Senior NAT Team - General Discussion

[MOD-MrMoose]

WINNERS ARE GRINNERS! OH WHAT A FEELING!!!

That is our FIRST OD WIN THIS SEASON and our first competitive win since January 14th. Not that I was counting but it was a losing streak of 11. BUT NOW IT IS A WINNING STREAK OF 1!!!!!!!!

I am not going to lie after our bowlers did so well I was convinced we would have a characteristic collapse but the batters dug in and got the win.

Tour Match # 1
VS SOUTH AFRICA
Result:
UAE win by 5 wickets.

The Match in a tweet: It has been a while between drinks but UAE ARE ON THE WINNERS LIST. WOOOOOOOO

Man of the Match: Kamal Qassem
That is 5 wickets for Qassem!

Our best:
Kamal Qassem - Google tells me that Qassem translates to "the one who distributes" and our boy was distributing wickets left right and centre. A wicket maiden in his first over including a peach that knocked over Hashim Amla clean bowled. Then proceeded to mop up the tail and grab his five fa. 5/38 off 9 overs including 2 maidens.

Kaliq Aziz - 1/23 off 8 overs, a catch and then a gritty 27 runs rounding out a solid performance. We won't mention that the wicket was because the batsmen trod on his stumps.

Kazuchika Okada - 2/24 off 10 overs - 3 of which were maidens.

Aban Haqq - Consistent as ever the old hack - 2/27 off his 6 overs and a catch.

Zavier Salman - a stumping, a catch and 34 runs for the glovesman.

Around the Grounds:
Scotland beat Ireland by 6 wickets
USA beat Bermuda by 42 runs.

Tomorrow we take on Bermuda at 0500. Tune in then.

We were very blessed to play within a bee hive and I will see you all tomorrow.

Sleep well winners... x

Trust in the process

[MOD-MrMoose]

On A Crumbler.
Win the Toss. Tick.
Bat Frist. Tick
Make Lots of RUNS....
WIN THE GAME...

2/4 50% = pass mark. Sadly it was a 70% hurdle exam.

Crashed back down to reality after the high of our first win, the lads failed to impress against the Bermudans.

Tour Match # 2
VS Bermuda
Result:
Bermuda win by 6 wickets.

The Match in a tweet: Plane carrying 11 UAE National Players last spotted headed into the Bermuda Triangle. Never seen again.

Man of the Match: Alfred McCutchin
2/24 for the Bermudan big quick.

Our best:
Alan Morrow - 1/6 of his 5 overs including a maiden.

Mu'adh Khaleel - my friend, my friend. No luck with the ball 0/33 off his 9 overs. Took a catch and made a handy 28 runs as the tail wagged a little bit to help our total look a little more respectable.

"Highlight" Reel:
17.1WSam to de Groen : Well, you don't see someone get out like that every day!I. de Groen hit ball twice 24 (48b 2x4 0x6) SR:50.00

Around the Grounds:
Ireland beat USA by 3 wickets.
South Africa beat Scotland by 12 runs.

After 2 matches, every team has 1 win and 1 loss. This tour is going to be tight and every win vital.

Tomorrow we take on the Scots at 0500. Tune in then.

(Lets win again tomorrow)

Trust in the process

[MOD-MrMoose]

Unfortunately back to the same old routine.
Also worth noting that Scotland’s last wicket pair made 26. They only won by the 35. Once again we fail to take momentum and consequently lose.

Tour Match # 3
VS Scotland
Result:
Bermuda win by 35 runs.

The Match in a tweet: I much prefer Isaac Newton the scientist over Isaac Newton the cricketer.

Man of the Match: Andrew Boyle
The Scottish Skipper was part of the vital tail wag with a handy 19. Then the quick took 5 wickets on a spinners deck.

Our best:
Amir Alam - 3/43 off his 10 overs and a catch. Also got two set batsmen out.

Ismael Saad - 56 runs for the opener. Would have been nice if he could have kicked on but a lovely 50 for hepps main man.

Around the Grounds:
Ireland beat Bermuda by 1 wicket
South Africa beat USA by 5 wickets.

We sit bottom of the tour ladder after 3 matches... time to get our win back on. That easy thanks.

Tomorrow, The Irish , 0500.

(Lets win please)

Trust in the process

[TheWizard]

Trust in the process

When you're losing near enough every game, it might actually be the process that is the problem!

[MOD-MrMoose]

Trust in the process

When you're losing near enough every game, it might actually be the process that is the problem!

That's definitely one way to look at it Wizard.

But just like any spokesperson of a club going through a rebuild, I am going to have to say, we trust our systems, we trust our players - we just aren't getting the results yet. The time will come, the playing group will strengthen and the results will come. But for the meanwhile, be patient and trust in the process. Being a UAE supporter needs thick skin, a sense of humour and a bucketful of patience.

[MOD-MrMoose]

Tour Match # 4
VS Ireland
Result:
Ireland win by 81 runs.

The Match in a tweet: Ireland far too good. Not UAE's day.

Man of the Match: Eoin Bell
3 wickets, 2 catches and 36 runs - a well rounded performance for the Irish lad.

