Craziest end to a cricket game!!

The hottest day of the summer with temperatures reading in excess of 100 F meant that this game against the Valley Forge XI was going to be a test of stamina and endurance along with cricketing skills.

Titans reeling from the tough defeat in the previous needed to rectify the aberration of the last game to solidify their standings on the points table.

Unsurprisingly we lost another toss, which meant we were going to chase on a placid wicket at the D’Ambrosia park. This was our first game at this ground having previously played quite a few practice games here. They started confidently playing a lot of shots some of which came through and some didn’t … by the 8th over just before the drinks break the score was under control with wickets falling regularly. Some good death over batting by their tail meant they had posted a competitive 99 in their allotted 15.

Titans started their innings with back-to-back wickets in consecutive overs without many on the scoreboard. At this point, two senior experienced members of the team decided to forge a solid partnership playing balls to their merit.. putting away the bad balls, and milking where runs were available. Puneet anchored the innings throughout forging partnerships and keeping the scoreboard moving. There’s a lesson to be learned here for all Titans batters on how to play the conditions and execute plans flawlessly, especially with all those wickets falling around him, Puneet played the perfect chasing innings. With 9 to get of the final two overs, and wickets falling the pressure was on both teams to get through across the line for a well-earned win.

Last over 3 to get and 1 wicket in hand, the bowler; under pressure to deliver, bowled two wides to take the scores to level when inexplicably he decided to try and run Abhinay out from the bowling crease by throwing the ball from his run-up (kind of like a baseball pitch), the situation was both funny and sad at the same time, the pressure and the heat got to him so bad that he decided he was going to chuck the last bowl like he was playing marbles on the streets (he would have made Karthik Kurvi proud).

Anyways a fun little end to what was otherwise a well-contested game but everyone will sleep better tonight after the win. Full marks to the Valley forge players for conceding the game after the disaster of the last ball.

Lots of areas for improvement for the titans especially the batting and learning to finish games while batting second. But for the moment the priority was to enjoy the hard-earned win with some biryani and beers.

Needless to say, the only person who even came remotely close to being the man of the match was Abhinay with his incisive fielding and batting in the last over where he destroyed a bowler's career.