Illinois State University Redbirds Cricket Club

A picture is worth a 1000 words !!

2009-07-24T16:05:00.003-05:00

They say a picture is worth a 1000 words (not sure why only thousand words, why not a million or a even more. Does one get tired after 1000 words? What if its a very high resolution picture? Is it still worth only 1000 words? I believe that they have to revise the proportion of the words against the picture in today's world of high quality/resolution digital cameras).

Anyways, here is a picture that I believe is worth a lot more than that. This is Shobhit sending the ball for a six over long-off in the match against Achanak.

Check out the Redbirds 2009 CICA tournament gallery by clicking here.

ISU Redbirds Cricket website in the works.

2009-07-24T16:02:00.001-05:00

A new website for the ISU Redbirds cricket team is in the works. Check back here for more details !!

The journey so far in the 2009 season !!

2009-07-24T15:20:00.005-05:00

ISU Redbirds have made it to the Super 12 stage of the 2009 CICA tournament. For the most part, the Redbirds had a good outing in the first stage and have taken a lot of positives going into the more competitive Super 12 stage. They will face off with Victors, Takatak, Yodhas, Mustangs and Chanakya during this round over a course of five week period.

It was mixed bag for the Redbirds throughout the Super 12 stage. While the Redbirds completely dominated during a few matches, they found themselves in a perilous situation in one match and were challenged by a couple of teams in back-to-back losing encounters.

Redbirds started this season with a thumping victory over Jugaad during which they piled up a massive 116 runs from the allotted 16 overs. Redbirds' new opener, Aditya Shahi played a patient and skilled knock to get to his 48 from 44 balls and provide a solid foundation for the Redbirds. The middle order pithced in and along with hard hitting from Talha Ashraf, the Redbirds were able to set an imposing target. They dominated with the bowling as well and were able to clean up Jugaad for a small score, there by earning the Redbirds the first victory and also securing the much needed run-rate.

In their next outing against Sloggers, Redbirds posted a modest 73 from their 16 overs owing to runs from Aditya and Venu. The Redbirds bowled with great skill and had the Sloggers in trouble. Redbirds continued to have their strong hold on Sloggers until the final stages of the match, during which one of the batsmen turned out to be a "slogger". However, with some deft field placement and execution by Mayank Saraswat, Redbirds won by 6 runs to earn 2 more point taking their tally to 4 points from 2 matches.

Redbirds were to play Brahmos in their third match. Redbirds won the toss and decided to bowl, and that is when the match took a bizarre turn. The opposition captain refused to play the game after the Redbirds won the toss and chose to bowl. The reason cited was bad weather and soggy outfield. After much deliberation and argument, the captain of Brahmos, Chetan Dashora, agreed to play the match if the decision of the toss win was reversed and the Redbirds agreed to bat first instead of Brahmos. Redbirds sportively agreed to this and the game was on.

Redbirds scored a competitive 88 from their 16 overs and started taking wickets from the first over itself. Every bowler contributed and captain Imran Khan took wickets off the first two deliveries of his season aided by some brilliant catching behind the stumps by Piyush Agarwal. Redbirds won the match comfortably agaisnt all odds with a 47 run margin, thereby earning 2 more points and enhancing the run-rate as well. After this game the Redbirds has 6 points from 3 games.

Redbirds faced off against the talented Bloomboys and scored a modest 83 from their 16 overs while batting first. With only a couple of contributions with the bat, the Redbrids found themselves defending a relatively smaller total against a good batting side. Redbirds' bowlers came to the party again and started taking wickets at regular intervals. Mayank Saraswat stood out with his performance taking 4 wickets for 24 runs from his 4 overs. Vinnu Arige of Bloomboys played a captain's knock and saw them home in the final with a mighty six, handing the Redbirds their first loss of the season. At this stage the Redbrids had 6 points from 4 games.

In their fifth game of the season, Redbirds were meeting the might Achanak, a team that had not remained unbeaten in the tournament so far, but had also won every game in a comprehensive manner. After losing Aditya and Venu early on, Shobhit Kasliwal and Mayank dug in their heels for a terrific 55 run partnership off of 50 balls. However, a middle order collapse and a match turning over by Dushyant Singh (during which he claimed 3 wickets), meant the redbirds were restricted to only 83 from their 16 overs. Redbirds bowled well again with Sanjay Shrivastava taking out opener Parag Pawar in the first over itself. Even though the Redbirds kept taking wicket consistently, they gave away quite a few extras and Debashish Pal played with an unparalleled dynamism, making 44 runs from 32 balls and saw Achanak home in the final over.

After 2 back-to-back losses, Redbirds were at the dangerof not being able to make it to Super 12 stage. However a very healthy run-rate and Waves losing their match agaisnt Bloomboys shifted the balance in the favor of Redbirds.

Redbirds took on Waves in their final match of the first stage. Redbirds started their domination from the first over itself, with Imran getting rid of opener Vishal in the first over itself. Rohan Jaion produced some amazing moments, claiming 3 wickets in one over and Venu cleaned up the tail in the 12th over, thereby restricting Waves to only 50 runs. Redbirds started their chase by losing their openers, Shobhit and Talha in quick succession and losing Venu very soon thereafter. However, Aditya stood his ground and scored a swift 31 from 31 balls along with Imran on the other end and fell just before they reached the targer. Mayank and Imran saw the Redbirds through, earning them the much needed 2 points and also a spot in the Super 12 stage.

With 8 points from 6 matches and a solid run-rate, the Redbirds are positioned at A2 and will encounter the new team from Bradley University, Victors. Victors have performed exceedingly well in the first stage of the tournament and topped the group B, losing only one match and tying another close fought contest.

The Redbirds are fired up and are looking forward to some competitive cricket and more wins !!

GO REDBIRDS !!

A video recap of 2008 !!

2009-05-21T13:09:00.003-05:00

A video recap of some awesome Redbirds Moments from the 2008 CICA season !!

A recap of 2008 !

2009-05-12T10:22:00.004-05:00

The Redbirds started their second CICA campaign in 2008, after a forgettable exit in the 2007 edition. The Redbirds were a new looking side with only five players from the year before in the line-up. Several new faces showed up in the playing XI and brought a lot of energy and enthusiasm to the group.