Our best:
Rais Armanjani - 3/30 off his 10, a catch and a gutsy 37 runs.

Mu'adh Khaleel - my friend with 2 wickets off his 10 overs.

Alan Morrow - 2/33 off his 10 overs.

Around the Grounds:
USA beat Scotland by 22 runs.
Bermuda beat South Africa by 5 wickets.

We sit bottom of the tour ladder after 4 matches, the only nation with one win and no chance of promotion. 5 teams will all have hopes of promotion as the last lot of matches go ahead at 0500 local time.

We take on the USA and would be nice to finish the week with a win.

(Lets win please)

Trust in the process

[MOD-MrMoose]

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Winners are grinners.

Thanks to an Okada master class of the spin king ball, we take out a win and avoid the bottom rung.

Tour Match # 5
VS USA! USA! USA!
Result:
UAE win by 41 runs.

The Match in a tweet: "OKADA OKADA OKADA WE LOVE YOU!!!! The crowd goes up with a chant as OKADA TAKES HIS 7th." What a day the lad is having in his debut tour. This is something special.

Man of the Match: Kazuchika Okada
A duck with the bat but that does not matter. 7 wickets, 21 runs, 10 overs.

Our best:
Kazuchika Okada - 7 wickets - here they all are:

1.
10.5WOkada to Harrison : [catch] Harrison what have you done? There was no need for that shot. Slower full ball on middle, Harrison tries to go big over long on but does not get the distance and holes out to Cena in the deep.E. Harrison c J. Cena b. K. Okada 19 (26b 1x4 2x6) SR:73.08
2.
26.3WOkada to Bowers : Massive shout and he's given him! The umpire seemed to take an age to give it but Okada, Salman and Sam were confidently up in unison. The replay suggests it was taking the top of off so ultimately a good decision and Bowers is on his way.A. Bowers lbw b. K. Okada 21 (48b 1x4 0x6) SR:43.75
3.
26.6WOkada to Nixon : [catch] Fuller length delivery outside the off stump. Nixon drives away from his body with no real foot-work. It looked like the bat hit the ground - hard to say if there was an edge involved.A. Nixon c Z. Salman b. K. Okada 0 (3b 0x4 0x6) SR:0.00
4.
30.4WOkada to Cochran : [catch] Cochran goes big but doesn't quite get onto it as he'd like. Khaleel makes up some great ground and launches himself towards the ball. Superb catch! At full stretch too! Cochran is seen muttering angrily to himself on the way back to the pavilion, I hope they have insurance and a good window fitter.M. Cochran c M. Khaleel b. K. Okada 9 (12b 1x4 0x6) SR:75.00
5.
32.1WOkada to Burton : The scorecard will read LBW to Okada but that wicket should really be credited to the pitch. Jagging back off a crack and not rising above ankle height. Burton could do nothing about it.
That is 5 wickets for Okada!
R. Burton lbw b. K. Okada 15 (34b 1x4 0x6) SR:44.12
6.
34.5WOkada to Coleman : [Doosra] Coleman lets that one go, not reading the spin. He is struck in line and Okada begins to celebrate.B. Coleman lbw b. K. Okada 6 (11b 0x4 0x6) SR:54.55
7.
34.6WOkada to Dyer : [catch] Wider ball that no one expected to be hit, but a rash swing from Dyer draws the thick edge to Hossein at gully.D. Dyer c S. Hossein b. K. Okada 0 (1b 0x4 0x6) SR:0.00

Zavier Salman - 29 runs, a stumping and a catch.

Rahul Jabbar - 37 runs that including some of the best rear guarding you will see.
His partnership with our friend Khaleel:
33 runs - Khaleel made just 3 of them
57 balls - Khaleel faced just 13 of them
Jabbar faced 17 balls in a row

Kaliq Aziz - a handy 25 and 0/19 off his 5 overs.

Around the Grounds:
Bermuda beat Scotland by 5 wickets.
Ireland beat South Africa won by 5 wickets.

Ireland finish top and Bermuda snag the second promotion spot.

Thanks for tuning in all week. Glad we could snag a second win, sad we couldn't get any more than the two.

Trust in the process

[MOD-MrMoose]

It was good to get in the winners circle twice this week and it is joyful to see some youth come into the squad and perform.
The best part of hitting rock bottom is the only direction is up - or so they say.

I am not going to lie if we had another loss I was probably going to google a slow cooker recipe and post that instead of the match write up.

Thanks for tuning in for another week of my nonsense.

Tour Wrap

Results:
5 wicket win against South Africa.
6 wicket loss against Bermuda.
35 run loss against Scotland.
81 run loss against Ireland.

Ladder:
1st. Ireland 5 wins
2nd. Bermuda 3 wins
3rd. Scotland 2 wins +0.09 NRR
4th. USA 2 wins -0.13 NRR
5th. UAE 2 wins -0.30 NRR
6th. South Africa -0.33 NRR

All matches on Friday were live and 2 of the 3 Friday winners walked away with promotions.
The Wednesday 1 wicket thriller between Bermuda and Ireland ended up being the difference between 1st and 2nd.

