By NORBERT Abbi
Kutchi Tigers CC Vs Aziz Damani CC
Lugogo Oval
10:30am
The much anticipated clash between Aziz Damani and Kutchi Tigers will be played this Sunday at the home of cricket in Lugogo with a lot to be played for and a lot at stake as well.
Aziz Damani are still 100% unbeaten in the league and no team has yet come close to stopping them. They easily brushed off a red hot Challengers team last weekend at the lakeside oval and left many wondering whether they really can be stopped.
The Damani team has largely been buoyed by the performances of their very large bowling force that has made light work of batting sides to restrict them to small scores while their batsmen pile on the runs for effect. Bilal Hassan, Riazat Ali, Emmanuel Isanez, Charles Waiswa and Henry Ssenyondo have been very instrumental with the ball producing destructive figures far beyond the comprehension of their opponents.
With the bat, Saud Islam and Sai Manoj have been crucial for the men in yellow. Their patient buildup to the innings has seen them slowly get the much needed runs in as many as 30 overs and providing free reign for the hard hitters like Riazat Ali in the last 20 overs of the game. Performances like these have them sitting top of the log 18 points ahead of Kutchi Tigers in second place.
The Tigers will hope to fill the gaping points difference by stealing the game points with a win in this fixture and put a lid on early celebrations for Damani. They started their second round campaign very well with convincing wins against Ceylon Lions, KICC and Premier most recently.
Dinesh Nakrani and Ronak Patel have played very huge roles in their run so far, providing the much needed bite for the Tigers. Both of them a highly capable of single handedly handing a beating to any opposition and will be key in the game. Their form since the WT20 qualifiers in Rwanda weeks back has only risen making them a difficult pair to handle for any bowling side.
This matchup will pit the league’s most inform batsmen against the most lethal bowling attack and the victors in this duel will surely be the game’s eventual victors. A win for Aziz Damani will surely hand them the championship with three games still in hand.
A win for the Tigers would mean Damani finally lose a game, and also see them close the gap to a possible 12 points should they win with a bonus point.