The long weekend has come and gone. Time to get back to being serious. Time to play some cricket. Time to predict winners and losers, update the blog with results, and generally talk about anything (but the CER hopefully!).
Good luck to all.....
Thursday, July 10, 2008
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137 comments:
Chally,
I was just joking!!! Thanks for the invitation. Will keep it in mind, if that happens.....
:)
Adi,
Thanks for lighting up the blog.... :-)
Welcome back!!
Bahamas huh....man..that'd been fun !!
Ok..in case you want to still play in Div 1...you can play for us..thats if you dont want to play for ICC...just another option.. :-)
chally,
That was a good one..the blog comment about VIRGIN...thanks for the laugh..
Grr. Just wrote a comment on the old thread, that was "eaten" cos comments have been disabled :-)
c8w
What did I miss???
Adi,,y ya tek out de blasty las blog??. eh,.. why?.
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Ajoy Lal said...
Alpesh,
Which away team paid less than $2300/-. Please let me know because we paid the full amount.
I would like the extra amount we paid back if that is the case. :)
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Ajoy, there are probably a few :-)
As Madhu said, oftentimes money is reduced as a "ground rental" - which may or may not not be the exact amount paid to the park district (some park districts do it for very cheap or free.. for example, Washington Park I believe has a 30 dollar rental per game). This is also because away teams have more expenses, of course - providing food (which Chicago teams dont do), for one.
Anyway. For who actually ended up paying less than 2400..the reports at the AGM probably listed them. Purdue, CCI, Madison etc all get some discounts for being student-teams already IIRC, but also for the ground-rental fees. Some away teams end up paying 1600, some 1400 per season(up to 800 or 1000 a year in "ground rentals"). (Your old St Louis team is, I believe, one that pays MCC less than 2400.. because they too have a home-ground and receive a ground rental fee, which goes to their Park District I believe.. but Iam not positive what their exact figures are).
c8w
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Alpesh said...
This weekend Madison-Collinsville are going to play at Washington Park .. If these teams had played the local Chicago teams instead of each other, it would had reduced the travelling games for Chicago teams ..
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Actually this weekend Madison and Arena are playing at WP, and Collinsville is playing in Evanston IIRC :-)
But anyway. Madison and Arena both want to play at least 2-3 games at WP before the playoffs, since all playoff games are at WP, no? So theyre going to have to come here *sometime*. Secondly, Madison and St Louis are 350-odd miles apart - further than any other travel in this league, so it makes sense to have the game "in the middle" so to speak. Thirdly, how about umpires, huh? You think an umpire wants to travel from St Louis to Madison with the St Louis team and umpire a game there? Nobody does (if you give a "travelling team" guy LBW, you think you want to sit next to him for the next 8 hours? 2 is ok, 8 is a bit much ;-) In a Chicagoland game at least we can provide a neutral umpire from here.
We have to try and reduce every team's travel to about 4-5 games a season - whether theyre in Chicago or outside Chicago. That can be achieved by making *every* away team travel 4 times at least.. and both Arena and Madison are travelling at least 4 times this year, so theyre doing their part. Once every team is travelling 4 times at least, then the schedule can and should take other things into consideration,w hich will often result in 2 away teams playing each other in WP IMHO.
(Some away teams are *not* travelling 4 times this year, which is where the scheduling complaints could legitimately arise. Thats a whole different story, however, and doesnt apply to Arena or Madison).
c8w
Gracias Shekhs. Sorry I couldn't follow up with you on Tuesday, but was stuck in off-site meetings the entire day. Got home only around 10pm that day.
Looking forward to getting back to cricket....
Hey everybody,
Please try and come to the CRY-MCC games on Monday and Tuesday (playoffs). Its been a lot of fun so far and we'd like to see all of you there!
Romeen
Chally, rumor has it that VIRGIN group was turned away from WI and ZIM boards too with a similar complaint before approaching the Pakis ;).
straight_drive said...
Chally, rumor has it that VIRGIN group was turned away from WI and ZIM boards too with a similar complaint before approaching the Pakis ;).
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Well thank god.. because those two teams get F^%&$@# more than any other team
Shekhs said...
chally,
That was a good one..the blog comment about VIRGIN...thanks for the laugh..
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You welcome man.. that gave me a good laugh at work too.
Romeen..
Welcome back man...you gotta start bloggin again...
Thanks Shekhs, I think I will.
Guys,
What is the weatehr forecast for tomorrow in Chicago?
I heard it rained like cats and dogs yesterday. Are the grounds in playable condition?
Shekhs, can I have your number, Samir from my team might contact you to check the weather and save everyone some hassle if it is not going to be cricket condusive.
thanks.
Lets all give a big cheer for Romo.. Welocme back.
Ajoy the weather has a 80% chance of tunder storm flying through.
Chi town has been dry so the rain yesterday is nothing. I looked at my garden and lawn and this morning and i may have to water this pm.
It's going to be thunders storms so it can hit or miss.
