A disappointing Singapore sunk to an unexpected 57-run defeat to Kuwait on 30 November 2007 but still advanced into the semi-finals of the Asian Cricket Council Under-15 competition in Nepal.
Our team played listlessly to be all out for 119 in 29.5 overs after Kuwait made 176-7 in their allotted 40 overs.
The result meant that Singapore, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia were tied with one win each in Group B with Afghanistan the leaders with three straight victories. The fifth team, the United Arab Emirates, won three games but they were disqualified for failing to meet the tournament rules’ stipulation of fielding at least two passport holders.
Singapore clinched second place on net-run rate, ahead of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. They face Group A leaders Nepal in the semi-finals on Sunday. The other semi-final will be between Afghanistan and Hong Kong.
“We have made it to the semi-finals and we have to look ahead,’’ said coach Chetan Suryawanshi. “The boys know that that let themselves down against Kuwait but it is behind us. Perhaps we needed a wake up call and we got it at the right time.”
Against Kuwait, the Republic’s performance was simply sub-standard. They bowlers bowled badly in the closing stages to concede 43 runs in the last four overs. Medium-pacer Sarangadev Krishnan bowled magnificently to return figures of 8-0-28-2. And Kuwait should not have breached the 120-run mark had the chances off skipper Rezza Gaznavi’s bowling been taken.
Rezza bowled his most impressive spell in the competition so far. He troubled the batsmen from the first delivery but no less than half a dozen chances went a-begging as the leg-spinner was unlucky to finish his eight-over spell wicketless for the cost of a mere 20 runs, including six wides.
But Rezza had more bad luck. The Victoroa School student, who had formed the backbone of the Singapore batting with scores of 21 against the UAE, 63 against Afghanistan and 68 against Saudi Arabia, was unlucky when he was adjudged leg-before after having made a patient 35 in 42 balls with four fours despite wickets collapsing around him.
A stunned Singapore camp shook their heads when hardly a Kuwaiti fieldsman appealed as the Kuwaiti wicketkeeper moved to his left to collect a leg-side delivery which grazed past Rezza’s pads but Hong Kong umpire Ghulam Saqlain was quick to give Rezza out for the scoreboard to read 88-6.
With their key batsman dismissed, Singapore quickly folded despite a valiant 17 from No. 8 batsman Varun Sivaram.
“This was a poor performance,’’ said team manager Harnam Singh. “True, Rezza got a tough decision but the rest of the team has to start contributing runs too.”
Brief scores: Kuwait 176-7 (Yusof Aslam 2-41, Sarangadev Krishnan 2-28, Mohit Kulkarni 2-30) Singapore 119 in 29.5 overs (Sarangadev Krishnan 10, Rezza Gaznavi 35, Prasheen Param 11, Varun Sivaram 17).
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