My Day at the Semifinals - a purely personal perspective
One of the worst cricket-playing days of many years is what we got for the semifinals at WP today - cold; awful, freezing, bitter cold, when the driven cricket balls stingeth like adders and biteth like
serpents. Honestly, we really need to start the season earlier if at all possible - nobody should have to play cricket in weather like this, especially not a match as massively important as a semifinal.
(When I woke up this morning and turned on the TV, at 8am, it was 29 degrees - it was probably just above freezing-point when we took the field at 10am. For the first time ever, I umpired in gloves, and 4-layers of clothing - luckily I didnt have to stop any hard-hit balls like the poor fielders did :-).
Still, the teams (and umpires :-) fought through it, and we ended up with a few terrific games in the end.
I was umpiring QC Kings and Giants on Ground 3 - which turned out to be one of the most amazing games Ive ever seen anywhere, leave alone umpired. It all started routinely - QC batted first, started slow and steady keeping wickets in hand. It was 30/0 in 10 overs, a very good (though unlucky) opening spell from Moshi (who was getting tons of swing). Between overs I looked across WP - PakGym were batting first against Challengers in the game furthest away (and I saw at least one
or two early celebrations in the field for wickets); Milwaukee seemed to be going strong against Peoria early (some shouting about fours and sixes from the sidelines); and Arena after 1 early wicket was also going strong against Rovers.
At break QC were 75/2, with SunilB batting thru 20 overs. In the 10-minute break I checked in across WP - Arena *was* going strong, Samir Raorane hitting it all over the park, 100/2 in the 18th when I saw them. Milwaukee had started strong - 66/0 in 11 overs at one stage, but were suffering a hiccup, they were 77/3 in 17 when I got there; and Daxx had gone crazy on Ground 1 against PakGym, claiming 5 wickets in his opening 8-over spell (something like 5/14 in 8 I think).. PakGym were 86/5 in 20 overs when I got there, with Shahid (having apparently survived a very loud appeal for c behind) going strong in the 40s (Pak had apparently been 50-someting for 5 before getting to 86/5 by break with Shahid looking very good).
We returned to the QC-Giants game.. QC progressed to 124/4 in 30 overs, setting up for the acceleration (meanwhile Arena and Milwaukee seemed to be losing wickets, and even from a distance it appeared Shahid was on the rampage against Challengers - between overs I saw at
least a couple of huge shots). Giants fought back excellently in the last 10, taking wickets and slowing things down. Only 43 came off the last 10 - QC 165/9 at the end of the innings.
Checking in across the grounds at lunch - Arena had gone from 107/2 at break to 185 allout in 38 overs (Sameer 52). Milwaukee had slid from 66/0 to 158 allout (3/27 in 5 for Yousuf; 3/16 in 4 for Chakri); and PakGym had managed 153 allout, of which Shahid Munir had scored the small matter of 102 off his own bat :-) He really is a pretty damn fantastic player. We all watched the first few overs of the Challengers reply before returning to our games - where the Challengers (in their usual slow-and-steady start) hit 31/0 off their first 3 overs before losing Darshan. Right before I got to my game, I saw the dangerous Ravi Patel of Rovers sky one in the first over, and get dropped by the Arena fielder (which I thought might be costly - eventually it sort of was, the opening partnership was about 40).
Giants came in, and lost the huge wicket of Usman in the 2nd over, lofting to the deep - 6/1. Then Vajid and Asim got together, and batted brilliantly. They were dropped a couple times, but looked
positive, kept the runs coming (50/1 in 10) but without too much risk (Vajid vocally reminding both himself and Asim that it was a semifinal being played, to play in the vee :-) In the end a brilliant catch by Anuj got Vajid right at break, for near-50 IIRC - Giants 87/2 in 20, 79 more needed.
A very quick break this time, not as many updates from across the grounds.. Challengers were 90-100 for 4 apparently (and then Mahesh promptly swept consecutive huge sixes as I was walking back after using the restroom); Peoria was 60/4 in 20 overs, Asif having taken 2 (needing 100 more in 20, tilted slightly towards Milwaukee i thought); Rovers were 79/3 in 20, needing 107 more (tilting slightly towards Arena, I thought).
Soon after, even from a distance, it was apparent that Challengers had gotten home with some time to spare - I heard in the end by 6 wickets (Mahesh and Afroze took them home from 90ish apparently) with 9 or so overs to spare, Mahesh with 50+; Peoria lost their 5th wicket soon,
but was now charging against Milwaukee; and Rovers were making it a game against Arena.
Meanwhile, our game was proceeding serenly along - Asim and Rohit after break, taking it to 122/2 after 30 (44 to win in 10, 8 wickets in hand - my first view of Rohit, the latest Giant - looked a very
good player with both bat and ball, excellent pickup). Asim fell for 37, Fouzan came in.. QC were trying to tighten (just like in the QF against Titans), but Giants were still pushing along. 41 needed in 8 overs, 35 in 7. Hari's last over went for 12 though (one terrific drive thru cover by Rohit), and the pressure was released I thought - 144/3 in 34 overs now, 22 to win in 6 overs, 7 wickets in hand.
And then things got strange - and not just ordinary-strange, but Twilight Zone strange! A quick history lesson first - a few years ago, the Giants first patented their playoff run, upsetting teams along the way. In those days the 2 finalists made Division One - and the lower-seeded Giants
upset teams in consecutive years to reach the semifinals... only to lose two heartbreakers, to Capitol by 6 runs one year, to Advancers by 8 runs the next year, pipped to a Div1-promotion at the post. The first time Waqas batted low in the order and I remember him smashing quicks runs against Capitol at the death to almost bring Giants home before *just* falling short; the second time Waqas was left stranded at the nonstrikers end in another close loss (and was inconsolable at
the end - I know, because I remember trying to console him :-)
None of this had crossed my mind yet, though, as it has several times since - it was 22 to win, 6 overs, 7 wickets in hand. QC skipper Satish came back for his last over - and got Rohit clean-bowled. Muted celebration from QC though - too little, too late. Next ball swung away, and new-bat Ali was brilliantly caught by a diving Anuj at slip! Still, mild celebrations - everyone exhorting each other to keep fighting to the end, of course (but Satish rued the 2 early missed catches while chatting with me, as the next batsman Waqas walked in - those might have made the difference, he said).
