ELIMINATION FINAL REVIEW: Cool Boys 141 all out in 19.1 overs (A. Muthaiya 35, Amandeep Singh 3/16) defeated Skills Warriors 9/136 (S. Kumar 41, R. Kumar 38, R. Vijianathan 4/34) by 5 runs This game was played with a tremendous amount of passion. Watching games like these are the reason we love what we do. Prior to the game, we were expecting this game to go down to the wire. The Skills Warriors fancied their chances prior to this game, after fighting the odds in the group stages with a huge win over UQ and making the finals. The Cool Boys, on the other hand, were slightly frustrated. Having edged over the BHL Lions and winning a nail-biter against the Eastern Raiders, they were not expecting to play in this elimination final. They felt as though they would beat the Iona Old Boys and Lanka Lions, and proceed directly to the semi final. However, rain meant they had to share the points from these games, leaving the Eastern Raiders in first place. There was an indescribable feeling around the ground that this game would be a thriller. The Cool Boys won the toss and surprised everyone by deciding to bat first on a wet pitch and slow outfield. The skipper, Dinesh, was looking for a score of 210, which we felt was a bit optimistic. A score of 170 to 180 would have been a more realistic goal, while 150 was expected to result in a close game. With Arun Joon missing this game, Raman Sharma opened the bowling with his skipper, Gurinder Singh. The bowlers got off to a good start with both openers picking up an early wicket to leave the Cool Boys on 2-23 off 4 overs. With only 2 overs left in the powerplay, Ashok looked to show some more intent against the spin of Girish Rawat. The two all-stars (they have both made the all-star game draft pool), Ashok (35 off 17, including 3 sixes) and Thusi (20 off 18) recovered well with a partnership of 54 runs off 28 deliveries. With the score on 75, Yadwinder Singh finally broke the partnership, as the batsmen were really establishing dominance in this game. Thusi fell the very next delivery to Virender Singh. Yadwinder (2-34 off 4 overs) and Virender (2-25 off 4 overs) kept the screws tight and picked up wickets at regular intervals. This 6.1 over period that saw 4 wickets fall for just 37 runs comprised of some brilliant fielding by Harman Singh, who had not been available for the group games and was hence not allowed to bat or bowl in this game. He took a stunning catch at point to remove Daventhiran. He also threw down the stumps with a direct hit, nearly running Rathipan out early. The score was 6-112 after 14 overs. With the wickets in hand being a problem, the Cool Boys were not able to launch themselves to a score of 170 to 180. Instead, they had to play with caution and ensure they bat the full 20 overs. Tight bowling from Gurinder Singh (2-18 off 4 overs), Amandeep Singh (3-16 of 2.1 overs) and Raman Sharma (1-25 off 4 overs) made it difficult for the Cool Boys, who only managed to score another 29 runs while losing 4 wickets. The final score was 141 all out, with 5 balls remaining. Dinesh would have been disappointed his team got bowled out, and fell about 20 to 30 runs short. A few batsmen got starts, but could not go on with it. The fielding of the Skills Warriors was good, except for 2 or 3 drop catches, which may have only cost them 10 to 20 runs. If they knew this would be a thriller, those 10 to 20 runs would have served to be really valuable. With 142 being the target set, the Skills Warriors were full of confidence. However, they must not have read our hype in relation to the bowling performances of the Cool Boys. Dinesh set a very attacking field for T20 cricket. He had 7 fielders on the off-side, including a third man and sweeper. These field settings displayed a lot of trust in his ability to keep the ball in the right lines. Dinesh was sharp early on. In fact, he shattered the box of Sandeep Kumar in the first over, and then hit him in the same region again a few balls later. While Dinesh kept the pill in the right areas, Rathipan could not find his rhythm early on, and his first over went for 10. The consistent Girish Rawat was dismissed in the 3rd over by Dinesh Chandrasekar. His fellow opener, Sandeep Kumar, was really picking his spot against Rathipan as he smashed 18 runs off the first 5 deliveries of the 4th over. The majority of his runs were coming from pull shots and hook shots. The bowlers could not afford to bowl short and stray on the leg side. After deciding to keep some overs for later if the game gets close, Dinesh took himself off the attack and brought on Prashanth. Once again, the bowler did not bowl to the game plan set for him with the field placements. Before you knew it, Sandeep had smashed 3 fours and a six in the over. Was the game slipping away from The Cool Boys? It sure felt like it. But, they hung on. Sandeep tried to smash one ball to many and was bowled by Prashanth, to bring his explosive innings of 41 (18 deliveries), including 5 fours and 3 sixes, to an end. With 24 runs scored off the over, the Skills Warriors had rushed to 2-60 after just 5 overs. Dinesh continued to back his field placements, and did not alter them for the bowlers. He desperately needed to slow this game down, so he threw the ball to Saivashan Jeyakumar. He bowled a tidy over to finish off the powerplay. It was the 3rd ball of the 7th over when the momentum of the game started to shift. There was a run out. Total calamity in the middle. With the Haryana Strikers coasting along to a victory in the other elimination final, the spectators were started to gather on the sidelines to watch this game. The overs after the powerplay were full of discipline, as Saivashan and Thienushan brought the Cool Boys right back into the game. After Thienushan picked up a wicket on the last ball of the 8th over, the score was 5-71. Since Harman was not allowed to bat as per the tournament rules, the Warriors only had 4 wickets in hand. The batsman had to play with caution and ensure they took the game right to the end of the 20 overs. This allowed Dinesh to bring Prashanth back on. This time, there was no Sandeep to bully him, and his next 2 overs only went for 9 runs. The Cool Boys were tight in the field, and desperately saving every run. The skipper of the Skills Warriors, Gurinder Singh, was run out in the 10th over, and you felt as if the Skills Warriors were falling apart. 