On the side did you all request to come down on a saturday??
Ajoy,
The Washington Park grounds have very good drainage facility .. they dry up very fast .. But,there is a rain forecast of 60% tonight and tomorrow ..
Ajoy,
Sure, my number is 217-553 3178
Ajoy .. also try getting in touch with Phoenix/Advancers/Bears/Rogers Park .. since their match will start at around 10 .. they will be at the ground by 9-9:30 AM ...so they can give you the latest ground conditions report ..
Aiite guys..since we have some bloggers in here today...we should decide on having a blogger's party..
we have been talking about it for ages..we really need to have one, so that everybody can sit down and have a good time..no politics please..
Blogger's ball event should include friendly cricket match, food and rup's dancing.....
================================
Me dancing...C'mon TD.. we will like to get some Bollywood talents here..aiite''''
Great Idea.. of a game..
I know with the schedule out an all it wil be tought to pick a Saturday when we are all available..but we can try and coordinate this....
TD is willing to coordinate this.. wha ya al seh??
Oops .. Bell got out for 199 ... I really admire batters like Bell, Dravid, Attapatu .. who had not such great starts to their career .. but worked on their limitations and became really good .. Bell has a long way to go yet to be put aside Dravid n Attapattu ...
Sounds good TD, thanks for taking the initiative..
Matter of fact, Rup can dance..and dance good..
Romeen can vouch for that...we were all at this carribbean party last year..where Rup was kickin it.. :-)
Guys - show some compassion, let's call it "All Star" bloggers game.
Atif - 8/30 and 8/31 is the mini-worldcup...WP is not available that weekend bcuz of some festival (jamaican?) and HP grounds will be used for mini-world cup.
Folks looking at MWCC schedule - 8/30 or 8/31 is all open due to long weekend. We can keep this as highly possible.
==============================
not likely.. I hear this is the week end of the MCC mini world cup.. pretty confident it will happen.. bulletin will be out by next week on this....
=============================
Aiite'''guys.. me dancing a song or two would not hurt... but I still say we go bolly/holly.. i will start saving some singles and 5's from now..just in case???
Why don't we get together next tuesday.. After the CRYAmerica Semis.. have a few cold ones and discuss more..
i know a lot of us bloggers will be there that evening??
That sounds like a plan guys..next tuesday..
Lets see how many can make it..
Count me in the blogger's ball event. Not sure that I can make the Tuesday CRY event though, but I'll go along with whatever you guys decide.
Any news of the mini-world cup?
Welcome back Romo. Good to see the finger is good enough for you to type (thus play cricket)!!
I have school on Tue and Wed, but will go along with the decision.
Ajoy, as Alpesh mentioned, the drainage facilities at WP grounds are very good. Therefore no games are cancelled till Noon. There was talk to wait till 1:00pm before calling a game off, I am not sure. Ram/Sridhar can confirm.
All this means, is that rain or no-rain, you guys will have to come down. Good luck to all.
Romeen, welcome back.
Bloggers...
Does any one know if Washington park grounds are available for Aug8th weekend? I don't see any games scheduled there for 9th.. Just one game for Eagles on 10th ..Just wondering..to see if those grounds are available?
Thanks
Madhu
PCC
Madhu,
There is usually the Bud Bilikan parade on the southside of Chicago during that weekend Aug 9/10...thats probably why no games are scheduled at WP that day. Just my guess...not sure abt it tho.
Guys,
Unforunately I may not able able to make it to the "All Star" bloggers game due to torn ligament (ACL) in left knee...going thru some therapy and might end up having surgery....I will know by next week after MRI.....but count me in 50/50 :)...will let u know for sure by next week. Thanks.
Samir_RoyalsCC
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Jaggi said...
Ajoy, as Alpesh mentioned, the drainage facilities at WP grounds are very good. Therefore no games are cancelled till Noon. There was talk to wait till 1:00pm before calling a game off, I am not sure. Ram/Sridhar can confirm.
All this means, is that rain or no-rain, you guys will have to come down. Good luck to all.
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I second this - WP in general drains better than any ground Ive seen anywhere (one of the grounds drains less well than the others, dont remember which one). Games are possible there pretty much anytime, even with rain IMHO. If there are tarps available to cover (there are no covers presently at WP, at least there werent couple weeks ago).. then you almost never get games called off. You just roll up the matting and cover it, and wait for the rain to end... it ends, you sweep water off the concrete, re-roll matting, and pretty much start again within a half hour. The outfield will be drained by then usually.
Its a hard ask for people to come down from Madison,WI and St Louis, MO with a large chance of rain tomorrow.. but there is no choice in a sense. Its 60% chance of thunderstorms, but theyre scattered - so may not hit WP at all if we're lucky. And even if they do, WP with its drainage is often ready within a few minutes, especially if both teams are enthusiastic and willing to work to fix it.
