[door Nagesh Daturi] With the 3C league reaching half-way, ACC3 has made its intentions loud and clear for the championship with a convincing victory over its close challenger - Ajax. The match on Sunday at Ajax grounds will be remembered for the resolve, fury and the killer instinct shown by the ACC3 men.
Before the toss, Mudi knew very well that he had approximately 11 men he can trust with the bat and at least 6 with the ball - so he promptly decided to set a target when he won the toss. Bobby and Immy started earnestly in their solid opening partnership of 61. Immy played a flamboyant opener’s innings of 27, while Bobby, continuing with his good form, made a fluent 53. Irfan had the right intentions for a long partnership but was unlucky to lose his wicket just when he was shaping up. Then a defining 60-run partnership between Rupinder and Manan gave ACC3 the middle-over stability. Rupinder, made up for his absence last week with a quick-fire 51. Late bursts from Umer and a useful cameo from Sajjad boosted the score to 261 towards the end of the innings.
Despite the home advantage for Ajax, this slightly above-par score was defendable. Ajax started very good. Their first wicket fell at 70 runs. But ACC did not give up. ACC3 just needed to bowl intelligently and carefully while keeping their emotions in check. Manan and Abid did just that. These two were, by far, the stand-out bowlers of the day. Between them they recorded 16-overs of great accuracy and wicket-taking determination.
So, remarkable was the intent of our bowlers and the fielders that between the 20th and 30th overs Ajax managed only 40 runs when the asking rate was well over 7. Irfan’s timely 2 strikes further dented Ajax’s chances to score quick. The skipper also chanced his arm for his wicket-and-a-half. With precise field settings, the going got tougher for Ajacians who then folded up under pressure. The message has been sent out to the leaderboard - ACC3 has now well and truly arrived for the championship with fire and fury!