KNOCKOUT FINAL REVIEW: The Bosses 7/151 in 19.3 overs (M. Ali 68, Sumeet Kumar 32, N. Samarajeewa 3-25, G. De Silva 2-26) defeated Northern Lions 145 all out (B. Manoratne 45, H. Sajith 45, Sumeet Kumar 4-28, M. Kurukulasuriya 4-29) by 3 wickets. Toss: Northern Lions elected to bat first The Northern Lions were in good spirits in the lead up to this game, as they had just come off a huge win against the Melbourne Lions. Despite smashing some pizza between the games, The Bosses were hungry. They had gotten off to an excellent start in the tournament, winning their first three games, before losing convincingly to the Melbourne Mustangs and the Sons of Pitches. Would the Lions continue their spirited and stellar form? Would The Bosses regain their dominance? The Northern Lions won the toss and elected to bat first, just like they did earlier in the day. Unfortunately for the Lions, they did not get off to the same start they did in their first game. Rukshan Kulatunga, was not able to back up his 60 runs off 34 deliveries, as his opposing skipper, Sumeet Kumar, rattled his stumps with his second ball to dismiss him for a duck. Things did not get better for the Lions, as they got off to a disastrous start. Sumeet had the magic touch and took two more wickets in his next over. He missed out on a hatrick, but had the Lions reeling at 3/12 after just three overs. Bhanuka Manoratne went after Zeeshan Azhar and scored 12 off the 4th over. However, it was Sumeet once again that stuck with the first delivery in the 5th over. This brought in Hirantha Sajith, who has been one of the Lions’ stronger batsmen in the tournament. The partnership started slowly, as they only scored 5 runs off their next 11 deliveries. Rather than saving his final over for later in the innings, Sumeet could not resist continuing his tremendous spell. Sometimes the best defence is offence, and that is exactly the thought process the batsmen had, as he was launched for 2 fours and a six in the over. It went for 15 runs, and his final figures were 4-28. Manoratne and Sajith picked their shots wisely and fought hard to get the Lions back in the game. Lawrence Sukhu and Murteza Ali received some harsh punishment, as they both went for 19 runs each in their second and final overs. They had smashed 61 runs off their final 27 deliveries together, before a mix up resulted in a devastating run out. Sajith’s blistering innings came to an end, as he finished with 45 runs off 26 deliveries, which was a strike rate of 173 and included 3 fours and 4 sixes. The score was 5/95 after 11 overs, and given the inconsistency of the Lions’ batsmen, the game was well and truly in the balance. Sumeet brought Melan and Paul on to bowl, and it paid huge dividends. The next 5 overs saw 4 wickets fall for 31 runs. The wickets were coming regularly, as the Lions were collapsing around Manoratne. After the first of these 2 wickets fell, Manoratne was eventually dismissed by Melan for a very important 45 runs off 33 Another quick wicket fell, and suddenly, the Lions were 9/120 after 15.2 overs. The captain stressed to his tailenders the importance of batting out the overs, even if they did not play big shots. Sachintha Bandara and Tharaka Fernando did their job perfectly and got the Northern Lions to a respectable 145 after their 20 overs. It was an interesting innings, as the Lions were reeling at one stage, but then were in a strong position thanks to Manoratne and Sajith, followed by another collapse, and then a respectful finish. While the first innings was entertaining, we were in for a close game, so strap your seatbelts. The two big hitters for The Bosses, Brenton Devanny and Divesh Kumar, fell in consecutive deliveries to Bandara and De Silva respectively. The jubilant celebrations of the Lions players could be heard from the other knockout final. These Lions play with a lot of passion. Think this was loud? A mix up with his English batting partner saw the run out of Kapadia. The Lions were running around, jumping up and down and yelling at the top of their voices. The Bosses were 3/26 after just 3.4 overs, but the Lions had to keep in mind what one partnership could do. They were at a similar stage in their innings, before they fought their way back into the game. Ali must have been frustrated with the run out, as he launched the very next deliveries for a six and four respectively. He was joined at the wicket by their “man for all seasons” skipper, Sumeet Kumar. The batsmen played intelligently. They defended the good balls and tried to rotate the strike where possible, and were selective with their big shots. When they did decide to hit it, they went hard. This game plan worked wonders, as they put on 87 runs off their 11.4 overs together. Samarajeewa picked up the key wicket of Sumeet, who played a vital knock for a captain. He scored 32 runs off 31 deliveries, including 5 fours. 32 runs were needed off the final 28 deliveries, with 6 wickets in hand. It was up to Murteza Ali to take his team over the line. The star English recruit lost another partner two balls later, as Karunaratne was stumped off the bowling of Samarajeewa. Was there a final twist in the tale? The Northern Lions had won all of their previous close encounters, and this was made known to The Bosses. You could feel the tension and intensity around the ground. The next over was costly for the Lions, as it included 3 wides and four. It went for 11 runs. 20 runs were needed off 18 deliveries. With Murteza looking good, it was hard to see The Bosses losing from here. After being hit for another Murtaza four, Samarajeewa kept the Lions in the game, as he dismissed the English batsman. It took a good catch by Manoratne. Ali walked off to a standing ovation. He nearly carried his bat through the innings, and made a magnificent 68 off 51 deliveries, including 7 fours and 4 sixes. He played good cricket shots, mixed with some powerful hitting. While he was furious with himself for getting out so close to the finish, his teammates showed their full appreciation for his efforts. The Bosses stood together on the sidelines and watched on as they needed 16 runs of just as many deliveries. Another 9 runs came off the over, as Paul Chin dispatched the final delivery for a crucial boundary. 7 off 12. WICKET! The Lions were still in the hunt. Sumeet and Ali watched on, full of nerves. After some probing by Infinity Director, Arjun, he managed to get a nervous smile out of the captain. Dot ball. No ball. Dot ball. Dot ball. 6 off 9. 3 runs. Wide. Single. With just one run required off the final over, one would wonder if these extras in such crucial stages of the game had cost the Lions a victory? Paul launched a huge six, with three deliveries remaining, to ensure a semi final date with the mighty Western Warriors. The Northern Lions fought gallantly and with a high level of passion. They can be immensely proud of their efforts in this tournament. A number of their players were selected in the all-star draft pool, and they played the game with good spirits. We thoroughly enjoyed having them participate in their first Infinity tournament, and look forward to seeing them again in summer. The Bosses made have stumbled over the line to make the semi finals, but all that matters is that they got there. They will have to play at their absolute best to surprise the Western Warriors. We know that they will give it everything. MVP votes: 3 votes- Sumeet Kumar (The Bosses) 2 votes- Murteza Ali (The Bosses) 1 vote- H. Sajith (Northern Lions) For more statistics, including the full scorecards, analysis, wagon wheels for batsman and much more, please visit https://crichq/#matches/187599
Posted on: Sat, 18 Oct 2014 13:49:21 +0000