The best suggestion was made above - call Adi or something. He will probably be next door at WP by 9:30 or so (your game is 11am I presume?), you can at least save yourself a part of the journey in the highly unlikely event of games looking completely unplayable by then.
c8w
Madhu and folks,
WP is not available on Aug 8th weekend. We came to know last week. We are looking for an alternative ground for the only game scheduled that weekend in WP -Giants vs Eagles.
The mini-world cup may take place the first two days of the long weekend. I can confirm next week. In which case, the All Star bloggers game can be played on Monday Sept 1st.
Again, will confirm next week regarding availability of HP on Sept 1st. We can possibly do a night game. Will be fun. What do u all think?
Thanks for the info Ram..
cheers
Madhu
Eagles lost to IIT by 1 wicket. Eagles batted first, scored 147. IIT chased the score in the 39th over with 1 wicket remaining. A very close match.
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Ramsundar Lakshminarayanan said...
Eagles lost to IIT by 1 wicket. Eagles batted first, scored 147. IIT chased the score in the 39th over with 1 wicket remaining. A very close match.
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Wow, sounds like quite a thriller! I know you must be disappointed, Ram, but how about a more detailed match-report? :-) Like how many runs were needed when the 9th wicket fell, for one, etc?
Meanwhile at WP.. Rogers Park beat Advancers in the game I umped. Very good bowling by RP in the morning - very good swing early, keeping the opposition shut down with no momentum (it was 9/0 off 5 overs, for eg, and 62/2 at the 22-over break, Affan was exceptional though luckless with 6-0-12-0).. and then a typically excellent spell of spin from Nasir (who got 3/15 off 9 overs) kept the shorthanded Advancers (missing 3-4 regulars, Pawan and Surya among them) down to 125 allout. RP then rattled the runs up in 21 overs, Shiraz with 45, and Affan and Sufiyan with about 40 and 35 not out apiece (Sufiyan ending it with 2 huge straight sixes in the final over). Very important win for RP to get back on track early in the season.
Next door, Phoenix beat Bears by 60-odd runs. Phoenix batted first, and their top order clicked again - this time Athreya and Aditya got 59 and 57 apiece IIRC - and carried them to 200 in 40 overs. Bears were in very good shape at 95/3 in 20 overs at break (ahead on rain-rule, with the clouds looking threatening) when I got there.. but then the spinners came on after break and ran thru the lineup (2 wickets fell in the first 2 overs after break to spark it). Amish got 4 and Sameer 2 IIRC, and the Bears fell to about 136 allout. Phoenix move to 6-1 and stay top of the table.
In the last game of the day, Arena and Madison played the best game of the day. Ground #3 was waterlogged, and apparently hosts Madison (helped by Arena) worked very hard for a couple hours to fix it, and the game started near 1pm and was played to 32 overs apiece. Arena was 73/0 at 16 over break, went to 98/0 at 20 overs IIRC, and eventually got 160 in 32 overs (lots of runs from Keshav and Aditya, a quick 20-odd from Sameer IIRC). It was nip-and-tuck all the way when Madison chased, 20-odd for 2 and then a recovery, and then 90/4 in 19 overs with the rain threatening (and a 20-over result looking likely)... and then Waheed hit a couple fours and Madison got to 101 in 20 overs (60 needed in 12 overs). It then brightened up considerably, rain threat faded, the game got tight again.. Waheed fell for an excellent 45, and it eventually came down to 29 needed off 30 balls with 4 wickets in hand. But Madison bat a pretty long way down, and Murari came in and proceeded to smack 17* off 9 balls (skipper Aslam at the other end had 24*), and Madison got home with an over-and-a-half to spare. Arena stays at 14 points from 6 games, Madison moves to 18 points from 6.
Any news from St Louis? There was a rumour floating around that St Louis was 123/5 against Flames with about 8 overs left, batting first.. and then no news after that.
Some big games coming up tomorrow - amongst them the huge AAA-Lucky rivalry, and the Chicago Giants attempting to take the first step of their long journey to defend Atif's Ms. Cleo reputation, this one against the Titans :-)
c8w
Not a match report per se, but some more details...
IIT were 72/6 at the break, leading Eagles by 1 run on 20-over rule. That too because of a cameo by Lakshmikumar. The 7th wicket partnership (can't remember the names of the pair) of 50+ for IIT was good...well, actually excellent given the context of the game. The equation was 36 in 11 overs with 4 remaining, 22 in 8 with 2 remaining and finally, 18 in 6 with 1 remaining. It was nervous, and finally the young legs won.
IIT guys run like crazy and field very well. Their fielding saved them about 25-30 runs easily.
Yes, very disappointing. But, still got to go to work tomorrow!
Titans Vs Chicago Giants
___________________________
Titans beat Chicago Giants by 16 runs in well contested game.
Titans scored 163/9 in the 40 overs. Two helpful partnerships between Mughiz-Hassan(51) n Prasanth-Schon(44) helped to post a competitive total.
