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So that will be all from our coverage of this contest but the action rolls on in the ECS Austria 2023. Do make sure to switch tabs and follow our coverage of the next contest between the Austrian Cricket Tigers and the Austrian Daredevils at this very venue while keeping yourselves updated with all the other cricketing news and action from around the world right here on Sportskeeda. For the moment though, this is the duo of Karthik Raj and Sooryanarayanan Sesha taking your leave. Thank you so much for tuning in as we hope you enjoyed our coverage. Hope you have a great weekend. See you around and buh-bye for now!
Match Summary: Austrian Cricket Tigers beat Graz Cricket Academy by 38 runs.
In many ways, the damage was done in the first innings when Graz Cricket Academy's bowlers lost their radar and shipped far too many runs that allowed Austrian Cricket Tigers to mount a massive score on the board. GCA needed to get off to a flyer to put the bowlers under pressure and while they tried their level best, they could never stay on par with the asking rate.
Habib Ahmadzai and Shaukat Durani looked to maximize the powerplay as much as they could. While they racked up 37 in that phase, even that wasn't enough from the point of view from the asking rate, which just increased exponentially with each passing over. Wickets were bound to fall as a result of the batters taking that extra risk and that's exactly what transpired as the bowlers chipped away at regular intervals.
Beyond a point, it was just the case of the formalities playing out. The asking rate shot above 20 halfway into the innings and there was just no recovering thereon from GCA's perspective. Mind you, their batters didn't go down without a fight as Hamid Safi, Yogesh Belage and Abidullah Kotiwal all threw caution to the wind. But it was just a case of getting as close to the target as they possibly could. That the end result was still a pretty handsome margin of victory in favor of the Tigers tells you all you need to know.
This now takes the Tigers to eight points as they remain placed solidly on the table. As for GCA, they really have work to do in order to string together a consistent set of wins going forward.
We saw the first innings end with a six and the second ends with a wicket. Poetic moments that just sum up how good the Tigers have been today! Austrian Cricket Tigers win by 38 runs!
10
overs
118/6score
1
1wd
0
1wd
1
1
0
W
runs
Hamid Safi*
28(14)
Mansoor Safi
3(3)
Aqib Iqbal
1/24
9.6 Aqib Iqbal to Hamid Safi, WICKET! Full and quick on the stumps, Hamid attempts to whip it through mid-wicket but he misses as the furniture is disturbed!
9.5 Aqib Iqbal to Hamid Safi, slow full-toss delivered wide of off. Hamid slogs it to long-on. No run
9.4 Aqib Iqbal to Mansoor Safi, full and angling in, Mansoor swings it to deep backward square-leg for a single
9.3 Aqib Iqbal to Hamid Safi, full, slow and wide of off. Hamid swings it over cover. Single taken
9.3 Aqib Iqbal to Hamid Safi, short delivery outside-off, Hamid looks to pull but he doesn't connect. WIDE called as the ball went over the head
9.2 Aqib Iqbal to Hamid Safi, full, slow and wide of off. Hamid swings and misses it completely. Aqib actually released the ball way before he reached the crease
9.2 Aqib Iqbal to Hamid Safi, length delivery outside the tramline, WIDE called
9.1 Aqib Iqbal to Mansoor Safi, full-toss outside-off, Mansoor swipes it over point for a single
Aqib Iqbal [1.0-0-20-0] to bowl the final over of the game.
He sure hasn't alright! Alas, this is beyond his reach though for all practical purposes. Just the final rites pending now at the Seebarn Cricket Ground. The Tigers will want to try and win this by as big a margin as they can. Graz Cricket Academy require 43 runs to win off the final over!
9
overs
113/5score
0
6
4
1wd
W
1
6
runs
Hamid Safi*
27(10)
Mansoor Safi
1(1)
Tauqir Asif
1/18
8.6 Tauqir Asif to Hamid Safi, SIX! HAMID HASN'T GIVEN UP! Length delivery angling in, Hamid swings it over deep square-leg for a maximum
8.5 Tauqir Asif to Mansoor Safi, low full-toss on the stumps, Mansoor turns it to mid-wicket for a single
Mansoor Safi, RHB, comes to the crease
Outstanding catch from Imran Asif! The Tigers haven't put a foot wrong today on the park!
8.4 Tauqir Asif to Abidullah Kotwal, GREAT CATCH! WICKET! Full outside-off, Kotwal tries to crack it over deep mid-wicket but he miscues it towards backward point. Imran runs back and takes a cracking catch! Abidullah Kotwal c Imran Asif b Tauqir Asif 11 (5b, 1x4, 1x6)
8.4 Tauqir Asif to Abidullah Kotwal, length delivery angling down the leg-side, WIDE called