Match Awards
Catch of the Day: N M Shehata
Man of the Match: T-T Tan
Tiff of the Day: S M Qadri vs A M Korbel
Match Report
Perhaps the most spiteful beginning to any Super 4s match ever spoilt the debut of the new Super 4s ground at
LCPS as a miscommunication of the starting time left most of the players waiting for an hour. Even with only
five men (R J C D'Souza failed to show), the Super 4s elite practiced well after some fiery greetings and early
tension. Will Lin actually tried to play some shots, connecting on a sweep and a few onside slashes, while
Teng-Tjun Tan defied the early inaccurate bowling trend. But worse was to follow as the earlier racial slurring
from all quarters was followed by an impatient and impromptu start of play that surprised a certain slogger.
Adrian Korbel's quick dismissal and associated stormy dummy spit combined with the earlier problems to ruin
much of the day's play. Mena Shehata's good low catch of an uppishly played Adrian Korbel off-drive earnt him
catch of the match after Teng-Tjun Tan had assisted Will Lin in preparing the new synthetic batting pitch. But
competitiveness ruled once again as 'Tengers' showed no such friendliness once the game had begun, taking the
tail-ender's wicket after he batted out almost 2 overs of dot balls. After top edging an off drive to
Mustafa Qadri, 'Wolla' improved slightly later to post 3* despite not getting a hold of some rank long hops bowled
by 'Mus', enough to indicate he may lift his 1.24 '97/8 average. Teng and Mena Shehata had both already
hit out to similar deliveries from Mustafa, who was frustrated by two misjudged catches that went for fours
conceded on the boundary, one by Will Lin and the other by the upset Adrian Korbel. 'Moina' was in good batting
and bowling form and boldly cried intimidatory remarks at batsmen who hit shots in his direction while
fielding, thus living up his reputation as the leader of the mighty Yobs. He bowled a full toss that was not
cleanly pulled by Adrian Korbel and caught by Teng-Tjun Tan which the batsman called a no ball. He also
delivered good swinging offcutters that almost had Will Lin out lbw and a similar earlier appeal from Korbs was
ignored despite the bowler's insistence that it was "plum". Adrian Korbel, after attempting his 'Darren Gough'
delivery with a run up from beyond the boundary, was unlucky with his bowling and so later on joined Mena
Shehata as the two continually delighted themselves throwing down the former Curator's prized stumps between
deliveries. This was much to the brave offspinner's annoyance as his protests went unheeded, while Teng-Tjun
Tan joined in the fun by pegging a stray tennis ball at Korbs. The victim then returned the favour during play,
distracting Teng-Tjun enough to allow an easy Will Lin single. The game ended with blistering sun and damaged
egos after just 2 quick innings, with each batsmen allowed only 2 overs to remain in. Some other rules were
modified for the day's play, as hit outs were (temporarily?) re-introduced and the ground itself needed a
portable pitch to give it much needed bounce.
Man of the Match
All the bowlers were on top despite the good efforts of Teng-Tjun Tan and also Mena Shehata
in the second innings. The hidden agenda of the day overshadowed the day's play and the man of the match was
only unofficially awarded. Most players' performances were rusty, at best, but Teng-Tjun Tan's two wickets,
consistent hitting and good fielding (one catch, one run-out) earnt him man of the match despite question marks
over his increased facial volume and all too familiar cries of 'shocker!' and 'dero' at news of his continuing
microwaved frozen dinner diet. Mena Shehata was probably the only other contender.The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author. They are not necessarily the views of the staff and management of The Official Super 4s Site, nor are they those of any sponsors of Super 4s, nor of any organisation involved in the administration of Super 4s cricket. Copyright is held by the author, except where otherwise stated.