Giants got allout for 147 in 35.2 overs. They were done in by the Spin trio of Mukunthan, Schon and Raj. Looks like our team has been inspired by Advancers of last year. :)At 20 overs, they were 79/3, but lost some quick wickets after the break and were then on the backfoot. Usman-36 and Amer-28 were their chief contributors.
It was good to see the Old Giants back. They are very good team and respect their opponents.
ICC vs CCI....
We started at 12:30 due to the water pool at Heritage park. We decided on 30 over match
CCI batted first and scored slowly loosing only two wickets for 47 at the 15 over break.
they came out aggressive batting and running. add some poor fielding from ICC and although we picked up wickets at frequent interval they were able to post 133 in 30 overs. Collins whos was our fill in bowler picked up 4 wickets..
ICC started of great guns with Collins firing. He fell for a quick fire 21 and we lost 3 quick wickets. I held the innings together for a while an we went in at break 85 for 4 in 15 overs.
When i got out at 94 with 40 runs to win i know ICC was in a spot of bother. too long of a tail and it wageed but never realy a treat as we soon bundled out for 114.
Kudos to CCI for the played well to beat us.
ICC needs to figure out how to get their talented players out to the Park or we will see more losses like this.
Peoria Vs Royals
Royals batted 1st and bunleded out for 145?
Peoria chased it down in 38th over? and won by 6 wickets...
It was great talking to u Madhu...& thanks for allowing a runner....it was a true gentalman approach/sportmanship, we appreicate it...kudos to you....
Samir_RoyalsCC
Samir..
No problem buddy..I had fun talking to ya too..Hope you will feel better and get back in the action soon..Royals are very good fighting team! Cannot believe 9 and 10 wicket scored 60 runs!!! Rupesh hits were clean and outta of the park...Wish guys the best for the future games..Well contested game!
Cheers!
Madhu R
PCC
Congrats to Madhu and PCC on another win. Peoria looked arguably the best team on paper and now showing that they are going to be the team to beat - and Ravindhar having an explosive season. But with that batting line-up..... Div 1 sure is tough!! :(
On another good note, I saw that Madison won. Congrats to them, that too at the old thorn in the flesh - Washington Park! If they can get some good experience there, I expect some good performances from them in the playoffs.
Damn! Faisal Baig is on fire. 4 50s in 5 games is great form. Good on ya Fais.
Adnan, what are you guys feeding him? And where are you storing it? I guess we'll find out during the "Night" game since we don't play you during the regular season. Ouch....
No kiddin..Faiz is on fire....
Way to go Faiz...will have to start watching United games...
Congrats to all the winners!!
Damn! Faisal Baig is on fire. 4 50s in 5 games is great form. Good on ya Fais.
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That's what happens when you become a mentor to younger generation. Faisal is leading by example to young Abhi. He must practice what he preach.
Adnan
www.unitedcricket.org
Adi,
Thank you we are just following Phoenix example who are leading the way..We are still in explore phase where we trying to find right combinations for maximum efficiency...We are work in progress indeed and as every one knows being team beat on the paper is like writings on beach sand..One big tide they are erased..:) Thank you for the kind words..It appears Phoenix is the team to beat on the field..:)United infact looking the team to beat this season I would say...They have star power as well young abhi doing well..Wishing all teams the best..
Cheers
Madhu R
PCC
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Aditya said...
Congrats to Madhu and PCC on another win. Peoria looked arguably the best team on paper
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Madew said...
Adi,
Thank you we are just following Phoenix example who are leading the way..It appears Phoenix is the team to beat on the field..:)United infact looking the team to beat this season I would say...
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Enough of this "pehle aap, nahin nahin pehle aap" Reverse-Woofing! How about someone stepping up and saying "we are the best, we are the team to beat, all you other guys suck compared to us", huh? How about at least a regular-season-title guarantee from someone (especially from one of the only two teams with only 1 loss so far this season?) :-)
In that sense, good on Atif (and hard luck) - at least he came out and guaranteed a playoff run, even if it didnt quite work out for the moment :-)
c8w
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Adnan said...
That's what happens when you become a mentor to younger generation. Faisal is leading by example to young Abhi. He must practice what he preach.
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Great season so far by Fais - top rungetter at the moment IIRC. And an excellent first game for Amit too, actually. But who was doing the scoring for you guys, Adnan? :-) Everyone's balls-faced is badly off I think (the first thing I noticed was Fais 56 off 26 balls, and thought damn! that must have been something!.. and then noticed that everyone's balls-faced were off, total adds up to about 17 overs when you guys played about 38 I think). It seems you guys are missing at least *something* that Samarth brought to the team last year.. his scoring ;-)
c8w
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Aditya said...
On another good note, I saw that Madison won. Congrats to them, that too at the old thorn in the flesh - Washington Park! If they can get some good experience there, I expect some good performances from them in the playoffs.
