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After completing a clean sweep
of NDCV tournaments in year 2008 (by winning Indoor, Twenty20 and One
Day championships) HSV-Cricket has gotten closer to to their bigger
target of winning the DCB Pokal. In the semi-final on 31.08.2008 they
beat NRW champion Koln by one wicket in perhaps the toughest match of
HSV-Cricket's history.
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HSV-Cricket won the toss and elected to field first. This proved to be a
perfect decision as Koln lost wickets after wickets and were bowled out
for 103 runs. From HSV side it's vice captain Barkatullah, the highest
wicket taker in NDCV one day championship this year showed his class
once again and took 4 Koln wickets. Another HSV-Cricket's speedster
Shakeel also took 4 wickets while taking 3 in one over and ending any
resistance in Koln's camp.
The lunch was delayed by the empires as the first innings finished very
quickly with in 18 overs. If HSV had thought that they have won the
match, the were wrong and this over confidence almost cost them the
match. HSV-Cricket kept on losing wicket after wicket and no one showed
any temperament to stay at the crease and just milk the small total.
Eventually it was the time tested pair of Kaleem and ever confident
Shakeel who took the task seriously enough to build a partnership of
around 45 runs and brought the target just in sight. Again a rush of
blood resulted in the HSV's 8th wicket loss when Kaleem was bowled when
just 4 runs were required to win the match. That was not the end of it
as in the very next ball of the next over Shakeel got out and now HSV
looked in real trouble with 4 runs looking like a mountain to climb but
this time our one and only Khalid saved a few balls which resulted in 2
wides and then in the first ball of next over Rizwan hit the winning
four and a very nervy match came to an end with HSV-Cricket winning by
one wicket.
The report is presented by HSV-Cricket's
Muhammad Bilal. |
