Outplayed by a Thoroughly Professional Side

VA Lions won the toss and elected to bat first in DCU’s second game of the 2011 T20 tournament. Buoyed by the crushing victory the previous evening against Vikings, DC United would have hoped to erase the poor T20 performances from the previous season.

However, DC United’s weaknesses in the field were exposed very early in the game. VA Lions started steadily. While they did not get off to a flyer hitting boundaries, the ones and twos came with alarming ease. VA Lions stole singles in the inner circle with the DCU fielders too slow in getting to the ball. Singles were converted into twos and twos into threes in the outfield. However, DC United’s bowlers did not let VA Lions get away as the tight lines and regular wickets along the way ensured they did not get to a massive total. VA Lions scored around 70 in the first 10 overs and progressed to 166 in their allotted 20. Only 10 overs and 1 six were hit in the innings, underscoring the amount of running they did and the sub optimal DCU fielding. The one act of brilliance in the field from DCU was a catch in the first slip from Kiran, diving full length to his right.

166 was a gettable total on the Mark Twain wicket. However, DCU’s innings got off to a disastrous start with both Venkat and Sri departing in the second over. Venkat skied the ball and was caught in the 30 yard circle while Sri was out to a brilliant catch at third man with the fielder running backwards and covering good ground to complete the catch. VA Lions bowlers bowled wicket to wicket and did not let the DCU batsmen score freely. The stark difference in the fielding capabilities of the two sides were apparent as well. DC United batsmen were not able to get the singles and twos need to get push the scoring along. Moreover, VA Lions affected a couple of smart run outs to further put DC United back. DCU kept losing wickets at regular intervals and was never really in the run chase. At the end of 20 overs, DCU had only managed to score 85 runs, over 80 runs short of the target.

Bowlers and the stumps

With chances of rain again, DCU put Punjab Lions into bat. One half of the opening bowling attack departed with a heavy heart to his motherland. No runs of the bat in the first 3 overs as Rajesh probed and probed. Aunraj at the other end start with 4 consecutive wides but then he soon found his radar too. Then came the magic ball from Rajesh, pitched on middle and leg and shaped away to take the top of off stump. 

Jazzy D has loved the Mark Twain pitch for its bounce. He started from where he left off last week and bowled with good pace. Bowling at a very nervous batting order, Rajesh wanted all the bowlers to get some practice. Rajesh offered a 2 over deal to all bowlers with the bowlers getting an extra over if they took a wicket in each over. The bowlers didnt disappoint as Jazzy D and CP (fresh from a fiver in the previous match) got 2 wickets a piece. CP even got a batsman bowled around his legs. Jazzy D reproduced his magic ball from the last game and not another batsman bowled hitting middle.

The bowlers kept hitting the stumps so regularly, it rendered the fielders mute for most part of the game. Fielders were left to be ball boys fetching the odd ball from the boundary. Just when the team thought there will not be enough runs to chase, George decided to penalize the team 5 points for dropping the ball on the ground. Lokesh and Neel formed the next partnership. Lokesh was at the receiving end of a wild slogger for one over but soon had his man bowled. Neel came in with some confidence after bowling extraordinarily well in the practice only to bowl 3 wides. He soon became the Sethudharan we all know and found his mark enticing the batsman with flight. He was soon rewarded with a top edge  and a stumping. Sameer playing his first game after a year was hit for a boundary his first bowl but had his revenge in a couple of balls after to clean up the Lions for 63.

Neel and Puneeth opened the innings. Runs were not that hard to come by as the Lions insisted on finishing the match early giving a lot of freebies. Both batted sensibly for a while before Puneeth decided to act cheeky and guided the ball straight to the stomach of the first slip who finally caught the ball near his groin. Neel played straight and looked good to finish the match early but was out softly.  Lokesh swung a few around but was out playing a similar shot as Neel. Jasvinder swung one to the mid wicket boundary to seal the match in 10.4 overs, 15 mins after which the skies opened up. 23 extras was the top scorer for the team.