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This was actually Madison's second consecutive WP win in their last 2 matches, and apparently without their full complement of players. Their schedule has them playing 4 consecutive travel-to-Chicago games in the middle of the summer, and some of their players have apparently refused to make the trip :-) (Theyre still very grateful to the Re-scheduling committee, however, Ram.. their original schedule had them playing 2 separate back-to-back weekends! One was a back-to-back in Chicago, the other was a back-to-back with a game in Chicago on Saturday, and a game in Madiosn on Sunday!! 4 consecutive travel games seems easy by comparison :-)
Madison looks a pretty good side, but has a very hard schedule coming up too. Does anyone know for sure how many teams are going to the playoffs in Div2? If its only 8 lots of good teams will be on the outside looking in - it is all very tightly bunched right now.
c8w
Great season so far by Fais - top rungetter at the moment IIRC. And an excellent first game for Amit too, actually. But who was doing the scoring for you guys, Adnan? :-)=============================
Amit. I enter what they put on the scorecard bud :)
I hope its only 8 teams.. It will make it very interesting.. I know we will be hard pressed to make it based on the way we are playing.. May be if I get out my batting funk that will help big time.
Congrat to all the winners and may it be better for the looser on their next try....
Yep... Who has the Guts to step up and say I am taking it all this year..
Div 2 is a bit murky although i say AAA looks good..
DIV 1 is..well I don't know???..murkier.... Adi is playing it safe.. so that's leaves us United or Peoria.. though it seems Madhu is taking the philosophical way out..then all we have left to step up is Adnan/United??????
United will win it this year.. I have had this feeling since week one. It just seems like they will do something special this year.
This year Div1 will have United, Phoenix, Peoria and a wild card team in the semi-Finals
Any one looking to by NEW kookaburra pads and Larson bat (one Tendulkar uses with MRF stickers)i am giving both for $225
if you want just the kookaburra pads it will be sold for $75 and Larson bat for $150.00
call me if you need 630-660-4009
You guys are overlooking probably the most explosive team in Division 1 - Challengers!! They are also a 1-loss only team, and they have proven their mettle for many years now. I am hard-pressed to not consider them the real favourites. The only reason people haven't talked about them so far this season is probably because we are used to seeing them up there and they are just doing what is expected.
As far as championship is concerned, its the teams that build momentum, that are playing good cricket and peaking at the right times that I notice win it all. Last year it was MG. Year before it was PG. Before that Wildcats. So, the second half of the season will be a good indicator of which team is setting themselves up to win it all!!
Challengers last game before the season will show their potential and most probably holes in their batting line up against quality spinners..
i mean before the playoff
Game against Milwaukee that challenger played
Asif Mahmood 4.5 1 19 2 0 0
is one off example against spin.
Challengers Game against Milwaukee United
Bhavneet Sarna 7 1 18 1 0 2
One more example
Challengers game against Advancers
Shakir Ahmed 6.5 2 19 4 0 0
many more to follow..
Challenger can only play medium or fast bowlers.. as they only know to hit but not defend
nj,
I'm pressed to believe that I know you very well.. :-)
But, you're right, for us every game is a test..and the last game with you guys is definitely gonna tell us something.
I did have the privilege to play alongside Amit the other day, a true warrior...can both bat and bowl...so it will be a good contest considering there are other stars in the team.
I think Adi has a valid point about momentum and the second half.
We'll have to wait and see who does well in the latter part of the season.
Its definitely not a cake walk for anybody, you have to work hard to get it..
c8w,
I dont know if anybody can confidently say anything right now - that "We'll take it all"!!
Its still too early....
In last 5 games that Challenger played they almost got packed by spinners...
Any one to put some more focus on teams that can best play spinners in MWCC. To me i dont find any other than UNITED
I agree shekhs, issue here is spinners and being able to play spinners.. it has always been fun watching Amit play cricket. Lot to learn and implement. Playing with him is fun too rite.. nice catch again.. Tell your team that they have a good fielder in you who can even dive and take some stunners.. :)
Guess which team this is:
vs Chargers
Iqbal Arshad 9 0 29 2 0 0
vs Bears
Hammad Ahmed 8 0 29 1 1 0
vs Pak Gym
Mohammed Bakhshi 9 2 38 2 0 0
vs Wildcats
Naren Murkonda 9 0 29 3 0 1
You got it - United. Does that mean you guys are weak against "spin" too, or does it just mean that spinners do well against ALL teams in our Division??
Secondly, Challengers beat all the teams - Milw, Advancers, and Milw Utd.
So as yet that doesn't mean anything.
Finally, the Challengers have won 2-3 titles. Was there no spin then? They have been at the top of the Division the last 2 or 3 years as well. No spinners then?
Your logic is easy to believe, but difficult to to just "accept"!
Slow bowling generally is the achilles' heel for most of the Div 1 teams....
Challengers definitely been having an issue with slow bowlers, but I believe we are slowly getting over the hump, so hopefully will learn enough by playoffs.. :-)
We do have a coupla good batsmen who can handle quality spinners - Mahesh and Afroze, and Nirav Amin can also handle spin very well...
