The first Taiwan touring cricket team played at the 10th annual Philippines International Cricket Sixes tournament at the Clark City Parade Grounds in Angeles City over the weekend.
There was great excitement and anticipation to see how the players from Taiwan would compare with those from other nations across Asia, including players based in Singapore, Bahrain, China and the Philippines.
Taiwan opened their campaign with a big win over local side the Manila Roos on Saturday.
Captain Mujahid Muhammad won an important toss and chose to bat. Opening pair Mahroof Hussain (22) and Amjad Zafar (32) took full advantage of loose deliveries to lay the perfect foundation for a total of 81-1 in the five overs available. That was too much for the Roos, who made only 40. Zafar starred with the ball too, impressing with figures of 6-1.
In their second match, Taiwan faced another local team, AFC1. Taiwan won the toss again and batted. Tight bowling saw Hussain (1) perish in the first over. Fellow opener Zafar (27) remained calm and with Shane Ferreira (23) posted a respectable 71-2. The bowling was spot on again, conceding only 37 for a comfortable 34-run victory, with Zafar’s over being the highlight (2-1).
Tournament favorites Gulf Air from Bahrain were next.
Taiwan bowled first, having lost the toss, but opener Ric McGrail was in devastating form, taking two wickets and conceding only four runs. The rest of the bowlers kept a tight line and Gulf Air were restricted to 48-3.
However, a seemingly easy total quickly became unattainable as a couple of rushed shots saw the batting lineup collapse and Taiwan registered their first loss on tour, being bowled out for 32.
Sunday morning saw an early start as Taiwan took on local side IQOR in the last of their group matches. Captain Muhammad top scored with 23, leading the side to 61. Paceman Mcgrail continued his form with a fiery opening over in which he took 1-3. The rest of the attack chipped in and restricted IQOR to only 47.
Taiwan and Gulf Air finished on equal points in their group, with Gulf Air taking the top spot by virtue of beating Taiwan.
In their quarter-final, Taiwan took on the winners of Group 1, AAC. Winning another toss, Taiwan batted, but found the conditions tough with the ball bouncing sharply off of a good length. They posted 49-1. The bowlers took full advantage of the conditions and quickly had ACC on the back foot by the second over, with veteran fast bowler Meer Shuib Farooque taking 1-6 to go with a run-out in the second over. AAC only managed 39 and Taiwan were through to the semi-finals of the Cup Group with a 10-run victory.
In their semi-final, they took on local side Heckle and Jeckle. Taiwan won the toss and batted. Batting conditions remained difficult, with Heckle and Jeckle bowling a tight line that more often than not found the batsmen wanting. With only 49 runs on the board, it was going to be a close game. The bowlers started off well, but a dropped catch in the first over and some creative batting from Heckle and Jeckle’s openers left them with six to get off the last over. A boundary off the fourth ball saw Taiwan’s hopes of bringing back some silverware shattered. Heckle and Jeckle won the semi-final by six wickets, but lost in the final to tournament winners, Cubao CC.
The tour was hailed as a success.
“Though we lost the semi-final in our very first international appearance, it showed us new dimensions in our friendships and passion for the game of cricket,” star player Zafar said:
“It was a weekend full of enjoyment with wonderful displays of cricketing skills. Most important was the positive impression we left in the minds of teams in the Philippines. Meeting these people and seeing new places was priceless,” he said.
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