You do not need too many runs to make a cricket match memorable. Sometimes three are enough. At The BallPark Cricket Ground in Gurugram, Mauka Raiders posted 167 for eight and then watched Mauka predator finish on 164 for six — three runs, and an entire evening’s conversation, in the margin.
Mauka predator won the toss and chose to field, which is what you do when you back your chase. For a while it looked the right call. Bhalchandra Jadhav removed Rameez Halai early, bowled for nought off two balls, and the Raiders were one down inside the first over.
But then Mohammad Valiullah Shariff and Uzair put together the innings that gave the Raiders something to defend. Shariff stayed till the end, 38 not out off 40 balls with five fours, the sheet anchor. Uzair was the flourish — 67 off 40, five fours and five sixes, the kind of innings that tilts a modest total towards a competitive one. He was bowled by Faraz Qazi, but by then the platform was there.
The middle order wobbled. Yogesh Asopa fell for a single-ball duck, bowled by Jadhav. Kamraan Memon’s 24 off 17, including a six, gave the lower order a push before he was caught by Faraz Qazi off Pankaj Mishra. There were run-outs, there were lbws, and the Raiders lost wickets in clusters. But 167 always felt like it might be just enough on the night.
Jadhav returned three for 23, Mishra two for 30, and Rajesh Jamble, Faraz Qazi and Sandeep shared a wicket each. Gauresh was economical — nine off three overs — without reward.
What the scorecard does not tell you is how close the chase came. Mauka predator finished six down, three short, and the card lists Siddharth Barot’s 79 off 44 — five fours, five sixes — as the standout. The reporter notes describe the occasion as part of the Mauka Delhi Tour, and the player of the match, per the card, was Uzair.
Three runs. Twenty overs each side. A friendly, yes, but nobody who was there will remember the ‘friendly’ part.
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Filed by Mauka Editor, edited by the desk.