I dont think we need to be overtly concerned about spin bowling as such..at least challengers are not worried, I know that much.. :-)
Thanks Nj, appreciate it..
Any one to put some more focus on teams that can best play spinners in MWCC. To me i dont find any other than UNITED
You're kidding, right? Coz that's a good one!!!
I think Advancers can play spin - they have 3 damn good ones. Flames? Didn't know spin was Kiran's weakness!! Milw? Peoria? I suspect Madhu, Satha, Ashwin, Yousuf, Ravi can handle spin!!! SL looks very capable of doing the same, and finally the Wildcats! They play spin as well as anyone.
NJ,
Not defending the Challengers, or anyone else for that matter. Just pointing out holes in your theory. I think everyone struggles, and depending on the day maybe a little more than normal. But there are some good spinners in Division 1, who deserve credit too. I'm sure the same can apply to Div 2, but personally not aware of all the players.
And yes, I do think United can play spin pretty well too.
shekhs slow bowling is a problem for all teams
yeah, chally Slow bowling is an issue with most of the teams....Div 1 and Div 2.
I think you guys have the same issue, right?
I am talking about UNITED after the break.. Kiran, Amit, Mehul are just few to be named who can play good spin attack. You all know what Faisal can do to a spinner.. no need to say looking at his states.. few more in UNITED cricket bank, the list is long..
ADNAN is one another spinner who can do the loop damage..
Afroze is good against any form of bowling.. Challenger is lucky to have him this year
By the way this what i came online for.. :-)
Any one looking to by NEW kookaburra pads and Larson bat (one Tendulkar uses with MRF stickers)i am giving both for $225
if you want just the kookaburra pads it will be sold for $75 and Larson bat for $150.00
call me if you need 630-660-4009
shekhs yep... The problem is most guys not patient.
And yes each team will have a guy or two that can handle the spin but the entire teams as a whole are weak to slow bowling.
our wicket keeper bowled spin for the first time and took 4 for 33 in 6 wickets . he gave up I think 1 boundary and a lot of over throws killed his number..
C jack
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and that is why we urge to you all to attend boot camps wheneven one gets a chance.. improving game of cricket is alway good, not limited to an individual but to the team as well...
Play as much if you can if no other commitment, to bring your best game out on the field. Practice make the game better and so does individual fitness.
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NJ said...
Any one to put some more focus on teams that can best play spinners in MWCC. To me i dont find any other than UNITED
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The league in general is weak against spin IMHO, especially emphasized in Div1 - that was why Milwaukee United did well when they were first promoted for example (they had decent batting to put up 200 or so, and then they had Jaswinder, Bhavneet, Shiv - 3 decent spinners. When Jaswinder left, Shyam came in. Since then they have fewer spinners playing regularly, and weaker batting, and have struggled). Similarly, Advancers on promotion are built well for Div1 in the bowling sense - 3-4 spinners (Pawan, Shakir, Altaf, Nari) if they play regularly.. their problem has been failure to put up runs so far (only 125 this weekend for example).
Challengers have lost only 1 game so far this year, so finding any particular weakness against spinners is kinda a stretch :-) Similarly it could be said IMHO that United's abilities against spin will be shown more after this weekend than it has been so far - this weekend they get to face Asif, after all. United is a different team this year than previously, so we'll find out how they do.. but I recall umpiring United vs Milwaukee 2 years ago, and Asif's figures in that rain-affected game were 7-3-10-5 :-) Of course, the addition of Kiran and Amit to the batting could change that dynamic a bit! (Same as Peoria.. last year, when Peoria lost in the playoffs of Div2, it was the IIT spinners who did all the damage IIRC. But since then Yousuf, Ashwin and Satha have been added, which makes things a little different :-)
c8w
nj..
i agree with you.. i love the game love to practice and make my game better.
when you have a camp let me know I will atend if schedule permits
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Tonald Drump said...
Just Like Cubs - Next Year: (In no particular order)
Hammond Titans Springfield Fire
CCI Chicago Cricket Club Lucky 11
Jolly Rovers Chicago Giants
In Playoff Hunt: (In no particular order)
1. AAA 2. Eagles 3. Evanston 4. QC Kings 5. IIT 6. Jaguars 7. Madison 8. Illinois 9. Collinsville 10.Arena
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I dunno Atif. This early in the season, to some extent I think number of losses is one big way to judge rather than points table almost.. because some teams have played fewer games than others etc. In that sense, for eg, IIT has only 1 loss - which is up there among the top (even if theyre only 8th on the table). Lucky XI, OTOH, has only 2 losses.. theyre 2-2 with 0 rainouts. That means theyre far from out of the playoff picture despite being 13th currently.