Redbirds started their 2008 tournament by taking on their peers from the other side of 74 - the Bradley Braves. Redbirds won the match in a clinical manner by beating Braves in a low scoring affair. Some of the new faces made a mark for themselves. Sandeep, Sanjay, Venu and Shobhit bowled extremely well on this windy morning to restrict the Braves. Piyush batted well with last year's veteran Varun to provide and excellent start to the Redbirds on their way to win the game.

The next match however was pretty much a one-sided affair. Redbrids took on Peoria XI and Peoria XI advantage of the slightly nervous Redbirds lineup. Peoria XI avenged their last ball defeat against Redbirds in 2007 by amassing hundred plus runs. The Redbirds batting line up fell apart rather cheaply scoring only about half of the required runs.

After that Redbirds took on Kalinga Warriors and clinically wiped them out in a low scoring affair once again. The bowler took on the Kalinga batsmen getting them bundled up for a little over forty runs. Venu, Sandeep, and Mayank performed well with the ball and the batsmen didnt take too long to chase that down.

Redbirds took on Dozers, in what turned out to be an unexpectedly close encounter. Dozers were pretty much out of the tournament at this stage and were playing the game withouth their full strength. Redbirds batted first and Venu went on a run fest, scoring a quick fire seventy plus runs. Redbirds posted 123 in their 16 overs. Dozers got off to a good start and aided by a couple of dropped catches, Dozers were on a rampage. It appeared that Dozers would chase down theit highest target of the tournament, but the Redbirds bowlers struck at regular intervals and won the match by a mere 12 runs.

Next came the most memorable of matches of both the seasons. Redbirds faced off against DCC in the following match. Being a very strong outfit, DCC were one of the favorites to win the tournament (and so they did). However, that particular match against Redbirds, was a blemish on DCC's otherwise impeccable performance. Sandeep ruined the DCC party by taking seven wickets and restricting DCC to their lowest total of the tournament. The Redbirds batsmen, Mayank and Shobhit reached the target in only seven overs, thereby comprehensively beating one of the best teams in the tournament. Everyone took notice of the Redbirds after this win and there was a lot of build up leading up to the final match of the first stage against Veterans.

Redbirds were sent in to bat first by Veterans. Redbirds posted a modest 68 against a disciplined bowling line up. Venu and Neeraj provided a strong middle-order partnership for the Redbirds. The chase by Veterans started out on a shaky note with Sanjay getting rid of the opener off the first ball. Imran got his best figures of the tournament taking three wickets of Dinesh, Vishnu and Sushil for 15 runs. Inspite of their best efforts, the target wasnt big enough for the Redbirds to defend, as Krishna played a stable knock once again and got the Veterans over the line for the umpteenth time.

Redbrids were out of the tournament after this loss on the basis of lower run-rate. Peoria XI inched ahead of the Redbirds to the Super 12 stage.

Even though this was a disappointing time to end the campaign, Redbirds took a lot of heart from their performances and also learned a lot of valuable lessons. The new players showed a lot of promise and everyone stepped up to the challenge and performed. Venu showed the CICA participants how to play the reverse switch shot on more than one occasion and caugh everyone flabbergasted. Sandeep ruined DCC's batting line up with the immaculate line and length. Mayank, Shobhit and Piyush have shown immense promise for the 2009 version. Sanjay targeted the batsmen with his short pitch balls and lead the bowling attack from the front. Rohan, Balwant, Prejil also chipped in with their performances throughout the season.

All in all, the Redbirds outfit had a memorable (or atleast DCC will remember their encounter with Redbirds) outing in the 2008 season.

Here's to looking forward to the 2009 season.

GO REDBIRDS !!

Turning the next page !!

2009-05-09T20:35:00.002-05:00

I hate cliches and I dont like articles or thoughts that are too corny. However, its been almost two years since I have updated this blog and there is a lot to talk about or rather write about.
I will recap the 2008 Redbirds' season in my next post, but for now I am just very excited to share that the Redbirds will be a part of the CICA tournament in 2009 again. Stay tuned !!

THIS IS SPARTA...: Redbirds vs. Spartans

2007-08-22T11:41:00.000-05:00

Detailed scorecard and videos coming soon...

On a rainy and overcast day Spartans turned in an emphatic performance to spank and thrash the Redbirds by 108 runs, the biggest margin the Redbirds have lost by and probably the biggest margin any team has lost by in the Super 12 stage this year. Sateesh and Madhu Reddy set up the victory for Spartans with rambunctious half centuries and a partnership of 119 runs for the 3rd wicket. This partnership helped Spartans amass a score of 205 from their allocated 20 overs. Kiran and Madhu wiped out any opportunities that the Redbirds might have had of chasing such a mammoth score by claiming 3 wickets each during the Spartans bowling spell.

After having moved the game to the following day, Spartans and the Redbirds took the field on Sunday morning. The Redbirds loss the toss again and Spartans elected to bat under overcast conditions. Dheeraj and Imran opened the bowling for Redbirds and failed to control the batsmen from scoring runs. The bowling was not consistent and the batsmen took advantage of this from the first over itself. Saravanan and Vijay put together an opening partnership of 46 runs for the first wicket. Imran broke the partnership again with a slower full-toss delivery that bowled Saravanan.

Sudheer was brought into the attack in the 8th over and he had Vijay caught behind as Dheeraj took a brilliant low catch moving quickly to his left. Madhu and Satheesh were at the crease after that and what happened next can only be described as the worst spanking any team could have received. They both put together a partnership 119 runs for the third wicket in 9 overs. None of the Redbirds were able to trouble these two batsmen and they scored at will hitting power shots all over the ground. Sudheer was able to break the partnership as he had Satheesh bowled on 56.

Ashish, who was playing his first game of the year for Redbirds, was brought in to bowl in the 19th over. This was the most entertaining and productive over for the Redbirds. It almost made it appear as if Ashish should have been brough on to bowl in the 9th over rather than the 19th over. He picked a wicket right off the first ball of his spell and kept doing so pretty much for the rest of the over. He picked up 4 wickets in his over and gave away only seven runs. He sent the dangaerous Madhu Reddy back by bowling him out with a slower delivery and earned the wickets of Kiran, Desigan and Joel.

However, the damage had already been done at this stage. Kedar bowled the final over in which two more batsmen were out, one to a run out and the other caught brilliantly by Imran who took the catch sprinting from wide long-on to deep mid-wicket. Deepesh closed the innings for Spartans by hitting the final ball for a six deep square leg as the Spartans raced past the 200 mark, scoring 205 from their 20 overs.