65 runs were required off 60 deliveries, with just 3 wickets in hand. Navdeep Shergill was playing a gutsy innings, and was now joined at the crease by the big-hitting Raman Sharma (38 off 21) Raman spent the first two overs getting his eye, and then hit 13 off an over. 42 runs were required off as many deliveries. With the Haryana Strikers triumphing over Iona, both teams took their seats to watch this game, which was shaping into a thriller. Until the Cool Boys arrived on the scene, this tournament had been about high scores and powerful batting. Obviously there had been strong bowling performances too, with teams getting bowled out for less than 100, but it helps when your team is defending a 200 plus total. The BHL Lions and Eastern Raiders batsmen had been complimenting the talent of the Cool Boys bowlers, and the word was getting out fast. They were displaying their talent right here. You could hear the Strikers players “ooh” and “aah” for every good delivery. The bowlers, especially, Saivashan were mixing it up and throwing in lots of slower deliveries. The Skills Warriors were staying in the game though, scoring a timely boundary every so often. Rathipan produced the magic for his team, as he bowled Navdeep (22 off 32 deliveries) in the 15th over. 34 off 30 with just 2 wickets left. Things were getting tense. Raman turned the game on its head again, smashing Saivashan for 2 sixes in his final over. He had bowled a terrific spell and had only given away 13 runs prior to this over. His final figures read 0-28 off 4 overs. 19 off 24. Vicky Panjeta and the Haryana Strikers still believed the Cool Boys would win. The Cool Boys’ spectators were nervous. The Skills Warriors were shouting and cheering every run and dot ball faced. Dinesh had to take a gamble and brought himself back on earlier than he would have liked to. He stuck to his interesting field settings, especially having fine leg up in the circle. His over went for 9 runs, including 2 fours, which were inside edged. 10 off 18. The Skills Warriors looked like they had all but won it here. They did not have to play stupid shots. Dinesh brought on his best bowler of the day, his brother Thienushan. The Skills Warriors had been having trouble dealing with his length in his previous spell. The instructions were being yelled from the sidelines. They were to see him out, and get the runs off the next two bowlers. We witnessed one of the most disciplined overs you will see. From everyone. Thienushan bowled with good pace and a tremendous line and length. Amandeep Singh showed a lot of patience to just defend him. It was a maiden. Everyone in attendance was clapping every delivery. Both teams were happy with the outcome of the over. No wickets were lost, but no runs were given. We gave the edge to the Cool Boys, as they remained in the game. 10 off 12. It was Rathipan’s turn to deliver. Dot. Rathipan to Raman. FOUR. The Skills Warriors were jumping up and down, screaming for joy. The Cool Boys looked on in astonishment. 6 off 10. WICKET. Thienushan held on a good catch in a pressure situation. 6 off 9 with one wicket left. Rathipan to Virinder. DOT. DOT. WICKET. Rathipan bowled a terrific yorker, making a mess of the wickets. The Cool Boys’ spectators ran onto the field to celebrate with their team. With the screaming and jumping in the middle, you could see the heartbreak for the Skills Warriors. The Cool Boys had pulled off their second thrilling win in a row, and third win that has come down right to the end. Once again, it was their strong bowling performance which impressed everyone. For the Skills Warriors, they won two out of their five games. While they would be disappointed that they lost the two close games they were involved in, they need to be praised for their gallant efforts to make the finals in a very tough group, and to do so by recording a huge win against the talented side from the University of Queensland. Don’t forget, they were one batsman short. That might have been the difference. In the post-game interview, Girish Rawat, said they might have taken the Cool Boys a bit too lightly, and they tried to make sure they brought the game right until they end. Maybe they would have been better off playing their natural aggressive game? Regardless, well played to the Skills Warriors, and thanks for being a highly respected team with a fighting spirit. The Cool Boys have thrived as the dark horses of this tournament. They surprised everyone when they stunned the Eastern Raiders. In this elimination final, they proved it was no fluke, as they fended off a tough Warriors side. They play the game with a lot of passion, which is evident in their mannerisms. Batsmen are truly in a state of shock when they are dismissed. They celebrate like school kids when they take a wicket. They play like one big family. As Sushi Sharma of the Eastern Raiders said, “It looks like cricket is one thing which they really look forward to.” They came to Australia to seek refuge from their situation in Sri Lanka, and have gone through some tough times, but it seems like cricket has been something they have relied on to bring smiles to their faces. MVP votes: 3 votes- Rathipan Vijiyanthan (Cool Boys) 2 votes- Raman Sharma (Skills Warriors) 1 vote- Thienushan Chandrasekar (Cool Boys) For more statistics, including the full scorecards, analysis, wagon wheels for batsman and much more, please visit https://crichq/#matches/177323
Posted on: Fri, 29 Aug 2014 18:42:13 +0000
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