WE SHALL OVERCOME ....

ST Cricket team's challenge in the Suntan Cup ended as we lost to OPTO Group by 5 wickets in the Semi-Final last Saturday. We played excellent cricket in this season and all good things comes to an end one day. We fought well and lost to a team which was potentially better than us.

Our captain lost the toss and we were put into bat on a wicket which was conducive for swing bowling initially . None of our batsmen was able to cope up with the swing and seam of the opposition bowlers , except Narwal who compiled a patient 22 runs. Our innings folded up at 118 runs in the allotted quota of 22 overs.

Our bowlers started well by picking up 2 wickets in first 3 overs , but couple of bad overs cost us dearly. Mohinder Vij was the outstanding bowler from our side as he picked up 2 wickets for 22 runs in his 5 overs. Sudip, Indranil and Narwal bagged one wicket each. But in the end the score proved to be too small to defend and OPTO won the match by 5 wickets with 4 overs still to be bowled.

We have couple of positives from the tournament :

1. We have bagged 3rd Position in the tournament behind PBL (winner) and OPTO (loser in finals).
2. We have won two individual awards in the Best category :
a) Best Bowler of the tournament : Sudip Basu
b) Best wicket keeper of the tournament : Bharat Bhushan

With this match , the season card for ST team reads:

Played : 10
Won : 09
Lost : 01

The team is playing better than ever and with the commandments in mind and commitment in heart, the team is looking set to win a tournament in near future.

STMicro vs Hudco : Suntan Cup'05

Match : ST Cricket Team (STCT) 's Quarter Final match in SunTan Cup `05
Story till date : STCT had won prev 5 matches in league and are placed at no. 2 in overall list.
Date : 19th Nov., 05
Venue : Central Sectt. Ground, Chankaya Puri
Opponents : HUDCO
Match conditions : Lot of Morning dew, Wet outfield but Dry and Hard wicket.
Toss : HUDCO won the toss and elected to field


Imagine the voyeur in us peeps into the mind of a sportsman. That pulsating flutter of uncertainty, the self sermon of defiance , creating a cocoon of stoic aggression ..and rest assure, a knock out match is around the corner. Irrespective of the invincible past .. of 5 straight win in the league to reach this stage .. To play the quarterfinals ... ..... Mere Mortals .

The 6th Match of Suntan cup was played on the 19th Nov. Despite the opposition not being the fancied, despite the record of defeating them in several occasions .. playing a knock out game can be ruthless, unforgiving phenomenon. Bit like wooing a girlfriend, can be ruthless ..unforgiving .. But immensely satisfying , when you win one ..

Playing HUDCO in the QF of SUNTAN CUP, STCT were inserted to bat . In a ground , where once before it has had the ignominy of scoring less than 50 in a QF match. But strangely there was an aura of amnesia about this . An undercurrent of forgiveness , confidence to excel ... Stoic aggression .

Play began with HUDCO winning the toss and inserting STCT to bat. Initial jitters of Losing Lokesh to a ball which kept low didn't seem to have too much impact in Das's mind. Bharat and Das played shots , got dual bounce , got beaten . But carried on . Till Bharat perished to another low bounce ball. Narwal got back with a nondescript sweep shot and Mudit walked in. Das got out soon after to another devil of the pitch. Nitin, in his debut match walked in and with some powerful display of pyrotechnics, got the team to a formidable position. But the symphony wouldn't have been complete without the swan song of Mudit . With the caress of the bow , the maestro played on to score 41 .

The second innings started with the same intensity, the team was charged up and the opening bowlers bowled some beauties to get rid of openers in first couple of overs. The pitch was playing its trick and so were our bowlers. Two more batsmen perished soon before the end of opening spells of Indranil and Jeswani. Sudip came next and like a magician weaved his magic on the batsmen and demolished them to annihilation , picking up 3 wickets. Ably supported by Narwal and Ankur , who picked a wicket apiece. HUDCO could only manage 88 runs before getting all out and ST won the match by 80 runs.

Its time now for another knock out match . And no one seems to be ready to carry back the blemish of being "jilted" .