Facing a ginormous target of 206, the Redbirds lost a couple of quick wickets as both the openers, Neeraj and Kedar were out in quick succession. Dheeraj and Mani (new batsman) provided a sense of decency to the Redbirds batting with a 51 run stand for the third wicket. Except for Mani (scoring 29 from 23 balls) and Dheeraj who scored 13 runs, none of the Redbirds were able to even reach the double figures. Madhu Reddy continued his excellent form and picked up 3 wickets and was declared Man of the Match. The redbirds were bundled up for 97 runs in the 20th over and consequently lost by 108 runs, their largest margin to have ever lost by. The Redbirds were outdone by Spartans in every department on the field and the Redbirds had no answer for the attack of the Spartans !

With this loss, the Redbirds made a hurried exit from the tournament, while Spartans earned the much deserved 2 points and also the critical run-rate. This victory that the Spartans have earned by such a huge marging poses problems for Beetles now, who have to do their best in order to qualify for the semi-finals ahead of Spartans.

A few weeks ago, the Redbirds thrashed Spirit and scored 203 runs in 16 overs to storm into the Super 12 stage and now the Redbirds were thrashed by Spartans who scored 205 runs in 20 overs to storm into the semi-finals. Oh the irony...

A shimmer of hope - Redbirds vs. Bindasht

2007-08-13T13:28:00.000-05:00

Detailed scoresheet and videos coming soon.....

The Redbirds took on Bindasht in their fourth game of the Super-12 stage. Redbirds were desperate for a win and Bindasht appeared to be quite confident after having almost chased down a decent score against Beetles a week ago. Vinod joined the Redbirds and ffter some initial conflicts with player availability and a last minute of bout minor concerns, the playing XI from the Redbirds took to the field as Bindasht elected to bat first.

Kedar and Vinod opened the bowling for the Redbirds, while Abhijit and Manish kept the scorecard ticking for Bindasht. Both batsmen kept rotating the strike without taking any risks and cruised to 28 for no loss at the end of the 7th over. The first bowling change came in the 8th over and Bindasht scored their first boundary in that over as well. At the end of 10 overs Bindasht were placed having scored 42 with both the openers still at the crease.

Imran got the first breakthrough in the 11th over for the Redbirds, as he bowled Manish out. After taking some wood in the next over, Dheeraj took a beautiful catch off of his own bowling to dismiss Abhijit after he had scored 41 from only 39 balls. Dheeraj secured another wicket when he had Sudhir caught behind in the 15th over. Vinod and Imran took a wicket each in the 17th and 18th over respectively as Bindasht scored 128 runs from their allotted 20 overs. This was the highest total that the Redbirds have had to chase (or scored) so far in this tournament.

Kedar and Varun opened the batting for the Redbirds and took on the bowlers quite comfortably. As Varun played deft shots and intelligently rotated strike, Kedar went for some hitting. He hit Manish for to back to back sixers in the 4th over that got 17 runs for the Redbirds. As the Redbirds seemed to be all set having scored 34 runs for 4 overs, Varun was run out in the most unfortunate manner as Kedar hit a ball back to the bowler who unfortunately deflected it back to the stumps (as a result of missed catch) and caught Varun out of his crease.

Kiran was the next one to go as he stood outside his crease after missing a shot only to be cleverly stumped by the wicket-keeper. Imran didn't trouble the scorers either as he played another impatient shot and sent the ball straight into the hands of the fielder at the leg-slip. Kedar went next as he missed the line and was caught with his back foot infront of the stumps. Dheeraj and Vinod kept the ball rolling for the Redbirds after that and put together a 52 runs partnership for the 5th wicket. Vinod played with a lot of patience and kept rotating the strike as Dheeraj hit a couple of sixers and a boundary as he scored 31 runs.

Dheeraj was caught attempting to play a huge shot. Ramakanth (RK) was up next was out without even facing a delivery as he was run-out. Sudheer lasted for only one delivery and got out without scoring anything. Neeraj came in next and displayed some beautiful shots as he chased down the score with Vinod with a boundary with four balls to go. Vinod remained unbeaten having scored 26 runs.

This victory has given a chance for the Redbirds to secure a place in the semi-finals. Even though this chance is thinner than Nicole Richie's zombie hands, this was a well deserved victory by the Redbirds. Neeraj appears to be a bright young player and an invaluable addition to the team. Inspite of other committments, Kedar finished his committment to the Redbirds and played a wonderful knock of 25 runs from 16 balls. Dheeraj was declared as Man of the Match for his 31 runs that he scored during a 52 run stand for the 5th wickets and 2 wickets from his bowling.

The Redbirds face off against Spartans on Saturday, August 18th.

Shorthanded - Redbirds vs Veterans

2007-08-06T10:34:00.001-05:00

Click here for a detailed scoresheet
(Please note that the number of balls played by the Redbirds batsmen does not count up to 20 overs. We just went with what was available on the scoresheet. The information was not put down well and in some places its hard to read. So our apologies for any inherent discprecencies.)

In what was going to be a decisive game for both the teams in order to claim a spot in semis, the Redbirds and Veterans faced-off in their third match of the Super 12 stage. The schedule and the venue for this match were changed, but fortunately it was re-scheduled for the same day. The Redbirds took to the field as a depleted side due to the non-availability of Vinod for this match. After winning the toss, Veterans wisely elected to field under the conditions, which were not the most ideal for batting.

Kedar and Imran opened the innings for the Redbirds and took on the Veterans’ bowling in a defensive fashion. After Suraj bowled a tight first over, Sunny sent down four consecutive down the leg side as wides for the Veterans. However this was not to be a sign or representation of what was to follow for the rest of the match. The bowlers kept the tabs on the batsmen and Lenin earned the first wicket as he had Imran trapped leg before off the first ball of his spell.

Lenin struck again off the first ball of his second over as Kiran pegged a fullish delivery back on to his off-stump. Dheeraj and Kedar managed a decent partnership from this stage on and added 28 runs for the third wicket. Dheeraj went for a wild slash and sent the ball soaring high over the covers only to find a fielder. The ball would just not travel due to the east bound winds breezing through the ground.

Along with Varun, Kedar put together another valuable partnership for the fourth wicket and added 27 runs to the scoreboard. As Varun and Kedar kept fighting the conditions and took on the bowling, Redbirds appeared to be in a comfortable spot to reach a score around high eighties or even low nineties. This wasn’t however meant to be as the middle order and tail made a mess of the contributions from the top order and the Redbirds lost 5 wickets towards the close of their innings for a meager 7 runs. Veterans did extremely well by restricting the Redbirds to only 73 runs from 20 overs.