Now a look into how our lads performed individually this week:

Our Best Performers:
1. Kazuchika Okada - 226 fantasy points from 3 matches and 1 Man of the Match
2. Kaliq Aziz - 179 fantasy points from 2 matches
3. Kamal Qassem - 171 fantasy points from 3 matches and 1 Man of the Match
4. Amir Alam - 158 fantasy points from 3 matches
5. Mu'adh Khaleel - 150 fantasy points from 3 matches

Probably worth mentioning 139 of Okada's fantasy points came from today's game against USA.
Also worth noting that 4/5 (not Qassem) are under 30. Bit of excitement for our future as they players mature and grow.

The Shockers:
1. John Cena: -8 Fantasy Points from 4 matches
2. Mujahid Zakiyy: -6 Fantasy Points from 4 matches
3. Sharad Hossein: 0 Fantasy Points from 3 matches

Maybe CENA should stick to the wrestling. Not a great first tour for CHAMP.

Most Runs Scored:
1. Ismael Saad - 89 runs from 3 innings
2. Jaul Ghayth - 87 runs from 3 innings
3. Rahul Jabbar - 82 runs from 4 innings

Only 2 batsmen South Africa's Hashim Amla (109) and Angel Terry (104) scored over 100 runs this tour.

Our highest score: Saad's 56 against Scotland.
The most average: Rais Armanjani had the best average (37) - he batted twice made 37 not out against Ireland and a duck against Bermuda.
The MAXIMUM: Tour best for 6s hit was Ireland's Adam Finnegan who hit 4 sixes in 4 innings. Our Aziz was equal second with 3 clearing the boundary.

Most Wickets Taken:
1. Kazuchika Okada - 10 wickets for 83 runs from 3 matches and 180 balls
2. Kamal Qassem - 7 wickets for 122 runs from 3 matches and 167 balls
3. Aban Haqq - 6 wickets for 122 runs from 3 matches and 152 balls.

Okada took the equal most wickets (10) for the tour, equal with the USA's Marion Cochran and Brian Coleman.

Best Figures:
Okada's 7-21 against USA was the best bowling figures for the tour (from all nations).
4 bowlers including our Qassem took 5 wicket hauls - the others being South African Cain Velasquez, USA's Marion Cochran and the Scottish Andrew Boyle.

Best Bowling Average:
Naturally taking the most wickets meant Qassem had the best average, averaging a wicket every 8.3 runs conceded. Tour best was 7.00 from USA's Marion Cochran.

Mr Economical:
Alan Morrow - economy rate of 2.60. His tour figures were 3/39 off 90 balls across 2 matches. Tour best was 2.51 from USA's Nathaniel Roberts.

Best Fielder:
Amir Alam - 3 catches in 3 matches. Tour best was USA's Brian Coleman with 4 catches.

Worth noting there were only 3 runouts all tour (one each for USA, Ireland and Bermuda)

Our Keepers:
Salman took the gloves in 3 matches and took 4 catches and 2 stumpings.
Talib took the gloves twice and had just the 1 catch.
Tour best was 6 catches from USA's Alfredo Bowers.
Salman's 2 stumpings was equal tour best with Bermuda's Henry Kennedy.

Tour Pitch Report:
1st Preference - Crumbling
Matches Played: 7
Toss Decision: Captains Chose to Bat First 5 out of 7 times.
Win the Toss, Win the Game?: True in 5 of the 7 matches.
Bat First, Win the Game?: Only true in 3 of the 7 matches.
Ratings Schmatings: Higher rated team only won in 2 of the 7 matches

2nd Preference - Dry
Matches Played: 7
Toss Decision: Captains Chose to Bat First 5 out of 7 Times.
Win the Toss, Win the Game?: True in 2 of the 7 matches.
Bat First, Win the Game?: Only true in 2 of the 7 matches.
Ratings Schmatings: Higher rated team won in 5 of the 7 matches.

3rd Preference - Sticky
Matches Played: 1
Toss Decision: Bowl First was the decision.
Win the Toss, Win the Game?: Not true on this occasion.
Bat First, Win the Game?: Tue on this occasion. Ireland Won after they posted 204 and rolled us for 123.
Ratings Schmatings: Higher rated team won on this occasion.

The First 9 matches over the first 3 days were played in Humid Conditions, the Sun shone across the last two days of the competition.

As always, I am human, so apologies for any errors in the above data.

That's another season of Nat. Senior Tours - just hold on, we're going home.

But alas, there is still national cricket next week.
Our shining lights and the future of our nation tour next week. Games start 0430 FTP time (half hour earlier than games this week).
Tune in from Monday to support the lads and the management team (Hepps, Penky, the Bug and the Bird).

For those who have read this far, my sincere apologies.

As an ex football player turned culture figure would say:
It's been real.
It's been good.
It just hasn't been real good.

Much love. Happy FTPing.

May all your youth pulls be handsome and your academies upgraded.

[Penky]

Good luck next week boys Best get some results now you've taken Shadi off me for the week!

[MOD-MrMoose]

Can definitely promise results Penky.

All of the fixtures will have results

Cannot promise they will be in favour but as always we will have a red hot crack.