Secondly, I still dont quite get your Jolly Rovers rating :-) JR have 2 losses only.. they actually have 18 points from 7 games, and you have them waiting till next year! In comparison Illinois has 12, Arena 14 and QC Kings 14 points, all also from 7 games, and you list them all as in contention. Bit rough on JR, no? :-)
c8w
Wait to unveil.. Pros and Con’s on either side to fine tune the very game of cricket as MWCC is getting limelight in all forms of game including press, controversies and international stars participation. Keep the discussion on as it will only help than hamper.
so, it looks like a lot of you think spin is the winning formula.
I can't recall too many championships won on spin bowling..Last year advancers did it in Div 2..
The teams that have won the championships, were and are power houses when it comes to put a whoop'n on spin..
See, we hardly play on any surface that allows for good spin so if your spinners get lucky you got a chance if not the could lead you to a target of 300 against a power house.
I say a team with a good pace/medium attack wins 90% of the championships as long as MCC keeps the same sureface we have today.
I have updated the Royals vs Phoenix scorecard for those who were asking about it.
The problem was that the Royals played with a person that they had not registered on the website, so I could not enter the scorecard when I tried to. By the time this got resolved, and with my vacation in-between, the entry got delayed.
A loss is tough... but that doesn't stop me from entering the scorecard.... most of the time!!! ;-)
SPIN IS THE MANTRA
ASIF being on top most of the time.. is what gives one an idea of top spinning effect on batsman. Spinners are the one that makes a batsman dance. I do not think fast bowler can make a batsman dance, they can only scare by bowling bouncers the only weapon that they may have. Swing bowling is a different, swing bowlers can bring trouble on the pitch for few overs but not entire spell.
Asif Mahmood (Milwaukee) has played 62 games in MWCC and has 166 wickets at an average of 7.63
COMPARED WITH MEHUL SHANI (UNITED)
Played 117 games with MWCC took 229 wickets at an average of 12.65
OK..NJ.. but has Asif team won the championship in his Tenure??.
Like i said before MCC wickets do not favor spin bowling and 90 % of the spinners get their ass walloped and then the stop bowling spin..some took to Chucking to avoid the wallop.
There has been several spinners in this league for a long time.. look at all their records.. Asif is the only stand out cause he is above the rest..all the rest has had phases where the look good but did not go farther..
look at the fast/medium pace bowling and see how many guys have done good and are still doing good.
I believe that its the right combination of fast and spin that brings in more success...
you dont necessarily have to rely heavily on a particular type..
If you look at the last 3 years in Div 1...
2007 - Muslim had a balanced attack with the brothers providing the medium pace attack and Saud and Froze bringing in the slow bowling.
2006 - Pak's pace attack with Bakshi's spin.
2005 - wilcats' balanced attack..
Mostly each type of bowling gets more effective if you have a good partner operating from the other side (not for Asif :-))..
Keeping the pressure on both sides will get more wickets...
I hear ya Shekhs.. a balance attack is good..
I think we are looking for who wins the championship for you.. spinners or fast bowlers.
It's always been the Fast guys that I know of?
Or a strong batting line up like the PAK vs Cats game.. Remember cats chased down 300+ against a good attack of Pak.
just a lil note. Asif played his 1st season i believe 2003 or 2004 under his family name (Asif Khan), he had 27 wkts + 450 runs that season. i played against him and he is no doubt if not the best one of the best bowlers in our league.
i agree with you both Shekhs and Rup, a combo can kill the opponent.. if both playing in same team. I guess i will keep rest for the ground show. But i still feel UNITED has a very balance combo (medium fast and spin)for 2008 championship. After all it is cricket who knows what happens.
Also the reason .. Spinners succeed a lot in our league .. because very few batsman use their feet and play them .. To play Spinners, you got to dance down the wicket to come to the pitch of the ball ... Also when you dance down the wicket .. you don't always have to hit big .. u can take singles too ...
I think we finally figured out who Tango is....last nite..
Shekhs lets put some light on Tango since you figured out in dark last night.
Alpesh
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you are right, the only way to kill a spinner is use your feet
lol NJ....
well, since Tango has kept us all in the dark..
he was busy in the dark last nite..
I can tell you fellas one thing..Tango..is a playa....
and a high rider....
Shekhs,
I think I know who Tango is too. Tell him to get back on the blog and entertain us or we give him up..... ;-)
Just kidding, Tango is too much fun to just give up. I hope to see him do well the rest of this season. His team needs him!
lol NJ....
well, since Tango has kept us all in the dark..
he was busy in the dark last nite..
I can tell you fellas one thing..Tango..is a playa....
and a high rider....
A night rider maybe???? ;-)
Thats his new nick..the Night Rider..
Tango man..you gotta come back..you know we know..now..
:-)
Yep we need Tango back..this blog is a walk'n dead sometimes.
Folks stop beating up the spin thing.
You no da al ah we no da de only gat abot a hanful ah spina in da league.
Now i will agree if you say we got a lot of slow bowlers in our league...that are not spinners cause the just plain bowl straigt..no turn
Alp my friend.. the only dancing we know at our age is at parties. ya ask'n a bunch a 40 somet'n to dance down the wicket..