The Redbirds started their bowling without having the services of Vinod and this was to be a crucial factor in how they were going to defend their score. Kedar and Dheeraj opened the bowling for the Redbirds and kept things extremely tight with Kedar bowling two consecutive maidens. Kedar sent Andy back to the bench after bowling him out in the third over (click here for the video). Imran was brought in as the first change and was able to send Vinny back after RK latched on to a blinder at silly mid-on (click here for the video). Imran sent Lenin back as well after he edged one back to Kedar (click here for the video).

The Redbirds did well until the first break to keep things under control as the Veterans score was 16 for the loss of 3 wickets. It was at this stage that the Redbirds felt really shorthanded due to the unavailability of Vinod as a fourth bowler. As Krishna and Dinesh played sensibly, Dheeraj was running out of bowling options. Sudheer and Kiran were used for a couple of overs and as expected the batsmen were able to take advantage of the conditions.

Krishna took on Kedar in his penultimate over and hit him for a six and a boundary in consecutive deliveries over short fine leg. Kedar however avenged those shots as he sent Krishna’s leg stump cart wheeling after one delivery (click here for the video). The damage had already been done at this stage and everything that followed was just a formality as Dheeraj claimed the wicket of Dinesh who was caught at mid-on by Sudheer (click here for the video).

With this loss the chance of Redbirds to move on the semi-finals stage have virtually been erased. Even though the Redbirds were shorthanded due to various factors: non-availability of players, horrendous batting conditions at the start of the game, credit should be given the Veterans’ bowlers who didn’t allow the batsmen to gain any room. A special mention should also go to Kedar for his brave and amazing knock of 37 runs from 24 balls given the conditions. His innings included 2 sixes and 2 boundaries. He also bowled his best so far in the Super 12 stage giving away 15 runs from five overs and claiming 2 wickets. Inspite of incurring a loss, Kedar was adjudged as the man of the match.

The Redbirds face-off against Bindasht this weekend.

Updated Player Statistics

2007-08-06T09:50:00.000-05:00

The player statistics have been updated.

Please click here for the updated statistics.

The case of curious Redbirds - Redbirds vs. Beetles

2007-07-31T08:31:00.000-05:00

Click here for a detailed scoresheet

The Redbirds faced off with Beetles in their second encounter of the Super-12 stage. The stage was set for some good cricket and some of the players from the playing XI had returned to the team after missing a couple of games. Both the Beetles and the Redbirds were riding high on their victories over Veterans and Foce XI respectively. Both of them had made pretty identical scores and the victories had quite an uncanny resemblance.

Beetles won the toss and understandably elected to bat first on a very humid Sunday afternoon. The opening pair provided a decent start to the innings and kept pushing the ball around in the gaps stealing singles at will. The left-hand, right-hand batsman combo was something the Redbirds bowlers had not encountered (except for one game) much before and it appeared to be an unsettling factor initially.

Kedar and Vinod opened the bowling for the Redbirds and kept a tight line and length without giving much room to the batsmen. Dheeraj and Sudheer bowled next as the first bowling change and continued to bowl in a controlled fashion. At the time of first break, Beetles score stood at 30 runs from 7 overs at the loss of no wickets.

Quite predictably the batsmen took on the bowling after the first break and aided with some lose balls scored 50 runs from the next 7 overs and the the end of 14 overs, the score was 80 runs with the loss of two wickets.

Imran and Dheeraj took quite a bit of wood in the 10th and 12th over respectively. As Ravi Patel started to look threatening, and Beetles looked to put up an imposing total, Kedar removed Ravi by trapping him before wickets. With a bit of faltered bowling the Redbirds went into the second break at the end of 14th over.

The last 6 overs however saw the most disciplined bowling performance by the Redbirds bowlers given the circumstances. All the bowlers kept a very tight line and restricted the final score to 115 from 20 overs, thereby having given only 35 runs from the final 6 overs. Even though the bowlers did quite well to restrict the score after the initial Beetles onslaught, the final bowling figures revealed that the quite a few extras has beed gifted to the Beetles - 22 in all (16 wides, 2 no balls and 4 byes). Another interesting factiod is that each one of the first four bowlers started thier quota with an extra.

Chasing an achievable target of 115, Dheeraj and Vinod opened the innings for the Redbirds. Ravi Patel was impeccable in his bowling and on the fifth ball of the innings, he sent the Redbirds back to the bench with a beautiful incoming delivery that broke through Dheeraj's defences and shattered the stumps. Vinod and RK kept rotating the strike, but RK was bowled by Amir in the 4th over. Varun and Vinod put together a valuable 22 run partnership for the third wicket before Varun was run-out due to a terrible mix-up in the middle.

The wicket kept falling at regular intervals from this point on and the Redbirds could never regain control as the required run rate kept creeping up. Sudheer and Kiran put together another valory 26 run partnership for the 7th wicket. Ravi struck again by bowling out Sudheer after being hit around briefly. At the end the Redbirds were able to garner only 86 runs at the end of 20 overs for the loss of 8 wickets.

It makes one curious seeing this performance from the Redbirds and ask a lot of questions. Was it the bowling, was it poor scoring, was it the number of extras, was the poor running between the wickets? No matter what it is, the Redbirds need to refocus now again and as Varun put it "work as a team and win comprehensively". The Redbirds face-off against the Veterans this weekend. Ahmed Rizvi was declared as the man of the match for his score of 33 runs from 40 balls for the Beetles.

A slight detour - but it is completely worth it

2007-07-27T09:31:00.000-05:00

Just read this on indiafm.com and I completely agree with this. For anyone who is a die hard AAA fan, just the prospect of a sequel is worth knowing. For any of you younger kidlings who haven't seen this movie, you may have just missed out on some of the best laughs of your life.
And as it says in the article, I also hope that Salman and Aamir and more importantly RKS is reading and the team comes back together to give us all more laughs from Amar and Prem.

Here is the article: http://indiafm.com/features/2007/07/26/2886/index.html

A TEAM comes together: Redbirds vs Force XI

2007-07-22T21:10:00.000-05:00

Click here for a detailed scoresheet

Videos coming soon...