Rain, rain go away, DCU wants to play..

A run curtailed match was on everyone's mind but in the end the match was curtailed but not due to the Thunderstorms (as predicted by the ever correct weather folks) but the rolling DCU juggernaut. A dwindled Maryland took the field but even a full strength team would have struggled to match the precise well oiled machine that was DCU today. With the weather gods staying away from Mark Twain, a full match was on. 

Wickets at the start of the innings is all but guaranteed with Rajesh and Ramnik bowling. The right hand/left hand combination has done incredibly well this season taking wickets and bowling economically. The Sultans of Swing were at it again, leaving the batsman searching for every ball. Rajesh soon picked up one wicket. No wickets in Ramnik's wicket column and 1 wicket in Rajesh's doesnt really tell how beautifully they bowled. 16 runs in 8 overs between them was all that the Maryland Batsmen could manage. 

30 for 1 at the 10 over mark showed steady progress. Venkat wanted 5 wickets in the next session and the bowlers didnt disappoint. Anuraj ruffled up the batsmen which opened the gates for the Punjab Express, who exploded through the defenses of the batsman. At one end Jazzy D as he is popularly called today was toying with the Batsmen and the other end CP was slicing through the batting order with a mixture of faster and "flighted balls". The 2 card trick was on show today, Jazzy D bowled a bouncer followed by a yorker, a full ball followed by a bouncer. The batsman took a few blows and was trying to hit his way out but the Punjab Express was on a roll today. He was everywhere today with a superb exhibition of fast bowling and also helping CP to a 5 wicket haul taking 3 catches. CP would have had a 6th wicket if not for Puneeth putting down a difficult chance due to his lack of height.

DCU took 9 wickets for 72 as Maryland had just 10 players. A 72 target was never going to be enough and DCU decided to give the batting order a shuffle and sent Puneeth and Venkat opening. Venkat was in a very aggressive mood from the 1st over and was lucky to survive a few edges and catch. Puneeth helped a couple of looseners on its away to the boundaries. Venkat meanwhile found his mojo and hammered the already beaten down team to submission. Good running aided by good hitting pushed the score to 53 off 4 overs. Looking to wrap things up quickly, Puneeth slammed one back straight at the bowler who plucked the catch out of nowhere. Neel decided to show scant respect to a fellow tweaker and perished. Jazzy D had to bat well to do add to his already perfect after bowling and catching well. He played a few shots and helped Venkat finish the match in 7.3 overs. Venkat top scored with 44, CP took 5 wickets and Jasvinder 3 catches and 2 wickets. As Ramnik said today was a total ANNIHILATION. 

The Butter Finger Escape

DC United had its first outing of the season at William Wirt against Damascus CC, a club that has had a past history with DC United. The previous 40 over game these two teams played was 3 years ago and a controversial loss in that game meant that DCU was to be relegated to Division 2. Three years later, the story is a little different, with DCU almost in the playoffs and Damascus still needing a few wins to secure their place. This game continued DCU’s progression towards the playoffs although it can hardly be called a “march” – more like a limp of a warrior that has lost both his legs at war.

Rajesh finally called correctly at the toss and elected to bat on a rock hard William Wirt wicket that promised a lot of runs. DC United started poorly as Sri was dismissed early in the second over having skied a Ankur Saini delivery that landed safely in the keeper’s hands. Anuraj and Venkat got the innings underway with quick singles and doubles and some delightful strokes including a memorable square cut to a full delivery outside off that sped away from Anuraj’s blade – we don’t call him Raina for no reason. The advent of spin within the first 10 overs stemmed the scoring rate somewhat. Venkat edged one from Ankur and was taken in the slips and Anuraj was caught in front of the wicket trying to sweep a straight delivery from the spinner. With Ritesh being castled on the last ball before the first drinks break, DC United were tottering at 41/4 from 10 overs.

