Days before this match, I was planning to postpone it  due to the very bad weather forecast.
As a cricketer in the Netherlands, I'm just glad if it stays dry so having the sun out is a huge bonus. We didn't postpone and went on our way to Hilversum.
Looking at the ground, we were pleasantly surprised because they'd shortened the boundary in such a way, that a faint edge to a spinner, could go for six.

For the second time in a row, I lost the toss and again, it was a high scoring pitch. If we could do the same as last week against, Baarn (38 all out), I would be more than happy.
Zee and I started and we both got lucky in our first over, both bowled. 9/2 after 7.
When things settled down their end and no wickets fell, both end were changed with Ali and Asif into the attack.
Clearly, they were attacking Asif because they couldn't handle the pace and bounce of Ali. In his fifth over with conceding just a few runs, he got his man.
After charging Ali the first time but mistiming it, he tried it again but ended fending of a bouncer, playing it the air and caught by Ali himself. 66/3 after 18.
Last wicket was considering the runs and overs, not that much of problem but we should have pushed after they were two wickets down.
Their captain puzzled by the wickets and runs on the board, got a bit sloppy. He tried running for a second one and almost made it but Sikander Zulfiqar at long-on charged in and got him run out with a direct hit. 73/4
The new batsman, a Sunil Gavasker look a like (hereafter Sunil), looked didn't look like someone who could trouble us. Just like in life, never judge a book by his cover. This guy actually brought them back into the game.
Ali didn't really care and if Sunil doesn't want to get out, just target the other one and so he did. Again, a short pitch delivery was edged straight up in the air and no mistake made by Ali on his own bowling. 87/5 in 24 overs. Then Sunil got loose and started to hit out. There were some well struck shots in there too but he couldn't stop rain from parking just above the pitch.
We ran inside and after a long wait, decided to have lunch and also reduced the overs to 38 per inning.
There were still 6 overs to play and right back when we started, I put myself in and got lucky. The batsman fended of a shot but got a nick through to Amir behind the stumps. The batsman walked straight away and we appreciated his sportsmanship. I'm sure Ricky Ponting has a different view on walking... 120/6 after 32.
The wicket didn't stop Sunil hitting but even he couldn't protect the other batsman getting bowled by a skidding ball by me. 155/7 after 36.
In four overs they scored 35 runs which was a bit painful but bowling in those conditions wasn't a walk in the park. Sunil was still hitting all over the place but he had hit me for six which I as a bowler don't enjoy. The joy came when he tried it again over long on but instead was caught by Guy's steady hands in the last over of their inning. 172/8

Bowling figures:
Abid: 9-47-4
Ali: 10-20-2
Zee: 6-1-24-1

With rain expected, the openers were instructed to go for it and that's what Zeddy and Asif did. They shocked them in a way that their captain just started laughing at the situation: 77 runs after 9 with no wicket down. I was umpiring and enjoyed the small boundaries they'd set up for their benefit.
Out of the blue, their opener produced a delivery which most batsmen would get out on and he took Zeddy's wicket. 85/1 after 10.
With Saqib in form and the way he bats, Asif could continue his onslaught and brought up his fifty in around thirty deliveries. By the time he got out on a LBW decision, played a cross the line, we were well on course to reach it very soon. 129/2 after 16.
The partnership of Ali and Saqib was a really good one in which runs were created, singles were turned into doubles and the occasional boundary.
Too bad Saqib got bowled by a wide delivery getting his inside edge. 147/2 after 19.
With a huge black cloud moving towards the pitch, we were encouraging the batsmen, Ali and Asad Zulfiqar, to score as fast as possible. And they did. Just a few overs later, Ali hit a boundary straight over the umpire head and bringing us home.

Batting scores and strikerate:
Asif: 63 (146.5)
Ali: 32* (118.5)
Zeddy: 27 (96.4)
Saqib: 23 (92.0)
Asad: 3*

Just a quick last note. At the moment, we're still on top of the league, with having lost only two. I feel that the credit for the good results and position we're in goes to the players. They've improved their skills and delivered when requested...and trust me, I can be very demanding in the field...Splendid job guys!

Almost forgot, Man of the Match: Asif

Abid Malik