On a warm July afternoon, the Redbirds took on Force XI in their first match of the Super-12 in the CICA tournament. This was the first 20 over game that the Redbirds were going to play after having played 16 over matches in the league stage of the tournament. Force XI won the toss and elected to bowl.

After having tested a few changes in the batting line-up in that blistering knock against Spirit, Dheeraj brought himself on to open the innings again along with Vinod. They opened the innings for the Redbirds and put together a decent first wicket partnership of 26 runs for the first wicket. Dheeraj attempted to push a delivery that was pitched slightly uppish into the covers and gave a leading edge to the fielder at the second slip. Imran came in next and provided another top edge from a short pitched rising delivery to the fielder at short fine-leg who made no mistake of latching on to the ball.

Varun joined Vinod after that and provided an 18 run partnership for the third wicket. Kiran came out to bat next and played a very cautious and useful knock. He paced his innings extremely well as he watched the ball initially. After a few initial hiccups, he started connecting well with the ball and scored 24 runs from 20 deliveries. His innings included three boundaries and six. He put together a very useful 30 run partnership with Varun for the fourth wicket.

The redbirds were cruising at 75 for the loss of three wickets and Sajjad turned the tables before the second wickets as he dismissed both Varun and Kiran in consecutive deliveries. Guberan came in next and stayed in the middle for a brief period of time. Kedar and Sudheer played extremely well and added pressure on the Force XI by pushing the ball into the gaps and putting pressure on the fielders. They added 27 invaluable runs to the total between them for the 7th wicket. At the end of 20 overs, the Redbirds posted a 110 runs for the Force XI to chase down.

As always Kedar opened the bowling for the Redbirds and kept a very tight line giving away only one run in the first over. Vinod opened his spell with a wicket in his first over itself. He sent Jamal back with a terrific delivery outisde the line of off-stump that teased the batsman and he took a poke at it, only to edge it back to the wicket-keeper. Kedar took two wickets in his fifth over and got rid of the opener Katti and Ajay. Dheeraj also opened hi spell with a wicket in his over as he had Sachin caught behind. At the time of the first break Force XI were reeling at 26 for the loss of 4 wickets from 7 overs.

Imran and Dheeraj continued to bowl after the first break and gave away only 11 runs in the next 4 overs and the Force XI scorecard read 37 for 4 from 11 overs. As the Force XI players prepared to take on the attack, Imran dismissed Sajjad as he edged a length delivery that was pitched outside the line of off-stump. The next 7 deliveries were nothing less than a nightmare for the Redbirds as Faizal started hitting at will and scored 20 runs from seven balls. His twenty runs included 4 boundaries.

After appearing to take the game away from the Redbirds, Faizal fell in the 14th over for a catch that was well judged and held by Kiran in the deep mid-wicket region. Sid took on the attack next and scored 12 runs from the next three balls after Faizal got out. Sudheer was called in to bowl next and claimed the wicket of Ibrahim by keeping a tight line and length.

Force XI now required 31 runs from the last 4 overs with 3 wickets in hand. The Redbirds bowlers kept the pressure in the field and after a dropped chance in deep sqaure-leg, finally got Sid run-out in the 17th over. Needing only 2 more wickets to seal a victory, Kedar bowled as if he was breating fire in his last over. He was deservedly awarded with a wicket off of the last delivery of his spell as Sandeep edged a fast short pitched delivery back to the keeper. Dheeraj came on to bowl his last over and the innings came to an end as Manoj executed a smart run-out by running up to the stumps and flicking off the bails as the two batsmen got involved in a mix-up.

The Redbirds won the match by 19 runs with 2.2 overs left. The highlight of this match was the teamwork shown by all the Redbirds players. For the first time in the tournament, all the players contributed to the total and played to their true potential. Right from the opening partnership between Vinod and Varun to the penultimate partnership between Sudheer and Kedar, all the players kept their heads down and played disciplined cricket. All the Redbirds have to do now is play collectively and continue to showcase similar disciplined performances. Kedar was adjudged the man of the match for his wonderful in which he claimed 3 wickets and a contribution of 15 runs to the Redbirds total.

After registering their first win in the Super 12 stage, the Redbirds face-off against the relatively unfamiliar Beetles next week.

Blazing Saddles: Redbirds vs. Spirit

2007-07-16T13:48:00.000-05:00

Click here for a detailed scoresheet

Click here to Download the batting highlights (first 8 overs)

Click here to download the batting highlights (last 8 overs)

No cricket tournament or a championship is ever complete without the emergence of a team that is a fresh face on the roster with players that are young and oozing with energy and confidence. The Redbirds proved just that as they stormed into the Super-12 stage of the CICA 2007 tournament after they massacred the spirit of the Spirit. Granted that it was a relatively easier team, against whom every other team in the group has savored a few victories, the Redbirds however took the game to another level by breaking several records in the process.

Needing to win this game desperately by a huge margin, everything came down to the toss. Every single individual in the Redbirds camp was praying for a win of the toss and things were going the right way for the Redbirds. Dheeraj won the toss (the only second toss-win in the tournament so far and it couldn’t have come at a more perfect time) and elected to bat. Keeping in mind the number of runs to be scored and the margin required to win, Dheeraj and Kedar came in to bat and opened the innings. What happened next is sure going to be talked about for a while.

Dheeraj was in a belligerent mood and took on the bowling right from the first ball he faced. He played a captain’s knock and delivered a batting performance that was overdue and boy, did he deliver that in style. He smacked the ball at will in all directions sending it soaring over the fence a total of 7 times. He brought out his natural game and hit a fast paced century, the first of the tournament so far, in only 40 balls. This was the first century of the tournament and only the third in the past seven years in the CICA tournament history.

Kedar provided good support and played his usual self. He kept rotating the strike by bringing on Dheeraj and anchored the innings along with the captain. He scored at will and hit four sixers and four boundaries scoring 70 runs from 35 deliveries. His fifty came off of only 24 deliveries with a soaring six over square leg boundary.

Kedar and Dheeraj put together an opening partnership of a whopping 189 runs. It almost looked like they were going to remain unbeaten and see the overs through. After a blistering knock Dheeraj fell at 110 and an over left. Imran wrapped up the innings for the Redbirds with a boundary and taking the score to 203, the highest so far made any team in the tournament.