Then came a partnership between Ajay and Kiran that put a break on the wickets and kick started the scoring. Ajay was circumspect in his approach. He was solid in defense and also rotated the strike well. Kiran, who has emerged as DCU’s most prized batting possession in just 2 appearances, started from where he had left off against Chantilly. He was sublime in his defense and stroke play, habitual in finding the gaps for singles and doubles and regular in finding the boundary. He was instrumental in ensurng that the scoreboard ticked along at a fair clip with Ajay held up the other end. Kiran and Ajay ensured that there was no further damage over the next 10 overs and consolidated the innings. DCU finished 20 overs with over 80 runs on the board for 4 wickets.

Ajay and Kiran continued the good work for a few overs after the break. Ajay’s dismissal brought CP to the crease. CP showed great resolve and battled his natural instinct to hit over the top. He setup another partnership with Kiran and ensured there was to be no further DCU collapse. He tapped the ball around for singles and only once settled hit a boundary straight down the ground. Kiran reached his second consecutive 50 in only his second game during this partnership and celebrated his feat with a beautiful clip off his legs to the fine leg boundary. Alas, the temptation was too much for CP and he holed out at deep mid wicket caught in two minds, whether to hit in the air or keep it along the ground.

Ramnik fell cheaply but Rajesh helped Kiran in moving the scoring along with a few lusty hits and quick running between the wickets. Rajesh and Kiran fell quickly in the quest to up the scoring rate in the last 10 overs. This game also saw the return of our very own Boom Boom Bhatia, who has chosen to prioritize retail businesses over cricket this season. He has maintained good touch with game though as he practices with the team on a regular basis. He lived up to his name and smashed a couple of boundaries in the end. He was given good support by Lokesh and the pair also completed an all run four, a rarity in WMCB. DC United was all out for 189 in 39 overs failing to bat the full 40 over quota.

A competitive target nonetheless, considering the poor start. The credit of DCU’s revival goes to Kiran who finished with 70 chanceless runs, hard running between the wickets for over 30 overs on a hot and humid day. DCU has discovered a gem.

Things were to go south for DC United very quickly, as early as the first ball of the Damascus innings. Rajesh’s first delivery to Ankur Saini was played straight into the hands of short cover only to be grassed. The next over from Ramnik saw the other extreme. A full blooded cut was plucked out of thin air by Sri at first slip who was only 50% fit still struggling with his hamstring injury. His commitment to the team and hunger to contribute is commendable, if not through his blistering starts, then through superb catches and leg umpiring, which he did for 34 overs in this game.

Butter fingers returned in overs 3 and 4 as catches went down in short cover (again), mid on and slip (a tough one as it was another full blooded cut). 4 catches down in 4 overs, surely Damascus would capitalize now. They did. The benefiting batsmen buckled down and played a little more cautiously leaving the good deliveries and latching on to anything lose. They reached 41/1 in 10 overs. Anuraj, who has emerged as a reliable bowler in recent times, struck soon after the break. Damascus continued to score runs at a fair click punishing the lose stuff. DCU did dole out a lot of it – full tosses, short deliveries that found their way to the shorter square boundaries. Poor ground fielding did not help DCU’s cause either and regular mis fields allowed the Damascus batsmen to rotate the strike freely.

This trend continued till the 20^th over and Damascus had reached their 100 when Boom Boom was introduced into the attack to bowl his brand of leg spin, variety that DCU has missed all season long. He struck immediately with a delivery that would have made Shane Warne proud. Bowling right arm over, he pitched a delivery outside the right hander’s leg stump and bowled him around his legs. DC United was back in the game. DCU struck immediately after the break through Ramnik. Rajesh came in after Ramnik’s two over spell and bowled a couple of tight overs. Boom Boom maintained good line and length at the other end and kept the batsmen in check and produced a few chances. Damascus managed to keep up with scoring rate through regular boundaries and singles/doubles, aided by DCU’s misfielding. There were acts of brilliance as well, Anuraj held onto a high catch at deep mid wicket off Boom Boom’s bowling while fighting the sun in his eyes.  He returned to the bowling crease and got a smart caught and bowled to end the third session of play.

