced to his yet another half-century and looked set for a possible hundred but fell short, miscuing a shot on 79 off 55 balls. His explosive innings included 7 sixes and 6 fours, and when the score read 273 for 7 in 36.5 overs.
The 168-run partnership between Akash and Mayur for the seventh wicket proved to be the match-winning contribution. Soon after, Akash himself was dismissed for a brilliant 111 off 77 balls , which featured 10 fours and 6 sixes, marking the first century and the highest individual score for ZLCC this season. Osama added a couple of boundaries at the end, helping ZLCC finish their innings with a formidable total of 291 on a tricky pitch.
Akash, Mayur, and Ankush were the standout performers with the bat for ZLCC. On the bowling front for GICC, Nishan Khan and Viney Saini each took three wickets, while Habib claimed two.
Knowing ZLCC had a big total on the board, the bowlers were high on confidence and executed their skills. Omid and Kanishk started the proceedings, with Kanishk striking in his first over and Omid following up in the next. This early blow left GICC reeling at 8 for 2 in 3 overs. Balaji and Habib tried to rebuild the innings, hitting some good shots square of the wicket and adding 43 runs together. However, Osama, who bowled a beautiful straight delivery to dismiss Habib for 30(24) balls, broke their partnership. The ZLCC bowlers continued to rotate and maintained pressure, preventing the GICC batsmen from settling and taking wickets at regular intervals. Kanishk took some stunning catches, sliding across the ground, well supported by the bowlers' accuracy and line & length.
While wickets tumbled at one end, Balaji steadied the innings with a patient 32 (45) balls, playing some good shots before falling to a slower delivery from Ankush. Ankush executed his deliveries with sheer pace and variation, ensuring the chase never gained momentum. Abdul was introduced to finish off the tail-enders and bowled beautifully, taking three quick wickets to secure a comprehensive 169-run victory for ZLCC.
Despite ZLCC's generally excellent bowling performance, they conceded 20 runs as extras, which is slightly above par for their bowling standards. Abdul finished with figures of 2.3-1-19-3, Ankush took 2 wickets for 5 runs in his 3 overs, and Kanishk, Omid, and Osama picked up a wicket each. While Balaji and Habib were the standout batters for GICC.
Senthil
TeamZLCC
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