Match summary :

BATTING
-------

Bharat 26(26) Bowled
Lokesh 06(08) Bowled
Das 28(28) Stumped
Narwal 09(12) Caught
Mudit 41*(36) Not out
Jeswani 11(16) Caught
Nitin 23(16) Bowled
Vij 11(09) Stumped
Ankur 02*(02) Not out


TOTAL 168/7 in 25 overs

BOWLING
-------
Indranil 4 0 14 2
Jeswani 4 0 11 2
Nitin S. 3 0 14 0
Vij 1 0 03 0
Sudip 4 0 15 3
Narwal 3 0 05 1
Ankur 2 0 10 1

HUDCO 88 all out in 21 overs

Fielding: Bharat 3 stumpings 1 catch, Vij 1 catch

MOM: Mudit Bhargava


RESULT : STCT won the Quarter Final match by 80 runs.

STMicro vs AAI : Suntan Cup'05

Match : ST Cricket Team (STCT) 's Pre-Quarter Final match in SunTan Cup `05
Story till date : STCT had won prev 3 matches in league and are placed at no. 2 in overall list.
Date : 13th Nov, 05
Venue : Central Sectt. Ground, Chankaya Puri
Opponents : AAI ( Airport Authority of India)
Match conditions : Lot of Morning dew, Wet outfield but Dry and Hard wicket.
Toss : AAI won the toss and elected to bat

The 13th day of November, Central Sectt. Ground , it was a breezy morning with little bit of moisture on ground and lot of dryness and hardness on wicket , looking like a beauty of a wicket for batting and some help for seamers as well.

Our captain Bharat lost the toss and the other team decided to bat first on that lively pitch.Our bowlers started well keeping a nice line and length, and the batsmen were playing cautiously. But soon they started playing shots and took the score to 40 runs without losing any wicket in the first 5 overs. Then the first change bowler Vij put some brakes on the scoring rate and started his spell with a maiden. Narwal joined him and they both bowled some tight overs . The introduction of Sudip after 10 overs changed the course of the match and AAI batsmen started to feel the heat. Sudip mesmerised them with his slow inswingers and a beauty of a delivery from him got the better of the batsman and he was stumped by our keeper Bharat.

The other opener also departed soon loosing his leg stump to a slow inswinger from Sudip. Sudip popularly known as "dada" in our team bowled probably the best spell of the tournament and got 4 wickets for 9 runs in his quota of 5 overs. Vij at the other end supported him well and bowled a good spell of 5 overs conceding only 21 runs. Jeswani and Ankur bowled some tight overs in the end and restricted AAI to 133 in their allocated 25 overs. It was a remarkable comeback by our bowlers after the initial burst from their openers.

ST Micro started off well by smashing 25 runs off the first 4 overs. Bharat was hitting the ball so beautifully that AAI captain was forced to change the opener bowlers within 4 overs. Lokesh lost his wicket on a ball which kept little low and score card read 27/1 at the end of 5 overs. Das went in next and started playing his shots from the very first ball. The introduction of spin bowlers slowed down the run rate a little bit. Both of them played cautiously for some overs and then started to play their shots. Runs were literally flowing from their bat and they started hitting boundaries at will.

Bharat completed his second fifty of the tournament with a six over long off and soon perished while trying to up the run rate. With less than 30 runs to win and plenty of wickets in hand , Das showed why he is been considered the best batsman in the present tournament. He made sure that there is no pressure on new batsman Narwal by hitting 2 consecutive boundaries and then finished the match in style by hitting 2 more boundaries in 20th over. It was an innings in which Das and Bharat showed lot of maturity and didn't loose their composure and made sure they are finishing the match in style with a 7 wicket victory.

Once again, this match showed that we are coming up as a team and we are in a position to lift our games and do a justice to our potentials and prove that we are a good team.

Match summary :


BOWLING
-------

Indranil 2 0 20 0
Jeswani 5 0 26 1
Vij 5 1 21 0
Narwal 5 0 28 0
Sudip 5 1 09 4
Ankur 3 0 23 2

AAI 131/8 in 25 overs

Fielding: Bharat 3 stumpings 1 run out, Jeswani 1 catch,



BATTING
-------

Bharat 60(58) Stumped
Lokesh 07(10) Bowled
Das 47*(39) Not Out
Narwal 13(16) LBW
Jeswani 01*(01) Not Out


TOTAL 133/3 in 20 overs

MOM: Sudip Basu

RESULT : STCT won the Pre-Quarter Final match by 7 wkts.

