Game 1
AVENGERS CC v KUTCHI TIGERS CC
AVENGERS CC 82/7 in 20 overs (Harish Patel 15 off 14) lost to KUTCHI TIGERS CC 86/1 in 10.0 overs (Ankit Patel 38 not out, Kalpesh Kerai 27 not out) by 9 wickets
Avengers kicked off their campaign in a rather miserable style. Having won the toss and chosen to bat, the avengers hoped to score as much as they could defend against the Kutchi bowling attack.
Everything went awry from the get go as the top order struggled to score against Bharat G and Kanti Vekaria allowing so many dot-balls. By the 10th over, 4 wickets had fallen and just 40 runs were on board, a situation that mounted much pressure on the mid-order and tail-end to score the runs.
Utkarsh kotharia, Aseem Waseem and Harish Patel combined to drag the score to 82 amidst the tight fielding and sharp turn bowls from Anup Kerai.
Kalpesh Kerai (27*) and Ankit Patel (38*) right from the first delivery weren’t shy to show their intentions as 2 boundaries and a maximum were hit in the very first over. Kush Vekaria got the solo wicket for avengers as he out-smarted Nanji Pindoria with a slow sharp-turning off spin getting him caught at slips by Umer Waseem.
Game 2
AVENGERS CC v ACC
AVENGERS CC 90/10 in 19.5 overs (Sikarsh Kohariya 23 off 27, Umer Waseem 19 off 22) lost to ACC 91/1 in 9.2 overs (Daniel Batuwa 50 not out, Junju Gaddafi 25 off 21) by 9 wickets
Playing their second game of the day, the avengers hoped to make their day brighter and shake off their misery after the morning loss to Kutchi Tigers. The avengers batting innings was much of a replica of the morning situation as the top-order collapsed in an absurd manner.
Utkarsh Kotharia (23) and Umer Wassem (19) offered some resistance in the mid-order but to no avail. The tail-end was swept through with ease by left arm- spinner Marvin Kitamirike and Aggrey Kintu. They eventually collapsed at 90 all out giving Africa a paltry score to chase down.
With such a thin target at hand, Africa felt it would be an easy chase for them and surely it turned out to be as they chased down the target in a mere 9.5 overs. Daniel Batuwa (50*) and Jjunju Gadafi (25) opened the batting with the much anticipated aggression. The duo spared no bowler in their blitz.
Jjunju Gadafi fell with just 12 runs needed to win but it was the T20 specialist who wrapped things up with quick hitting to ensure victory for Africa. Losing two straight games can be demoralizing but Avengers can take comfort in the fact that there is still more cricket to play.