Facing a ginormous (yes, its officially a word now) 203 from 16 overs, the Spirit batsmen made a, well spirited attempt of achieving it. Vinod and Imran opened the bowling attack for the Redbirds and Imran struck in his first over itself taking two wickets in two balls thereby sending both the opening back. He claimed another wicket in his second again when Guberan took a terrific catch and latched on to the ball above his head in the first slip position. Imran finished with his best figures so far of 3 wickets for 4 runs.

Kedar and Dheeraj came in to bowl and after that continued the demolition. Dheeraj claimed 3 wickets in one over and never let the batsmen take control in anyway. He ended with his best figures too taking 4 wickets for 19 runs. Kedar stuck to usual self claiming 3 wickets and cleaned up Spirit by bowling out their skipper on the last ball of his spell. The Redbirds were able to wrap up the Spirit run-chase for only 53 runs, thereby winning the match by 150 runs, the largest margin so far in the tournament. Dheeraj was adjudged as the man of the match for his century and a 4 wicket spell.

This win gave the Redbirds the much required boost in the run-rate, thereby pushing them past Peoria XI and qualifying them for the Super-12 stage. A hard earned victory for a team that started modestly and kept playing hard throughout the tournament. With a lot of persistence and hard work and little bit of luck, the Redbirds have moved on to the Super 12 stage and will face off in their match on Saturday.

Now all the Redbirds to do is keep up the good form and with the confidence boost they have received with this huge victory, they are sure to play with so much more passion and conviction. If anything, the disdain the batsmen showed towards the bowlers is bound to make a positive impact in the coming matches. So watch out CICA…here come the Redbirds in their blazing saddles!

Back to basics: Redbirds win against Mustangs

2007-07-10T11:01:00.000-05:00

Click here for a detailed scoresheet

After losing two matches in a row, the Redbirds squared up against Mustangs on Sunday in the Normal ground. Needing a win desperately, the Redbirds stuck to their basics in this match and pulled off a convincing victory. The Redbirds won this match by doing what they do best - chasing the target. A loss for either team meant that they would be out of the tournament. Mustangs won the toss and elected to bat under severe heat conditions.

Kedar opened the bowling spell with a wicket in his first over. Vinod appeared to find his rythm back after a forgetful performance against Rapchiks by claiming two quick wickets in his first over itself, the first one off of the first ball of his spell. After losing three quick wickets for only 8 runs, Mustangs hit back with a good partnership between Yogesh and Manoj adding 35 runs for the 4th wicket. As a result of some poor fielding (which is very unlike Redbirds) and dropped chances, Mustangs were able to put up a healthy target of 86 for the Redbirds to chase.

Madhav and Kedar opened the innings for the Redbirds and Kedar did so in style by sending the third delivery of the innings seering over the mid-wicket boundary for a six. They gave a good start to the innings and gave the Redbirds the best opening partnership (28 runs) so far in the tournament.

Dheeraj changed the batting line up a little bit and sent Imran in to wrap up the match fast. At this stage the Redbirds lost three wickets in quick succession(Madhav, Dheeraj and Kiran got out in the 6th, 7th and 8th over respectively) and game plan had to be re-assessed. However the two batsmen in the middle played sensibly and kept rotating strike and put together a valuable 18 run partnership for the 5th wicket.

After losing Sudheer for a full pitched delivery, Varun came in and batted flamboyantly and finished the chase by scoring three quick fire boundaries. Guberan remained unbeaten on 11 and Varun scored 15 from only 8 deliveries. Kedar was adjudged the Man of the Match for his blistering opening knock and 2 wickets.

This win by the Redbirds drew curtains for the Mustangs as they have now lost four matches out of their six and have no more games left to play. They should be able to credit in the fact that they didnt hand over the match to the Redbirds, who at the end proved to be a team that stuck to their basics of bowling tight and chasing sensibly.

This win gave the Redbirds the much needed 2 points and also the much required confidence. With 3 wins from 5 matches, the Redbirds are positioned precariously in the group standings. Even though a win against Spirits is virually guaranteed, a lot of other factors are going to come into play for the Redbirds to move on to the Super-12 stage.

A lot depends on the outcome of two important matches next weekend. Peoria XI (who lost against Redbirds in a close encounter) and Rapchiks (who beat Redbirds convincingly) face-off on Saturday morning. A win by Peoria XI will mean the end of road for Rapchiks and a win by Rapchiks will mean that four teams will end up with 8 points each (assuming that the Knights vs. BPUD game doesn't end up in a tie and the Redbirds beat Spirit). In that case it all comes down to the run-rate and the Redbirds sure don't want that to happen.

Rapchiks give Redbirds 'the Rap'

2007-07-07T00:22:00.000-05:00

Click here for a detailed scoresheet

Inspired by some strong batting and tight bowling, Rapchiks handed the Redbirds the worst loss of the tournament so far. Rapchiks dominated the proceedings from the get go and never gave an opportunity to the Redbirds to get back in the game. Rapchiks set the tone for the match in the second over of the innings when they slammed the Redbirds' bowler for 14 runs. Uma's unbeaten 24 from 20 balls and a 22 run partnership for the 7th wicket sealed the deal for Rapchiks. Uma came in to bowl only 8 deliveries and wrapped up the Redbirds after claiming 2 well deserved wickets.

The Redbirds never got off the ground while chasing a monumental score with a run rate of 6.75 per over. It almost appeared ad if the Redbirds choked as the required run rate kept increasing at a steady rate on one hand the wickets kept falling at regular intervals on the other hand. It was a dismal performance all around for the Redbirds, nothing reminiscent of their previous performances, where the bowling had fire in it and the batting had passion to it.

Rapchiks played a determined innings and dominated the Redbirds attack right from the second over. Rapchiks were able to pick up pick up the line early on and with the help of strong opening batsmen were able to amass a healthy total in the initial overs and reached 35 in just 5 overs after losing only 1 wicket. The Redbirds struck back after that taking a few back to back wickets and controlling the run flow with some disciplined bowling. At the end of 11th over, Rapchiks had made 57 for the loss of 5 wickets.

At this stage Rapchiks almost got beligerent with their batting almost hitting at will. The Redbirds could not control the nerve at this stage and along with a few extras allowed Rachiks to score 50 runs in the next 5 overs. The last overs saw some fine stroke hitting from Prasad, Uma and Ravi. Uma played an intelligent innings and made 24 from just 20 balls. The highlight of his innings was running between the wickets and two elegant boundaries. Prasad played his role by hitting a couple of back to back sixes over the deep mid-wicket boundary. Rapchiks set a target of 108 aftersome blistering late order hitting.