Tournament till now
1. vs IOC - won by 63 runs
2. vs ABN Amro - won by 100 runs
3. vs XANSA - won by 87 runs
4. vs AAI - won by 7 wkts

STMicro vs XANSA : Suntan Cup'05

Match : ST Cricket Team (STCT) 's 3rd league match in SunTan Cup `05
Story till date : STCT had won prev 2 matches in league. 2 out of 4 teams in each group will reach pre quarters.
Date : 6th Nov, 05
Venue : Ramjas Sports Complex, Patel Nagar
Opponents : XANSA
Match conditions : Dry and hard wicket, dry and fast outfield
Toss : ST Micro won the toss and elected to bat

The STCT captain Bharat won the toss and chose to bat first on a good batting wicket. The start of the innings was not what the captain thought and soon ST was 2 down for 25 runs in 5 overs with both the openers back in the hut. The XANSA players were celebrating as if they had already won the match. However, some good steady batting by Das and Narwal saw ST getting to a score of 70/2 in less than 10 overs. It was a treat to watch these two guys play so well together. Narwal played well until a heave to mid-wicket found the fielder and ST was now 80/3 with XANSA holding the upper hand in this match.

Mudit went in next and the match hinged a great deal on Mudit getting his act together and not struggling to get singles. He started little cautiously , but soon started playing his shots. Das trying to accelerate the run rate lost his wicket , but not before making an invaluable contribution of 38 runs. Vij joined Mudit in the center and they both started building a useful partnership. Mudit and Vij took their bowlers to the cleaners and started increasing the run-rate and soon ST reached the 150-run mark in some 21 overs. Mudit played some heart-winning flicks towards square-leg and mid-wicket and soon notched his first fifty of the season with a well timed square cut through point. He was caught trying to heave a full-toss and Score card read 160/5 in 22 overs. Jeswani was run out for 1 while trying to steal a couple which was non-existent. Vij played some lusty shots at the end and helped ST made 183 runs in their allotted quota of 25 overs.

The start of the second innings was ideal for ST as Jeswani took the first wicket on the very first ball of the innings, but the other opener had some other ideas. He started smashing the ball to all the corners of the ground and took the score to 40 runs in 5 overs. Narwal was then called upon to perform the role he does best, that is to contain the batsmen. Narwal seemed to have used his experience to good effect as he stopped the onslaught that was looking to take the game away from ST. He picked up 2 wickets in his very first over with well disguised slower deliveries and XANSA was reduced to 50 for 3 wickets in 8 overs.

The advent of the spinners changed the complexion of the XANSA innings. Mohinder Vij bowled like Murali and Sudip bowled like Chris Harris and XANSA were on the back foot. Soon Vij snared two wickets, Sudip two more , a few runouts and XANSA faced the possibility of not playing through the 25 overs. Ankur gave the finishing touch to the match by picking up the last wicket and XANSA was all out for 96 runs in 17th over. ST won the match by a huge margin of 87 runs and are now at the top of the ladder in their group. This match saw a very disciplined bowling and spirited fielding performance by all players. Bharat being the main contributor in field taking 2 catches, 2 stumping and 1 run out and also Vij taking 3 good catches.


Match summary :

BATTING
-------

Bharat - 09(10) Caught
Lokesh - 01(03) Bowled
Das ---- 38(36) Caught
Narwal - 30(26) Caught
Mudit -- 52(46) Caught
Vij ---- 28*(22) Not Out
Jeswani- 01(01) Run Out
Sudip -- 02*(02) Not Out

TOTAL -- 183/6 in 25 overs

BOWLING
-------
Indranil -- 3 0 21 0
Jeswani -- 3 0 19 1
Narwal -- 3 0 10 2
Vij ----- 3 0 12 2
Sudip --- 3 0 16 2
Ankur --- 2 0 14 1


XANSA 96 all out in 17th over

Fielding: Bharat 2 stumping 1 catch 1 run out , Vij 3 catches, Das 1 run-out

MOM: Mudit Bhargava


RESULT : STCT won the 3rd league match by 87 runs.

