The Manila Nomads kicked off the new 2001/02 season in style in late
September with a resounding 7 wicket win over the Asian Institute of
Management XI.
Having asked AIM to bat in a 30 over game, the Nomads ran through the
opposition in 22 overs for a less than taxing total of 132. The home side
marched confidently to 136-3 in just 21 overs to give new skipper, Bill
Bailey, the best possible start to the season.
The match went ahead despite a damp outfield and soft base to the artificial
track - low bounce dictated that the batsmen should play a front foot game,
a factor somewhat fatally ignored by at least 8 of the AIM team.
Bailey chose to open the bowling with off-spinner Mike Barker and Indian
paceman, Rashpal. The combination worked to deadly effect as the top order
imploded.
However, it was not a bowler that inflicted the opening blow - the first AIM
wicket to fall went to the first ball of the match and season. Aloosener from Rashpal was pushed through wide mid-wicket and the batsmen set off for what looked like a comfortable two. Manish steamed round from square leg - through the quagmire left by the footballers and rugby players - picked up one handed and threw the stumps down with a direct hit from a bullet-like boundary-edge throw.
Barker proceeded to produce the best bowling stint of the innings, with 4
valuable wickets in 6 tight overs. The catching was good and the fielding
exemplary as Nomads moved into a clear winning position at the 15 over
drinks break.
The next 7 overs saw some real fireworks - Nishant (25) and captain Pankaj
Sudan (20) put some momentum back into the innings and induced the first fielding blunder. Pankaj skied to point and Barker and Rashpal, clearly having undertaken an oath of silence to each other before the game, collided heavily as the ball struck the deck.
The mistake was not costly - Pankaj decided to take on Manish's first ball
and found the safe hands of Hartley at cover. In terms of batting, the best
was yet to come..........batting at a strategically interesting No. 11, the
left handed Rana dished out some serious punishment and raced to 41 in 12
scoring shots.
Attempting a fifth six over mid-wicket (and, earlier, over the grandstand)
he put one straight up - Barker, who had lost the power of speech earlier,
now seemed to suffer from short term deafness as he ignored the keeper's
call and ploughed in from point. The inevitable collision occurred, but
keeper Manley bravely held on to finish the innings.
In the hope that he would not lose another of his senses, Bailey asked
Barker to open the innings with Hartley. The opening overs were ordinary to
say the least and the batsmen made merry with a number of resounding drives
and pulls. Barker (22) was the first to go and questions were raised as to
his optical prowess - the ball which bowled him had only one virtue - it was
straight.
Jeremy Smith was next to the wicket and wasted no time in taking the attack
to the opposition - his quick-fire 31 effectively put the result beyond
doubt. Hartley kept things going at the other end and retired at 36 - a good
start to what will be a long season.
Damon Paling had the misfortune of facing Pankaj bowling off-cutters at his
best. In fact, Paling was so far out to sea, the lifeguard was called over
from the club pool. He was spared the embarrassment of Nomads' first duck of
the season with a purely unintentional single through the third man area and
was put out of his misery shortly afterwards.
It was left to Rashpal with a crisply struck and undefeated 20 to finish off
the game with a good 9 overs to spare.
Bailey expressed contentment with the victory and performance at the
post-match conference - however, he was quick to point out that Barker's
match fees had been collected very rapidly before his sense of touch, and
ability to locate wallet, deserted him as well. Uncannily, his sense of
smell was unaffected and he was seen sniffing around a few things before the
day was out..............
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