A summit clash unfolded as Cricket Verein Zug (CVZ) took on the unbeaten Cricket Club Wettingen-1 (CCW-1). In a twist of fate, CC Wettingen-1's unbeaten record in CSNL 2023 came to an end, courtesy of an exceptional performance by CVZ, who emerged victorious at Wettingen Cricket Club ground. Let’s delve into the details, starting from the scorecard!
Battle between CVZ’s batting determination and CCW-1 quality bowling attack!
CCW-1 won the toss and elected to bowl first to take advantage of the morning dew and swing conditions. CVZ openers took a cautious approach and took away shine off the bowl in the first six overs but could not capitalize to turn it into big scores. Beckett Tucker, Vaibhav Zirmite, and Nitin Shah returned to the pavilion cheaply, leaving CVZ 10 for 3 in 6.2 overs. Jithesh Godi and Pritesh Purohit tried to navigate the CVZ ship in a small partnership, but in a run-out incident, Pritesh had to sacrifice his wicket. Jithesh continued with his great form and played an aggressive knock of 29 runs in 28 balls. Ankush Hasani and Ranjith Ramakrishnan took over the charge after Jithesh’s dismissal and built a crucial partnership of 28 runs. Ankush scored quick 15 runs and Ranjith played an explosive innings of 34 runs in 25 balls, with 2 Sixes and 3 fours. Eventually, Ankush got caught out but Ranjith together with Saurabh Verma built a crucial partnership of another 25 runs. Saurabh played an anchoring role facing 31 balls for his 5 runs. Towards the end when Saurabh and Ranjith got out, Yogesh Gawande scored quick 15 runs in 14 balls and helped CVZ to post a modest total of 130 runs!
Gushalavan Santhirasekeram and Perinpam Yogenthiran were standout performances with bowling from CCW -1, claiming four and three wickets respectively.
CVZ’s bowling ploy to trap CCW-1 in chasing a modest target
Chasing a modest target of 131 runs, CCW-1 got a solid start from their openers Haleem Abedu Rahman and Akhtar Muhammad scoring 23 runs in 3 overs. Just then, CVZ’s Ankush Hasani turned his magic on, this time with the swing bowling skill! In the fourth over of an inning, Ankush scrambled Akhtar’s defense with an in-swing yorker and he trapped new batsman Nagendran Kanthaseelan at long off caught by Pritesh, in the same over. To tighten the grip on the game, Saurabh Verma was introduced as the first bowling change. He immediately made an impact with precision bowling and scalped Haleem in his first over. Saurabh’s crafty variations bamboozled the CCW-1, resulting in an impressive bowling figure of 7.2-2-8-2! Jithesh Godi supported Saurabh from the other end and claimed two important wickets. By the 14th over, CCW-1 was reduced to 62 for 6.
Gushalavan Santhirasekerama and Elankeeran Raveendran tried to consolidate and built a partnership of 38 runs to take CCW-1 closer to the target. But Ranjith, in his last over of the spell, produced a wicket-taking delivery to claim Elankeeran to break a threatening partnership. Ankush took a sharp catch in the first slip. Beckett Tucker’s wicket-keeping skill behind the stumps was sharp and proactive, which earned a stumping of Pacha Sibratulah out of nowhere on the last ball of Ranjith’s spell. Ankush then wrapped up CCW-1 innings with a clean bowled and a run-out! CCW-1 team was ultimately bowled out for 101 runs in 28.2 overs, succumbing to the brilliance of CVZ's bowling attack. Pritesh and Ankush were captivating in the field with two catches each. CVZ’s collective effort with bat, ball, and fielding showcased their determination and skill, as they toppled the previously unbeaten CCW-1.
Architects of the Match
This match will be remembered for the exceptional performances by Gushalavan Santhirasekeram from CCW-1, who mesmerized the batsmen with his accurate and penetrative bowling, taking four crucial wickets. Ankush Hasani and Saurabh Verma, on the other hand, proved to be the architects of CCW-1's downfall, consistently breaking through their defenses and restricting their run flow. Saurabh Verma earned Man of the Match for his valiant effort in batting and accurate bowling with 2 wickets.
The stage is set for CVZ for more enthralling encounters in the days to come, as the battle for supremacy continues in this fiercely contested CSNL tournament.