The last session of play ensured a nail biting finish. Damascus came out needing 38 runs from 11 overs with 2 wickets in the kitty. They blocked, didn’t take any risks and accumulated the runs. Anuraj produced a delivery that jumped off a good length and took the edge of the left handed Damascus batsman, only to be spilled by the keeper. A costly mistake at a crucial juncture that almost cost DCU the match, ALMOST. The batsman would go on to hit a couple of key boundaries that would bring the required target to less than 10 runs.

Ramnik came back and struck once again reducing the Damascus to 9 down. Rajesh and Ramnik would bowl out to bring the match to the 39^th over. CP bowled the over and after 3 dot balls had the No. 11 hit a low full toss to mid wicket and fittingly, Kiran completed the catch to hand DCU the victory.

DCU had gotten out of jail, holding on to their target by a whisker – 5 runs. A number of dropped catches and a poor fielding performance almost cost DCU the match, making heavy weather of a tough target. DCU’s unpredictability in the field will give the captain sleepless nights as he cannot predict which fielding side would take the field on a given day. He can only hope that the one that shows up during the playoffs is nowhere close to the one that played against Damascus.

However, there were positives to be had as well. DCU’s ability to bounce back with the bat after being 4 down was commendable, owing to an excellent performance by Kiran and good support from the other batsman. Bowling was good in parts, with the bowlers able to take wickets inspite of the fielding, although they will need to cut out the long hops.

The upcoming bye next week comes as a good break to all but 1 player, who is struggling to figure out weekend plans in the absence of cricket. For the rest, it is time to rest their hamstrings, take some vacation and travel or just relax and stay cool. Most importantly everyone will want to wash off their butter fingers and maybe apply some glue in time for the next game.

By Ramnik Bajaj (8/1/2011)

Views expressed in this report are of the abovementioned player and do not necessarily represent the views of the club as a whole.

Mount Everest Yet to be Scaled

DC United had its toughest challenge yet, facing off against the all conquering VA Lions. VA Lions, formed two years ago after a few players decided to part ways with their previous club, started in Division 2 and won everything there was to win. They ended up close to the top in Division 1 last year, having moved up after just one year in Division 2. DC United played VA Lions two years ago and lost both games batting second. VA Lions fielded a strong side with a few WCL imports to ensure that this game would be no different.

For the umpteenth time, DC United lost the toss and was put in the field on a hot and humid day. DCU opening bowlers provided a good start and kept the VA Lions batsmen under check. A couple of boundaries were hit in the initial few overs but for the most part, runs were hard to come by. Rajesh got an early wicket through a fine catch taken at deep mid wicket by Venkat. As it happens ever so often, the result of the first catching opportunity sets the tone for the entire DC United fielding innings. Everyone had their heart in their mouth when the ball went in Venkat’s direction, knowing very well that the previous drop in the exact same location had costed 150 runs. Thankfully this wasn’t the case this time. Buoyed by his effort, Venkat would go on to take another good catch later and Sri would complete two well judged catches in the deep. However, there were to be a couple of costly misses too.

First change bowlers, Chandra Prakash and Neeraj continued the good work started by the opening bowlers. VA Lions never looked to run away with the game as DCU bowlers kept coming back with tight bowling after being hit for the occasional boundary. However, VA Lions did well to keep the scoreboard ticking and hold on to most of their wickets for the onslaught at the death. Jaswinder continued the good work as well except for one over that went for 22 runs including 3 sixes. These runs would never have been conceded had a skier off Sunil Pathak been caught in the previous over. Lack of calling between the wicket keeper and the fine leg fielder resulted in the catch being grassed. Again DC United came back strong dismissing Sunil Pathak soon after.