Her is the best hint to play 90 % of the spinners in this league cause IMHO they are not spinners..
Be patient.. they bowl straight.. Wait for them to pitch it up or short..and Whopie..OOOHHH boundry.
Now i hope this closes this spin crap that's going on.
I forgot to mention.. Be careful cause a few of them have start to chuck/pelt/throw..to get wickets and they call it spin..
for these get the camera going so we can take the ball away from them..
lol rup...maybe we can have our own - "Dancing with the Stars" episode..
Yep Shekhs..
Dancing with the Stars at Hanover park....
whilst Tango is Tangoing in the Dark at HP!!!!!!
And the finale.. yep.. Grand Finalle...Alp and NJ dancing down the wicket... Sounds Grande to me..
Sorry I left ya out Adi....
And...Adi .. does the final waltz to close the evening under the stars..wah ya seh Adi???
Adi and I talked about it a couple of weeks ago. We think we know who Tango is.
I agree that he has a reputation of being quite the "player".:)
I say we leave Tango alone..
You may ask why....
I think we got him but if we bust him then this blog will die.. so let Tango be Tango..in da dark or lite he is Tango..
Good one Rup ... I will love dancing down the wicket on bollywood music ... :)
the blog needs Tango..
we need some entertainment in here...
whats up with all the bloggers...keeping it low?
Madew, Romeen, Preetam, Ram, Shiraz, asmar, ajoy, and the rest of the bloggers....lets get this going guys...make it like good old days..
Madew, whats up with you man?
any trips to chi town?
So, are we partying in Peoria on 08/02?
oh I forgot Swetal (kem cho Bhau..meeting ma su karicho?)...and our old pals Nasir and Raheel..where are you guys..
no news fellas...stay in the loop ...
Atif, how many responses did you get for the bloggers ball?
Sheks...what ya shakin? Looks like Rups all in da'mood to shak'n bake...:)Ya we are playing Aug 2nd make sure you common down brotha..It will be fun to see all chal-pals again..playin againt them like in the old days..We have a super tight schedule starting Aug2nd..9th we will play PakGym at Hanover...that only time we gonna be in Chitown..unless..we move couple games..at Washington park..and it appears Washington parks are high on demand list for all away teams..:)
Cheers
Madhu R
Yo brutha..you betcha..will definitely make the trip..
We need to party in Peoria...whadyasay?
Atif .. I am interested too ..
Shekhs...Rup,
Good to see you guys last night. Who won finally ? We had to leave midway.
CRY seems to be fun. We would like to participate next time.
Sorry Rup can't let this one pass... why were you wearing gloves batting against a tennis ball. :) Protecting the nails ? ( in good humor brotha )
Tonald, I would like to participate in the bloggers ball too. Please count me in. In fact I came to hanover last night thinking we would be talking about it.
Hey rup as a heads I just wanted to let you noe that our game on this saturday has been moved to Hammond indiana and you are the hosts. If you have any questions feel free to contact me. My number is 773 306 6149. Also (onald I would like to be part of the bloggers ball. Again feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
sheksh what is your experience as vp of night games
hey deep down...
its an interesting question and I have to say, so far so good..I dont want to jinx it...
But again, its too early to say, as we only played 2 games so far..
I'm slowly starting to realize the intricacies involved in managing a diverse league like ours...
I must admit that I have some excellent support around me to make this happen and I have to thank everybody for that..
Shekhs said:
>> the blog needs Tango..
>> we need some entertainment in here...
The blog this year is full of whiners; so, unless we get those whiners back crying over everything and anything to do with mgmnt, this blog will remain boring. So, whiners , come on and lighten the blog. Rup, Adnan are u guys listening?
Thanks for the FYI Masta,,,
looks like something is going on at heritage pk this week end as no games are schedule there.
See you in Hammond...
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Sorry Rup can't let this one pass... why were you wearing gloves batting against a tennis ball. :) Protecting the nails ? ( in good humor brotha )
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
nope..not the nails.. just the Bat and fieldsmen around the bat. Just making sure I do not loose the grip on Da bat cause you swing so hard sometimes to try and hit the ball.. loose the bat and the guys in the 15yd circles in a spot of bother.
Jaggi, I did not send the e-mail but you can count me in.
Rup
Atif(atifmshaikh@gmail.com) is getting the headcount for the bloggers ball. Please email him so that he can update all those that responded with the location/date etc of the party.
In this week's summary, Pak Gym had the following as man of match "Badri Ramasubramanian for deceiving us". Any ideas?
Confusius says "He who deceives in the past gets deceived in the present, by rule of karma" that explains the deceving comment
there goes the neighborhood....
'Thou shall not deceive fellow team else shall get deceived by the rain' fast backward last year rained out game between MUCC and Pak gm no light in midday due to dark clouds and game decided on 20 over rule
mucc
Tonald,
Count me in for the game.
Shekhs, Adi, Rup, you guys are barking up the wrong tree. :)
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