None of the batsmen could produce a similar performance for the Redbirds. Chasing their highest (previous chases - 75 against Peoria XI and 76 against BPUD) total so far in the tournament, the Redbirds got off to a very slow and disastrous start with the score reading 11 runs for the loss of 3 wickets at the end of 5th over. Wickets fell at regular intervals and the Redbirds never looked more diffident. Rapchiks ended the misery for the Redbirds in the 15th over as the Redbirds were able to score a mere 55 runs chasing 107.

At the end of the day Rapchiks played a very disciplined and confident game, whereas the Redbirds didn't look like they even posed any challenge. With a poor bowling performance and a dismal display of batting, the Redbirds lost their second match in a row. The Redbirds were outdone by Rapchiks in every department. Whether it was a sensible and paced display of batting and nifty running between the wickets, controlled bowling and excellent fielding (that resulted in two run-outs), the Redbirds were no match to a very pumped Rapchiks team. Uma was deservedly adjudged as Man of the Match for his fine batting performance and a late wicket burst.

The Redbirds have a very difficult task ahead of them. They face Mustangs on Sunday (July 8) and Spirits next weekend. They have to beat both these teams in order to even have a chance of moving forward in the tournament.

ISU Redbirds Player Statistics

2007-07-02T13:25:00.000-05:00

You can view the batting and bowling statistics of the Redbirds players here:

Click Here

An affair to remember: Redbirds vs. Knights

2007-07-01T22:07:00.000-05:00

Click here for the detailed scorecard

After almost two weeks of hiatus, the Redbirds finally got to play cricket again (thanks to the rains and lack of some practise) in their third match of the CICA tournament against the Knights. The Redbirds will want to remember this match and keep several parts of etched in their minds for the forthcoming matches, and at the same time they would definitely want to erase some of the memories. Even though the Redbirds lost this match, the boys proved once again that they are quite a formidable group of young players who will play out of their skins and not go down without a fight, as they came close to giving Knights a shocker.

The match was very unlike the previous two matches that the Redbirds have played so far. It was a very low scoring affair all around as the total combined runs scored by both teams didn't make it past the seventy run mark.

For the first time in this tournament, Redbirds won the toss and elected to bat. Kiran and Imran opened the innings for the Redbirds. After watchfully playing the first over, Imran took a wild sweep at a delivery that was way outside the off-stump only to edge it high up in the air to the wicket keeper. Dheeraj came in next only to find himself walking back after Rinil dove forward to pull off an amazing catch at the point region. Venkat and Kiran found gaps in the next over and kept the scoreboard ticking briefly. Venkat attempted to drive a ball that was pitched full and straight and his furniture was disturbed.

Having lost three quick wickets Kedar was sent in to restore some stability. Unfortunately nothing was working well for the Redbirds as Kedar flicked a full length ball to short leg for a lollipop of a catch. Kiran was back in the barracks in the very next over courtesy of some fine work behind the stumps by the wicketkeeper, Ranjit. Halfway through the innings the Redbirds had scored 16 runs at the loss of 5 wickets. From here on it was mostly a matter of survival as the Rebirds found themselves under immense pressure to score a few runs and not lose anymore wickets.

Knights kept a very tight line and length with a disciplined demostration of bowling performance in which they gave away only one extra in the form of a wide. Whereas for the Redbirds, wickets kept falling at regular intervals. The innings came to an end in 14th over as the Redbirds scored a measly 34, or so did it seem until they took the field to defend that score.

Kedar lead the Redbirds bowling attack from the front with a tenacious grip over his line and length. He bowled with such pedagogical authority that the Knights batsmen could barely connect with the ball and when they did, they did so only to send it in the hands of either the wicket keeper or a fielder to be caught. He ended up with his best figures in this tournament so far by picking up 3 wickets for a paltry 6 runs in 4 overs.

This was another highlight of the day - a terrific fielding performance from the Redbirds. Right from the first catch that Imran took running in from long-off to dismiss Reynold Sebastian to the tumbling catch that Venkat took at extra cover region, the Redbirds demonstrated the fire and passion to win this game. Half way through the innings Knights scorecard read 18 runs for 6 wickets, quite similar to what the Redbirds made at that stage. Dheeraj and Imran sent two more batsmen back after the break

Inspite of picking up wickets at regular intervals, the Redbirds gave away quite a few extras during their bowling. While the Knights gave away only one extra in the form of a wide, the Redbirds gave away 12 wides, a third of the target set by them. With the combination of a low score and all the extras, Knights reached the target in the 12th over with two wickets left. The bowlers dominated both the innings and it was such that the ball never crossed the boundary line throughout the match.

At the end of the day, this match was something that both the teams could take a lot from. While Knights will be proud to be able to get the Redbirds out for their lowest score so far in this tournament, the Redbirds made them sweat for every run that came of the Knights' blades. With a tight bowling attack and sharp fielding, theRedbirds kept things going their way for a while, but the extras and a low score resulted in their first loss of the tournament.

The Redbirds face-off with Rapchiks and Mustangs on Friday and Sunday respectively. The Redbirds have their work cut out infront of them and as much as they would want to forget this loss, the lessons learned will be remembered by one and all.

Score Sheet of Redbirds vs. Peoria XI

2007-06-24T11:24:00.001-05:00

Click here to view the detailed score sheet of the match that was played on June 10, 2007 between ISU Redbirds and Peoria XI

http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=psFoGOd8FJj0CuAQgcphIDA

Rain rules

2007-06-23T14:33:00.000-05:00

With both Rapchiks and the Rebirds geared to go up against each other in a very anticipated encounter, it was the other 'R' that ruled the day - Rain. With heavy overnight rains the Bloomington ground was damp and pitch was soaked. It would take about a couple of hours of sunlight to dry up the pitch atleast, but it looked like sun was on a vacation (is that possible??..where would sun go for its vacation). The bowlers run-up leading up to the wickets was hosting a puddle of water that could prevent the best of the bowlers from delivering.

Without any hope of cricket being played for the day, a few members of the two teams met at the venue and consequently decided that the match will be rescheduled for another day, possibly after July 4.

The Redbirds face off with the knights on June 30th. Watch this space for more.