Tournament till now
1. vs IOC - won by 63 runs
2. vs ABN Amro - won by 100 runs
3. vs XANSA - won by 87 runs

STMicro vs ABN Amro : Suntan Cup'05

Match : ST Cricket Team (STCT) 's 2nd league match in SunTan Cup `05
Story till date : STCT had won prev 1 match in league. 2 out of 4 teams in each group will reach pre-quarters.
Date : 30th Oct, 05
Venue : Airport Authority of India Cricket Ground, Palam
Opponents : ABN Amro
Match conditions: Lot of morning dew, relatively wet outfield and green top wicket
Toss : ST Micro won the toss and elected to bat

The STCT's innings started in a bad way with our opener Bharat getting out for a duck on the very first ball of the match. The ground was still a little wet and pitch a bit damp. The ball wasnt coming on to the bat that easily. And the odd ball was swinging miles ! Das went in next and started playing his shots as if nothing has happened and Lokesh at the other end looked solid as ever. They both started building a useful partnership and soon ST reached the 50-run mark in some 7 overs. Das was swinging his bat like the wand of a magician and every time the ball was hitting the middle of his willow and going towards the boundary line. Lokesh too made his presence felt by belting boundaries whenever he got a chance. The pulls, the cuts and the cover drives played by Das were a treat to watch. Lokesh perished when he was looking sure to notch his second fifty in as many matches but not before making well crafted 39 runs.

NarWall (Narwal) joined in next. He gave solid support to Das who was still playing the game in 'destructive mode'. Narwal too started playing his shots right from the first ball he faced and the flicks he played towards mid-wicket and square leg were just majestic. But in the process he got out giving a catch at midwicket. The score reached around 135 in 18 overs with 3 wickets down. Nitin Jain joined Das when the need of the hour was to maintain the healthy runrate. Das kept playing his shots and finally got out in 22nd over but not before contributing invaluable 79 runs, studded with 12 fours. ST lost wickets in a heap in the end and finally able to make 187 runs off their alloted quota of 25 overs with the loss of 9 wkts. The score looked short by 10-15 runs after the good start and strong middle order partnership, but was nevertheless a great effort and a match-winning score on the pitch which assisted seam bowling and where the ball was hard to come on to the bat off the slower bowlers.

Indranil and Jeswani, the opening bowlers provided a tight line and a tough time for the ABN Amro batsmen. Indranil bowled a fiery spell of 3 overs, unlucky not to pick any wicket as wicket keeper Bharat dropped a catch off his bowling. STCT eventually earned their first breakthrough in the 6th over. On a wide ball of Jeswani , Nitin Jain displayed great reflexes and took a blinder at extra covers. The first change bowler, Vij, proved too good for the opponents as he took 2 crucial wickets in his very first over. Sudip, then took charge of the ball. He and Vij completely shattered the remaining wickets in no time. Sudip took 2 wickets in his 2nd over and ended up with another impressive figures with 4 wickets. Vij took 3 wickets in his 4 overs. Ankur , the only specialist spinner in our team bowled 2 tight overs and picked up 1 wicket. Lokesh picked the last wicket on the very first ball he bowled.

ABN Amro could finally crawl up to a total of 87 runs. ST won the match by 100 runs and Das won the match of the match for his wonderful dislay of batsmanship. This match saw a very deciplined bowling and spirited fielding performance by all players. STCT looks forward to the last league match of the tournament against XANSA next Sunday (13/10/2005).


