Red Bulls outsmarted by Assassins………ISA Cup ‘08 unveils itself

The ISA CUP is one of the prestigious accolade one can expect to receive for cricket from K-State. This year there are four teams, each team unique in its approach and perspective. One of the teams had passion and competetiveness, while the other had talent and raw power. Of the two underdogs one team has a distinct international flavor, while the fourth team has courage and spirit to upset the big guns. Of the league games our game (Team Red Bulls) Vs. Assassins was billed as crowd pulling/entertaining game. And this certainly lived upto the expectations…….as the final scorecard read “Assassins won by two runs”. It was neither a high scoring drama nor bowlers death trap, but a delicate balance of both.

Assassins won the toss and elected to bat. Their objective was to set a decent target and depend on their quality bowling attack to win the game. Nayan (opener) started the game with a superb cut for four and set scorecard in motion. However Rana’s accurate bowling and Praveen’s athletic fielding fetched two successive wickets and scoring almost came to a halt. In midst of all the calm overs, the two quick wickets and being caught in the excitement, RedBulls conceded an extra over of powerplay allowing Raja to score 12 runs in the final over of field restrictions. At the half time (9 overs) the game was evenly poised with scorecard reading 52-2. Raja fell to a reverse sweep, courtesy of a well choreographed and athletic catch from Sushanth. Vinayak followed the suit with a caught behind. This brought Samuel and Pritish to the crease. Sushanth and KLN continued their good form with the ball and kept batsman at bay. After14th over that the batsman started freeing their arms, and in the process scored about 30-35 runs the next three overs. RedBulls did well to restrict Assassins to final score of 122-5. Although the fielding of RedBulls was a lot better than their previous outing, the Assassins found a way to make runs.

Redbulls fresh from their belting the minnows for 203 runs started the run chase in a calculated fashion. Praveen on top of his game and Vivek promoted to opening slot, made runs with ease. Vivek fell to a simple catch at point and prompted Vinay to the crease. Vinay with his clean hitting and excellent running between executed a prefect run chase. Praveen fell to an excellent catch at point by Sandeep. Shiva took time to settle down before taking cheeky singles. Vinay was still in ‘cruise’ mode scoring boundaries with ease. Shiva joined the run fest scoring 12 off Phani’s gently pace. The score at the half time was 72-2. With plenty of batting to come and Vinay well set, RedBulls were well on their way to win the game. However, Pritish returning from leg injury and Raja with his precise bowling had other plans. The duo gave only 12 runs in the next four overs and got four wickets, including the price scalp of hard hitting Vinay and Rana. On the other end, Shiva upped the tempo and started scoring freely with drives and reverse sweeps, bringing RedBulls ever so close to victory. Raja outsmarted Shiva and bowled him. Assassins were in with a ‘chance’. Sushanth, known for his ability to finish the game, fell for a mistimed shot and left the game wide open. JD responded well in the pressure situation scoring run a ball. With 8 needed from 6 balls, it was as gripping as it could get. Three runs were scored off five deliveries, needing a boundary off the last ball for a possible draw. Shakti gave his best to score boundary of the full toss ball, but brilliant fielding effort stopped his attempt.

In the end, to like of cricket aficionados and much to Redbulls dismay, the match lived up to the expectations. With three matches to go in the league stage, the finals are still an open spot. If Redbulls can buckle down and get back to business they can look forward for a sweet revenge. While Assassins need to comeup with few more tricks to claim the ISA CUP ’08.