Konchada stars in friendly against Pak Orient, 19th April 2015
The second friendly of the weekend on a beautiful spring day, temperatures around 12°C and the prospect of playing on the only Astroturf wicket in Munich. Ten members had committed but only nine turned up, including Reid after his trip to Zurich last week. The missing player was last week`s keeper, Bhat, who cried off after I had left for the game and offered as evidence a rather disgusting photograph of a painted toenail. Still Hashjimi’s friend Mahmood turned up to watch and was persuaded to field for us. I had advised the opposition that we were a strictly friendly team probably more suited to their second XI but, as we know, that means a top team turns out against us.
Captain Sarma duly lost the toss – has he ever won one? MCC were asked to field with Omar and Murtaza opening the batting for Pak Orient and Qureshi and Blades stepping up for MCC. Qureshi’s first over went for 17, with the first three balls boundary fours but two of them preventable with decent fielding. Blades’s first three overs were against Omar and there were only two scoring shots, a four and a six and it was a joy to experience the thrilling competition. After four overs each with the score on 52 for 0, Aranachalam and Sarma took over and after their four overs each the score had moved on to 130 for 0. It was not that we were bowling badly it was a day when the big hitters actually hit and the ball spent a lot of time in the shrubberies surrounding the ground. Kettle and Hashjimi now took over the attack and Kettle was successful in his first over getting Murtaza caught by Sarma for 58 and the score on 138. Shortly afterwards in the 18th over Omar retired out on 79 leaving Ali and Khalid Iqbal to face the MCC attack. Both went in the 19th over, Ali caught Arunachalam off Kettle for 4 and Iqbal run out with a direct hit from side on by Arunachalam. In came Basit and Usman the Younger and the boundaries continued to flow but Konchada put an end to Usman the Younger’s innings by bowling him in the 27th over with the score on 219. In the 29th over Basit retired out on 39 with the score on 234 leaving Khalid Butt and Waqar at the crease. Waqar was bowled for 1 by Qureshi in the first over of his second spell and in the next over he bowled Usman the Elder for a duck. Pak Orient then declared having scored 274 for 8 down in 33.3 overs. Despite the high score MCC had fielded and bowled well – only 16 parsimonious wides being given away.
After teas MCC opened with Sarma and a somewhat surprised Konchada and were well up with the required rate whan Sarma was bowled by Ormar in the fifth over with the score on 27. Waqar had been tonked for 9 in his first over and was taken off to be replaced by Ali. The run rate was kept up and when MCC keeper Ishtiak was LBW to Basit in the 11th over the score was 71 against the oppositions 75 for 0. Basit was the pick of the Pak Orient bowlers and on top form, Arunachalam, Reid and Hashjimi falling to him in quick succession and we were 88 for 5 down in the 16th over. Then Kettle was bowled Ismael leaving us 90 for 6 down. Basit was kept on as he was hoping for a Michelle but Konchada and Qureshi had other ideas – his first three overs went for 3 runs his next two for 21 which finished his spell. Konchada was finally bowled by Khalif Butt in the 23rd over for 61, MCC’s highest score of the season. Blades and Qureshi put up dogged defence until the 27th over when Blades fell, bowled by Usman the Elder for 5 off 18 balls.
*Sarma, 11, bowled, 5 overs, 0 mdns, 0 wkts, 63 runs, 1 catch
Konchada, 61, bowled, 4 overs, 0 mdns, 26 runs, 1 wkt
+Ishtiak, 9, LBW
Arunachalam, 2, caught, 5 overs, 0 mdns, 48 runs, 0 wkts, 1 catch
Reid, 0, bowled
Hashjimi, 2, bowled, 4 overs, 0 mdns, 35 runs, 0 wkts
Kettle, 1, bowled, 3 overs, o mdns, 21 runs, 2 wkts
Qureshi, 20*, 5.3 overs, 1 mdn, 31 runs, 2 wkts
Blades, 5, bowled, 7 overs, 1 mdns, 38 runs, 0 wkt.
MCC, 146 for 8 in 26.4 overs lost to Pak Orient, 274 for 8 in 33.3 overs by 128 runs
MCC MOM: Konchada