Ramnik and Anuraj bowled the death overs and ensured that VA Lions did not get away too far. There were a few boundaries hit but VA Lions kept losing wickets quickly which allowed DCU’s target to remain in check. Anuraj picked up 3 wickets in the end (and affected a run out) and Ramnik finished with 2. VA Lions set DCU a very gettable 188 in 35 overs (max).

The turning point of the game happened in the last over of the VA Lions innings and had nothing to do with the proceedings along the 22 yards. An Anuraj delivery defended to cover was fielded by Sri who pulled his hamstring in the process – an event that would have a strong bearing on DCU’s run chase. The first ball of the DCU innings was a full toss that Sri dispatched to the boundary. The second ball was played to the deep for an easy two. However, Sri pulled up after the first run due to the hamstring. What could have been easily a 20 – 25 run over turned into a relatively economical one with Sri off strike. VA Lions did have a plan for Sri though. They started with spin at the other end. Sri dispatched the first ball for six but holed out at mid off on the next ball.

Anuraj joined Venkat and the two put up a decent partnership. DC United maintained a healthy run rate of over 5 rpo through the first seven overs. However, Venkat departed soon after the first break to a peach of a delivery which slowed the innings down.

As VA Lions applied pressure, Anuraj and Ajay had to be circumspect. Runs dried up and VA Lions turned the screws on the DCU batting. Ajay and Anuraj departed in quick succession which triggered a batting collapse. Mini collapses from previous games were followed by strong partnerships seeing DCU to victory. However, this was not to happen in this game. Batsmen came, batsmen went. Poor shot selection and too many shots being played was the order of the day.

There was another partnership down the order between Neel and Ramnik. They added quick runs by running hard between the wickets and collecting boundaries. However, Neel was dismissed playing across a flighted off spin delivery. The last couple of wickets fell soon after, again to avoidable shots. DCU folded at 145 with still 5 overs to spare. DCU was left wondering “What might have been?” A had they held on to a couple of wickets, 40 runs in 5 overs with the batting powerplay in hand, were quite gettable. A few factions in the DCU pavilion were heard blaming a certain dairy product for the batting collapse; however, the real reason was lack of patience at the wicket.

This disappointing loss serves as a good lesson to DCU that they cannot depend on Sri to fire at the top all the time. Batsmen in the middle order have to put their hand up and take responsibility of batting through the innings. Nevertheless, DCU’s bowling and fielding performance were the positives from the game. On the bright side, a batting collapse is better now than in the playoffs and has hopefully brought DCU back down to earth. With Jamaica CC playing games other than cricket, DCU will need to get back to its winning ways next week to move closer to securing a berth in the playoffs.

Playing with the Big Boys

Buoyed by the amazing run chase last week, DC United took on Chantilly CC who had only lost one game thus far. Chantilly has benefited from an influx of players from WCL and looked very strong throughout the season. However, DC United has shown that they can complete with the big boys and today was no different. Some pleasantly surprising bowling and fielding performances coupled with a match winning partnership by two wicket keepers sealed the deal for DC United.

Unlike M S Dhoni, who always seems to call correctly, Rajesh lost the toss again and surprise, surprise, Chantilly decided to bat first. DC United bowlers started well, bowling the right line and length to keep the Chantilly openers in check. Rajesh could have had an early wicket but for a catch that went down behind the stumps. However, he would soon taste success getting the other opener out lbw to a delivery that swung from leg stump and hit middle. Chantilly was a meager 28/1 in 10 overs.

Hampered by a weakened bowling attack, DC United needed to look to elsewhere to find 40 overs. Anuraj put his hand up and grabbed his opportunity with both hands. After a forgettable first over, he started to find his line and length and exploited the Mark Twain bounce very well. He was given good support by Chandra Prakash, our one legged warrior, who returned from injury after a month and a half. These two kept the Chantilly batters in check. Runs came mostly in ones and twos with the odd streaky edge going to the boundary. It was refreshing to see fewer extras being bowled which added to the pressure. Both bowlers bowled out their 8 overs on the trot and got 2 wickets each in the process.