So, 148/5 after 35 - 18 to win in 5 overs, both opening bowlers bowled out. Satish turned to the leggie SunilB (5-0-32-1 at this stage). Fouzan clean-bowled first ball. Moshi LBW 3rd ball. Suddenly 148/7! Waqas marched halfway to the boundary to meet the new-man Arsalan -
and gave excellent positive advice (relax, play your game, dont let the bowler get on top of you). Arsalan didnt, promptly driving a 2 and a 1 - 151/7 after 36; 15 to win in 4 overs.
QC now decided to go with their keeper Nihar - he had kept wickets all day, not bowling a single ball.. but last week, against Titans, he bowled the vital last over (after similarly discarding his keeping pads), and took the last 2 wickets to give QC Kings their first-ever playoff win in thrilling fashion by only 2 runs. So, keeper-switch, on comes Nihar (and I joke to him that its just like last week - Titans needed 18 in 4, Giants need 15 in 4).
And the crunchtime-specialist, the keeper-with-the-golden-arm, obviously decided it *was* just like last week.. for he proceeded to clean-bowl Arsalan 2nd ball! 151/8, in comes Imran. And, first ball,
Nihar caught the edge - right into the safe hands of HariKiran at wide first-slip! Lightning, they say, never strikes twice - but Nihar apparently does. Two wickets in 3 balls, 151/9, complete pandemonium. Giants devastated, they signalled to us it was all over.. QC starting a crazy leaping fist-pumping celebration...me trying to calm them down, insisting it was still only 9-down...and then finally it transpired that Amer had to catch a flight to Pakistan and had left! (Why hadnt he opened the batting just to get his innings in? I have no idea - am not sure even at what time he left, though he was around during lunch at least).
Anyway. So that was the Div2 semis - the craziest, wildest, nuttiest game (or at least end-of-game) that I think Ive ever seen... 6 wickets for 5 runs in 14 balls (2 of the runs were wides!) The second
crazy-comeback win in a row for the Cardiac-Kings - all credit to them for both games, for never once stopping trying their hardest, fighting to the last ball even when everything appeared lost. Very very hard luck to the Giants though (especially to Waqas - once again stranded at the nonstrikers end) - these are a bunch of great guys, a #8 seed that already upset the #1 seed last week, who deserve better in their longtime quest. They have a couple of excellent young additions to their team now, and Iam sure they'll get to their goal soon (and, while it may be poor consolation at the moment, I hope they know it will taste all that much sweeter for having gone through heartbreaks
like this one).
Let me also say, for the second straight week I could not have umpired a playoff game that was played in better spirit and sportsmanship - there was not one word or gesture in anger, displeasure (or, heck, even mild annoyance) all day long - not between the two teams (who joked with each other almost more than with their own teammates), nor towards the umpires. Its almost sad that someone has to lose games like these - they are a genuine pleasure to umpire, warm the cockles
of ones heart (if not ones actual body on a day like this).
Anyway. After that ridiculously brilliant SF of mine finished, and I had recovered from the stunned-sandbagged feeling a little, I trooped off to check on the other games. Peoria had indeed lost a 5th wicket to Milwaukee (and 3rd to Asif), being 86/5 - but then Ravi Uddavolu, one of the best unheralded players in our league, had taken over, hitting 46* at a run-a-ball in Kashif's company. Peoria had needed 100 in 20 overs at break, and had actually gotten there with more than 5
overs to spare! (And when they were 5-down, they had Yousuf and Madhu padded up - it really is an extremely deep batting lineup!)
And then I got to see the very end of the Arena-Rovers game. Rovers had needed 107 in 20 with 7 wickets in hand (after an early 51 by Raja Khan), against the best bowling attack in Div2. Arena claimed wickets post-break too..and when Rovers were down to 122/6 they must have been
slight underdogs (60 to win in 10 overs eventually, with 4 wickets in hand). But at this stage Deepak hit 43* and Yogesh 20*, a 64-run unbeaten 7th wicket partnership in only 8 overs, to win the game for Rovers with 2 overs to spare! A quite fantastic chase from the Rovers in the end - they have the reputation of batting all the way down the lineup, and they demonstrated it in full at the most critical time today. In fact, in the last 2 days, Rovers won twice chasing (completed the win against Springfield yesteday) - and chasing 180-odd each time, at WP in a playoff game, is really quite an achievement.
So the finals are set - and there will be Peoria-representation in both Div1 and Div2 finals next week. In this decade only one "away(ie. non-Chicago)" team (Purdue, Div2) has won a title, in either Div1 or Div2 - that will now definitely change next week (with the Div2 title already assured of going to a non-Chicagoland team). An "away" team has not won the Div1 title this decade - only one, Purdue again, has even made the finals; PeoriaCC becomes the second to make the finals,
and will be looking to be the first to win this decade. (I believe StLouis was the last non-Chicago title-winner, in the late 90s).
Bad news for Chicagoland's Div1 teams - both teams coming up from Div2 will be away-teams (either quad-cities or 2nd Peoria trip joining the Urbana trip). Good news for Div2's balance though - and perhaps for the league as a whole. Hopefully we'll have a good weather-day next weekend - could be 3 terrific finals in prospect.
- By Sadiq Yusuf