Match summary :

BATTING
-------

Bharat - 00(01) Bowled
Lokesh - 39(34) Caught
Das - 79(65) Caught
Narwal - 25(21) Caught
Nitin - 05(06) Caught
Vij - 06(08) Caught
Mudit - 05(06) Caught
Jeswani- 00(01) Caught
Sudip - 00(01) Bowled
Indranil - 00(02)
Ankur 00(00)

TOTAL 187/9 in 25 overs

BOWLING
-------
Indranil 3 0 15 0
Jeswani 3 0 19 1
Vij 4 0 14 3
Sudip 5 0 20 4
Ankur 2 0 14 1
Lokesh 0.1 0 00 1

ABN Amro 87 all out in 18th over

Fielding: Bharat 2 stumping 1 catch, Nitin 1 catch, Vij 1 catch

MOM: Sabyasachi Das


RESULT : STCT won the 2nd league match by 100 runs.

Tournament till now
1. vs IOC - won by 63 runs
2. vs ABN Amro - won by 100 runs

STMicro vs IOC : Suntan Cup'05

There's something about Mudit that defies common reasoning. Despite being deprived of batting, knowing that he will not get to bowl, he raced around the park, fielding the ball, like a man possessed with an aura of Aeolus. Like a pouncing warrior, like a selfless soldier, like a tireless commando. Playing for pride .. perspiring for win. This defines the common denomination of the ST cricketer psyche. With blue blood in their veins, they don't want any intruder to paint the canvass of their destiny . They are the fourteen slaughterers of ST cricket team.

In a new season of cricket, with a new captain onboard , with a renewed vigour and verve.

Playing with IOC for the first match of 11th SUNTAN cup , the lineup included four debutants; Ankur, Anuj, Nitin and Chandra. The commandments from the captain Bharat was clear. Unbridle your mind. Play with discipline .. play for pride .. perspire and persevere. With nonstop badgering the openers Bharat and Lokesh gave an astounding opening partnership of 150 in 18 overs. Lokesh has grown from strength to strength in stature . From being on the fringes for all of last season , given the chance, he grabbed it with an authority of a Greek monarch.. and conquered.. . With 80 runs (70 balls) studded with 11 fours when he retired into the pavilion the opposition could only think of loss and applause. Bharat, with his quintessential candid flamboyance carved a quick fire 76(52 balls) hitting 9 fours and 2 sixes on the way through . Das played a cameo knock of 31 (21 balls) to ensure that the target reaches 203 in the assigned 25 overs. A sense of purpose and urgency was imminent as he struck the balls fearlessly and fiercely through the covers and over mid on.

The IOC openers did ruffle a few feathers when they scored with abandon to reach 80 in 10 overs. At one point of time IOC was 132 for 2 in 17 overs. AND THEN RAJESH NARWAL STRUCK. With a brilliant 'caught and bowled' , he began what can only be termed as a "spell". With the cunning craft of a conjurer, he demolished them to annihilation picking up 5 wickets . Ably supported by Sudip , a trifle unfortunate not to pick any wickets as 3 chances went down on his bowling. Ankur in his first spell for team ST took 2 quick wickets , one of them off the very first ball he bowled. Vij also bowled miserly and claimed two wickets . IOC ran out of fuel and folded up at 142.

The beginning is with a bang. But the rule of game denies the pleasure to bask for long. With the commandments in mind and commitment in heart, is it this time to get SUNTANNED !!!


Tournament 11th Suntan Tournament, 2005
Match ST Micro vs IOC (1st match of tournament)
Venue Central Sectt Ground #2
Date 1st Oct, 2005
Toss ST won the toss, elected to bat


Batting Runs (Balls) (4s,6s)
------------------------------

Bharat - 76 (52) (9,2)
Lokesh - 80 (70) (11,0)
S Das - 31 (21) (2,0)
M Vij - 02 (06) (0,0)
R Narwal- 00*(00) (0,0)

Total - 203/3 in 25 overs

Bowling Overs-Runs-Wkts
------------------------------

R Jeswani 5 - 35 - 0
Amit 5 - 36 - 1
Sudip Basu 5 - 36 - 0
R Narwal 5 - 27 - 5
Ankur Behl 2 - 03 - 2
M Vij 2 - 03 - 2

MoM : Rajesh Narwal

Result : ST won by 61 runs
Tournament Status : Played 1 Won 1

ST Micro vs MGM XI

8-15am, 4th September, 2005. MGM Cricket Ground, Sec 62, Noida.

Possibly the first leather ball match of STCT in Noida in over 3 years.
(Jasola & Chilla are both Delhi).