Preview: ISU Redbirds vs. Rapchiks

2007-06-22T14:13:00.000-05:00

No tournament is complete without the emergence of a young team that comes in and grabs everyone's attention. ISU Redbirds is such a team that has so far made a mark for itself in the CICA tournament. With back-to-back wins, the Redbirds are looking as a strong and cohesive unit brimming with zest and determination. It is the unsatiated desire to win and the team chemistry that has worked for the the Redbirds giving them positive and proven results. With a restricted albeit commendably strong and fierce bowling attack, the Redbirds will be rearing to restrict the Rapchiks' run flow. A modest batting line up where a lot of players have contributed to the victories in the previous games, will give the Redbirds a serious chance of setting an imposing target.

Rapchiks, on the other hand is a team that has earned quite a reputation in the CICA tournament. They earned the title of runners-up in 2006 losing to Howitzers. Having made the highest score (165/6 in 16 overs) by any team in this tournament so far, Rapchiks have amassed an intimidating run rate and would like to make history repeat itself this weekend with a fresh team.

Granted that the weather is not going to play spoil sport (the weekend forecast looks disappointing here in Central Illinois), this will be one the very closely watched and interesting encounters so far in the tournament. An encounter that will set precedents regardless of the outcome. If the Redbirds win, it will be a glorious example of how the favorites bite the dust and the dark horses steal the glory. If the Rapchiks win (really??), it will be another feather in their hat and testament of their reputation.

Cricket has peculiar habit of making the prognosticators take a back seat almost always and question their logic or lack of it. Numerous scoresheets reveal situations where the mighty have fallen and the rookies have risen. So without making any predictions at this stage of the tournament the only words that come to my mouth (or fingers for those of you who are pedantic) are "LET THE GAMES BEGIN".

Deja Vu - The match against BPUD

2007-06-17T20:16:00.000-05:00

Click Here - A few pictures from the match

The match against BPUD (I still believe that it means Bloomington Peoria United Desis) was pretty much a déjà vu experience of our match against Peoria XI. The Redbirds were buckled down to go in and bat with intentions of scoring big in order to boost the net run rate (and escape the scorching heat in the initial hours of the play). As I said, it was a day filled with all sorts of déjà vu experiences. The Redbirds lost the toss again and BPUD elected to bat. In hindsight now, it was probably a good toss to lose.

After a few minutes of grunting and groaning from the Redbirds and some strong cheering for the batsmen from BPUD, the match was all set to get underway. The third delivery of the day set the tone for the rest of the match when Kedar sent the off stump of the captain wheeling back about six feet behind the wicket keeper. Vinod was given the ball for the second over and he opened his account with a rising delivery that was pitched slightly fuller from length on the off stump which the batsman hesitantly fended and the ball rose to be caught by Kedar at mid-off. After a couple more tight overs from the opening pair, the first bowling change came in the form of the skipper, Dheeraj in the fifth over of the innings.

Dheeraj kept it tight and opened his account as well when the batsman edged a good length delivery to the keeper. By now it was a tradition to gain a wicket in the first over for every bowler. The ball was then given to Imran, who had picked a very tidy three wickets against the Peoria XI. After a first ball single, the second ball saw an amazing throw from Varun, an almost direct hit that sent the BPUD opener back to his groupies. A couple of deliveries later, things were back to normal, when the batsman edged a full length delivery back to the keeper and now all the bowlers had consumed their victims in their opening over. By the end of the sixth over BPUD found themselves wrecked losing 5 wickets for a meager 18 runs.

Half way through the innings (after 8 overs) things weren’t looking quite well for BPUD who were at 32 for the loss of 5 wickets. After some middle order hitting, BPUD (and probably the Redbirds as well) were starting to look at a big score by the thirteenth over, but the Redbirds had other plans. Vinod broke the 47 run partnership in the twelfth over, when he trapped the batsman plum with his knee down (trying to play a cheeky shot down to fine leg) infront of the middle stump. Dheeraj opened the thirteenth over with a ball that rose sharply after landing slightly short of length and took an inside edge to the keeper (who wasn’t having the best day behind the stumps). Imran came in the next over to add a couple more caught-behinds to his tally and Vinod cleaned up the innings in the penultimate over with another leg before. Another reason for déjà vu – BPUD lost their first ten wickets for a paltry eighteen runs and their final five for an even miserly ten runs. The nervy forty-seven partnership between Pushkaraj and Praveen saved the day for BPUD, who set a target of 76 for the Redbirds (another experience of déjà vu).

Having chased an uncanny similar target a week ago, the Redbirds again saw their innings start lacking the confidence that they would like to see in their opening pair. Ramakanth (RK) was off to another shaky start and was given out under extremely unfortunate circumstances (blame it on the anointed lords of the field beknownst as the umpires). The next over saw the dismissal of the captain after which Varun and Madhav steadied the innings with a decent and much required 17 run partnership. Varun fell in precisely the same manner as his last game when attempted to sky a low full toss which just ended up in the hands of the fielder planted on deep mid-wicket. After that Madhav was back in the cage after making the cardinal mistake of playing across the line to a delivery that was pitched full and straight.

Kedar and Vinod provided a solid partnership with 30 run stand for the fifth wicket and put the Redbirds in sight of victory. However, the Redbirds lost three quick wickets and everything appeared so far out of reach with the scorecard reading 68 for 7. With seven runs required from two overs, it was still an achievable target. Imran tied the scores up when he sent the ball out of the ground sailing over the square leg boundary. The next ball was pitched as a full toss which was sent back to fine leg boundary and Redbirds had done it once again.

It was a match where the balance kept swinging from one end to the other all the way, but at the end of the day, the Redbirds did dominate BPUD with some fine bowling and key partnerships in the middle. Except for a few dropped chances and a couple of poor shots aided with some terrible umpiring decisions, the Redbirds would have cruised through the match.

Having lost both the opening matches, BPUD find themselves placed in a tough spot now. The Redbirds are riding high on their back-to-back victories and will face a tough challenge next week when they face-off with Rapchiks (a team full of chiks who rap??), a team that has earned a notorious reputation in the tournament and were also the runner’s up in 2006. At the end of the day, the Redbirds will be very satisfied with the over all performance of the team. Vinod was rightfully declared the man- of the match, for his crucial 3 wickets and invaluable 24 runs. Except for the last two balls, the match was reminiscent of the Redbirds vs. Peoria XI match and hopefully the Redbirds won't experience as many déjà vu in the following games, unless ofcourse it involves the sweet victories.