Lokesh also took que from Anuraj and CP and bowled tight lines and kept the Chantilly batsmen quiet. Sri and Venkat also chipped in with a few overs. However, with the score reading 140 after 30 overs, Chantilly felt the need to press on and get quick runs leading to some lusty blows being hit. Venkat was on the receiving end of one such over that costed 20, but he got his revenge with a wicket off the last ball of the over. Lokesh also chipped in with a wicket. Ramnik and Rajesh came back in the last few overs and put the lid back on the scoring. Very few boundaries were scored during the slog overs and the batting power play. Ramnik wrapped up the tail with two wickets at the end.

 Chantilly finished with 213 in 39.1 overs. All in all, a good bowling performance by DCU which was backed up by a decent fielding performance that included a Kapil Dev 1983 world cup catch and a smart run out. A few catches did go down but they were tough chances. DC United continues to work on this aspect of the game, hopefully in time for the playoffs.

Venkat and Sri opened the DCU innings and started in familiar fashion. Sri was gifted a full toss first ball from Ramana, who earlier used to play for DCU, but he failed to capitalize. However, he did deposit the same bowler for a four and then a monstrous six. A few boundaries and another huge six later, Sri was back in the pavilion after making 22. DC United’s score read 38/ 1 in 4 overs. Anuraj and Venkat built a decent partnership. Venkat, finally getting used to the pace and bounce of Mark Twain, started to show glimpses of his form from last season. There were boundaries, quick singles and doubles and the occasional six. He perished on 27 trying to take on the Long off fielder who had just been positioned there a ball before.

Anuraj made a stylish 30 which included his trademark square cuts. He was out to a poor lbw decision, having edged the ball before it went on to hit his pads. This triggered a familiar mini-collapse with Ajay and Gagan were dismissed in quick succession. This brought together the 2 of the 3 wicket keepers that DC United has, Jeril and Kiran. DC United was in a spot of bother in this stage, after being 5 down with over a 100 runs still to chase.

Kiran, making his debut for DC United, started with a square cut for 4 off the first ball he faced. After getting over an edgy patch where he tried the same shot a few times, he settled in. His ability to milk the ball around to rotate the strike and collect ones and twos was very refreshing, something that DC United has been lacking. Jeril played good foil to Kiran, rotating the strike well and also getting occasional boundaries with his trademark offside strokeplay. The partnership continued for a while and both batters accumulated 32 runs each before Kiran cut loose in the next couple of overs. He exhibited some delightful stroke play and exploited the gaps in the field very well to get a number of boundaries. He completed his 50 but perished the next ball after an 80 run partnership that brought DC United to within 15 runs of victory. Jeril went in the next over chopping one on to his stumps. CP came and knocked off the remaining runs including a towering six over long on.

DC United Avoids Upset in Thriller

DC United (Pre Match Record: 5 – 2) squared off against Mavericks (Pre Record: 2 – 5) as the WMCB season resumed after the July 4^th weekend. The pre-match records put DC United as firm favorites in this contest even though Mavericks had come off a win against Crescent, one of DCU’s arch rivals. Historically, DC United and Mavericks games have gone down to the wire – 2 of the last 4 occasions the teams have played have resulted in 1 wicket wins. This game was going to be no different. In the end, the game boiled down to a fabulous display of hitting by one batsman only to be dwarfed by a blinder by another.

There was a welcome change at the toss for this game – it was decided by the flip of the coin and not by our late arrivals. Mavericks won the toss and decided to bat. Rajesh and Ramnik started in familiar fashion, bowling a tight line and length to restrict the Mavericks top order. The first 10 overs yielded 21 runs for the loss of one wicket. Neeraj and Jaswinder continued the good work after Rajesh and Ramnik’s spell and got another 2 wickets for little damage.