First match of the season for STCT was about to start in a few minutes.
The new captain Bharat had won the toss and was ready to go and take
the guard in the middle with Lokesh Pandey, who has proved to be a handy
opener in some of the matches played for STCL in the past few months.The
opponents, MGM XI, were waiting for their 2 players and we couldn't have
possibly played with MGM -IX !!

Well the match started, almost 2 hrs after the scheduled start. And what
a start it was !! Bharat started with 4's and 6's. A treat to watch for
Lokesh at the other end.The run rate was always in 2-digit for the first
5-6 overs. Bharat reached his 50 in 18-19 balls when the team score was
around 60 ! Bharat kept his foot on the accelerator. Lokesh kept his
cool at the other end. Without any mis-hits, and after an almost delight
to watch innings, Bharat reached his century in the first match as a
captain in less than 50 balls !

When the teams took the first break after 12 overs, Bharat decided to
end his ruthless onslaught and declared himself - "retired out". Narwal
joined Lokesh after the break. The MGM XI chipped in with some
respectable overs. Narwal seemed to be regaining his touch. Lokesh
seemed comfortable at the crease. Soon he was called back by the captain
- "retired out" - to allow others to get in touch , but not before belting
a six out of the ground .

Vij went to give company to Narwal who was now looking good in the
middle. After some nice shots, Narwal was caught to a mistimed shot
at mid-off. Mudit went in next. Vij, who had a nightmare season
last year, played some beautiful shots. If this was his first match of
the season, he made sure it did not appear to be one. He was hitting
4's and 6's all around and in the process gave his wicket after a breezy 27.

Mudit got out in the next over trying to keep pace with the runrate
(acceleration was not possible). Jeswani hit a six off the very first
delivery he faced and made quickfire 10 off 4 balls , before being caught.

The innings ended at 258 at the end of 25 overs, definitely a mammoth target to chase.

Jeswani started off the season with a gem of a delivery. Had the umpire
visited an ENT specialist, Jeswani could have got a wicket (caught
behind) off the first delivery. The other bowling end was out-sourced to
Ved (ex-ST opening bowler) who is now working for Interra.

Both the openers bowled well. and Ved took 1 wicket in his spell of
4 overs.Then Narwal and Sudip started their spell , but Narwal in his
first match of the season looked out of sorts and gave away some 20
runs in his 2 overs.

Then Abhishek took charge of the ball and with
his tight line & length gave the opposition lot to think about. He
and sudip bowled very well in tandem and took 3 wickets between them.
The highlight of that session was 2 very well judged catches
by Amit Chadha.

Arpit ( last minute replacement of Lalit) was given a chance to
bowl his leg spinners, but he proved to be too expensive.

Narwal in his come back spell bowled well and took 3 quick wickets in
2 overs. Amit Chadha showed why he is being consider as a potential all
rounder , by bowling 2 tight overs and taking 1 wicket in his short spell.

Vij bowled the final over of the day and ST won the match by 38 runs.
The highlight of the match was the tremendous effort put by our fielders
and wicket-keepers (lokesh & bharat) in very hot conditions.

Despite being out of practice and the excessive draining heat, the overall
show by the team was commendable. Well begun is half done, its said, so lets
see.

Detailed Score-card
-------------------

Batting :

Bharat --Retired out -- 103(49)
Lokesh --Retired out -- 35(34)
Narwal --Caught -- 23(21)
Vij -----Caught -- 27(15)
Mudit ---Caught -- 10(08)
Jeswani -Caught -- 10(04)
Arpit ---Not Out-- 04(03)
Abhishek -LBW --- 00(01)
Amit ---Run Out - 03(01)
Ved Prakash
Sudip

Total : 245 for 8 in 25 overs


Bowling:
O M W
Jeswani -- 3 - 0 - 0
Ved -- 4 - 0 - 1
Narwal -- 4 - 0 - 3
Sudip -- 4 - 0 - 1
Abhishek-- 5 - 0 - 2
Arpit -- 2 - 0 - 0
Amit -- 2 - 0 - 1
Vij -- 1 - 0 - 0


Result : STCT won by 38 runs