Day of mixed fortunes for YTCA Kings UAE U-15s

It was a day of mixed fortunes for the YTCA Kings UAE U-15 team on their UK Tour 2019, after they made good the opening loss to the Leicester County U-15 side with a resounding eight-wicket victory against the same side in the second T20 match played at the Hinckley grounds, here.

Coming from the sweltering UAE weather, it seemed like it took some time for the young UAE side to get acclimatised to the English conditions, but when they did, they posted a win in style. Though the visitors split honours with the hosts, the win gave the Dubai side a morale boost as they progress in their 10-day tour.

Winning the toss on a damp pitch and heavy outfield due to overnight rain, Leicester did not hesitate to send the visitors in to bat. On a slow pitch that gave assistance to the home side bowlers, YTCA Kings managed to get to three figures, reaching a total of 104 for the loss of 4 wickets in their allotted 20 overs, with useful contributions from Sami Khan (34 not out) and Mitra Dhanrat (20).

Leicester batters found the early part of their chase difficult, losing 4 wickets for 43 runs. But, thereafter, their innings was steadied by a middle order partnership which saw the hosts clinching victory by 6 wickets, with one over to spare.

In the second match, Kings YTCA won the toss and decide to bowl first, a decision backed up by some fine bowling at the start, which had Leicester struggling at 39 for 5. On a wicket which still offered assistance to bowlers, Leicester somehow managed a total of 113 for 8 in their 20 overs.

11-year old Mohsin Hasnain -- who started on a strong note in the opening match taking two wickets in three overs -- continued his fine form in the next and picked up 2 for 17 in 4 overs.

Hasnain, along with Amaar Badami -- with 2 for 24 in 4 overs -- were the standout performers along with Ritik Mishra who conceded a measly 5 runs in his 4 overs.

The run chase was marked by a solid start, with the opening pair of Mitra and Ritik putting on a 40-run stand for the first wicket. Captain Sami followed it up with another fine innings of 31 not out to steer YTCA Kings to a 8-wicket victory.

YTCA kings Coach Russel Sissing says it was a fair result for a day of exciting cricket. “We narrowly lost our first game, but pulled out a good win in the second one and that will always be good for the morale of the team moving into the rest of the tour.

“No team kind of dominated the entire day so for the result of one game a piece, I think it is a fair result of the day.”

The South African coach of the visiting team expects them to learn from their mistakes.

“If we analyse the match in its entirety I thought on the bowling front we could have probably bowled better lines on a slow wicket and better length. We were a little bit on the short side and under English conditions you always look to bowl something fuller. So we definitely need to make some adjustments.”

“On the batting side our running between the wickets needed a lot of attention. We missed out on quite a few runs in the first game, which if we our running between the wickets was better, we could have probably got to around 130 instead of 104, which would have been a lot more competitive total for our opposition to chase,” Sissing stressed.

“For the second game we were a lot better in that area, but I still feel if improve further in this area, we will put the opposition under pressure as a result of that extra 15-20 runs, which at the end of the game will always be vital.”

All-rounder Zakwaan Shaikh also reiterated his coach’s sentiments.

“Our team was good on the whole. But we lost quite a few wickets very quickly before Sami gave us the boost as he tried to steady the innings. We could have bowled better and our fielding too was weak,” said the 12-year-old who took three wickets in the second match of the day.

Shaikh is looking to carry his experiences into the UAE when he touches base. “I was looking forward to playing under new conditions and it is a new experience for me. So I could use this experience in Dubai, should the pitch be wet.”

Agnelo Rodrigues, Special Correspondent