Enter Fezan Butt. Fezan Butt has always looked like a decent bat but has never really been able to do much damage against DCU in the past. However, this time was going to be different, very different! He started circumspectly with Neeraj and Jaswinder bowling decently well. After getting his eye in for a few overs, he started to play his strokes most of which went over the boundary for sixes. Mavericks was able to stitch up a partnership at this stage aided by a few dropped catches from DCU and a number of back foot no balls from Neeraj attributed to a crooked pink line marking the side crease.  Fezan did not seem to look back after his initial let-off and took most of the DCU bowlers to the cleaners. A number of overs saw 2 -3 sixes being hit by him.

A few wickets fell around him during the course of the innings, including a return catch to Neel on a rank long hop of a delivery. However, this did not deter him and he kept swinging and the ball kept clearing the boundary. His first 50 was probably the most circumspect, the second 50 was swashbuckling and the third 50 (yes, a third 50!) lighting fast. He finally perished soon after his 150, ironically caught at mid wicket by the same fielder who had dropped him when he was about a 140 runs ago. Even though he was aided by at least 5 dropped catches through this innings, he played a fabulous knock and was applauded off the field not only by his team mates but the opposition as well.

Rajesh and Ramnik bowled 16 overs and gave away 44 runs while as many as 5 other bowlers used by DCU gave away 200 runs in 24 overs.  Mavericks’ innings closed at 244, with one batsman scoring 150+ and the rest of the team only 90.

DC United had created a mountain for itself to climb. With a playoff berth at stake and the Jamaica game still undecided, DCU needed to play out of their skins to win a game that they were expected to win from the outset.

Virender Sehwag has managed to fool BCCI into thinking that he needs to recover from surgery on his injured shoulder before the England test series. Actually, he now plays for DCU and goes by the name Sridhar Ramakrishnan. If there was one man that could make a required  of over 6 look like a cakewalk, it is this man. The first ball of the DCU innings went for 6 and the first over went for 16. The next nine overs can only be described as carnage. Boundary after boundary after boundary from Sri’s bat. Also, the number of breaks as the Mavericks’ fielders repeatedly looked for the ball in the bushes made for this the longest 10 overs ever! Venkat played a good support role to Sri and made 15 before being dismissed. DCU were 96 in 8 overs and 114 in 10 overs. Sri got out on the first ball after the drinks break, trying to gently leg glance a ball that he, by his own admission, should have hit out of the park.  He had made 83 in 38 balls and put DCU well on its way to victory. Anuraj made 30 to get DCU closer to the target. His wicket brought about a mini collapse, Jeril, Ritesh and Rajesh got out in quick succession but the damage for Mavericks had already been done. Ajay held up one end and kept the scoreboard ticking over while wickets were tumbling at the other.

Ajay and Ramnik strung together a small partnership to bring the required runs down below 50. Ajay got out to an unfortunate run out. Neeraj came in and hit a few lusty blows along with Ramnik to bring down the target to within 20 runs. He was dismissed soon after, stumped in Laxmanesque fashion. With 8 down, the match was headed for a nail biting finish. The asking rate was never an issue for DCU as a result of the top order fireworks. Neel and Ramnik played circumspectly, getting the ones and twos with the odd boundary to knock off the remaining runs. The game finished in the 37^th over – DCU had gotten up to 245 with over 2 overs to spare and 2 wickets in the bank. A close game like games against Mavericks always are, but DCU managed to pull it off in the end.

Sri’s heroics once again got DCU over the finish line after a glorious 150 from Fezan Butt aided by a disastrous bowling and fielding effort by DCU. A two week break invariably seems to put DCU out of match practice which reflects in the fielding and bowling. The next two games are tough encounters with teams at the top of the table, Chantilly and VA Lions. Hopefully, DCU has put this fielding performance behind them and can regain the form they had shown in the Vikings game where not a single catch went down!