The SB Club 136/10 in 20 overs (Javed 23, Qasim 23, Yawar Abbas 4/26) defeated Leh XI 135/10 in 20 overs (Arthar 43, Jigmet 21, Rouf 3/17) by 1 run
Cricket has been a tension buster for many, since a couple of centuries now. There’s rarely any other sports in the world where two teams who play equally well on a given day and the spectators, pundits and everyone go back home with the phrase “The trophy has two winners today”. We saw this around 20 odd days ago at Lords, in the world cup final and that was not just the only occasion. Be it the 2005 Ashes or 1999 World cup Semifinal, the cricket fans went back with a satisfaction which probably no other sports can offer.
Despite all the political tensions in the state of Jammu & Kashmir, the game of cricket was there to heal the tensions a bit. The Yarana Premier League which kicked off on 21st June , came to an end on 3rd of August but not before producing a final worth remembering, at least for the 1.3 lack people who followed the league on cricheroes. No matter what international media tells you, over 1500 players representing 104 teams enjoyed the beautiful summers with some on field action and the fans were spending their evenings enjoying some mighty hits into the valley. Guns? Who says that? We have bats over here and that’s all. Just visit Kahamir next time and enjoy Yarana Premier League maybe?
The Yarana Premier League final was played between The SB club and the Leh XI. The SB club won the toss and elected to bat first. The top three got starts, they all went on to score in excess of 18 but none could reach 25. At a point they were 97 for 4 and had 6 overs under their belt and it looked like that they are well set for a score in excess of 160 but probably all the batsmen in the Club SB had an agreement that they will throw away their wickets post 20 so everyone can have a go at the bowlers.
Aided by some extras and a few 20s, The SB Club managed 136 runs in their 20 overs and yep, they all got a chance to wield their willow out in the middle. Leh XI looked like an invincible team throughout the tournament. They won all their games with some authority as none of the teams they played could even come close to them in terms of contest. With the presence of players like Jigmet, it looked like that the game will be over by 18th over at best but cricket had other plans for them.
After losing Norboo early, Jigmet and Arthar gunned down 71 runs off the target in just 8 overs. With a required run rate of less than 5 from there, not many would have believed that The Club SB could make a comeback but cricket is cruel, it’s the most unpredictable sport and maybe that’s why Indian government never allows betting on cricket? Who knows but what we know here is that Leh XI probably were a bit overconfident after they had their opposition against the wall in the 8th over. The set pair of Jigmet and Arthar departed in quick succession which triggered a collapse.
The middle order perished quickly while trying some audacious shots and that allowed The SB Club to make a comeback and they did it like a champion site does. Their skipper sensed the opportunity and some extremely attacking field placements ensured that the new batsmen were always under pressure, specially the lower middle order. Even in the 15th over the Leh XI had 31 to get and with still 5 wickets in hand but they could manage one less than that. On a normal day, 30 of last five overs can be a as easy as gulping a candy but not in a final maybe.
The final did not end without some extreme drama. 10 runs were required off last 6 balls. The first four balls bought three runs for a wicket and two of them came as extras. The batsmen ran for everything. With 7 needed of 2, Malay smashed the 5th ball into the fence and the final was alive again. Now they needed three of the last ball. Malay smashed another one but he could not find a gap and Liyaqat Ali failed to make it back to the non strikers end. The SB club started celebrating as Leh XI witnessed the scenes in disbelief. They lost on score count but cricket surely won, and Kashmir too.
