Sport - Cricket

Taufiq Umar guides Delhi Jets to win

PANCHKULA: Taufiq Umar, 26, took a step fraught with danger when he joined the Indian Cricket League, jeopardising his links with official cricket. The smile on his face, after guiding Delhi Jets to a convincing win over Hyderabad Heroes here on Sunday, celebrated his effort. But it did little to hide his desire to play for Pakistan again.

His quality innings, the first half century of this tournament, was in keeping with his potential. The ball exploded off the bat as Umar made innovations in his strokeplay. “His innings obviously was the difference. It was a wonderful knock,” praise came from Moin Khan, a former colleague of Umar and current coach of Hyderabad Heroes.

Umar’s batting in the afternoon and some sensational fielding by Tejinder Pal Singh in the evening made it enjoyable for the spectators. Tejinder pulled off a run out and took a breathtaking catch at long-off but ended up on the losing side as Chandigarh Lions lost to Kolkata Tigers by 43 runs. Seamer Darren Maddy took four for six for the Tigers.

A tactically-crafted knock by Niky Boje and some solid support from Inzamam-ul-haq had laid the base for Hyderabad Heroes’ innings. The target of 141 appeared sufficient, given the nature of the pitch. But the surface played true and Hyderabad Heroes came to grief.

“We expected the pitch to deteriorate. It didn’t,” confessed Moin. The knock by Umar lent a refreshing touch to the action with some delightful strokes. The left-hander was hardly hustled by any bowler and his commanding performance stood out for its aggression.

The response in the galleries was sparse but Umar’s innings was a treat as it lifted the quality of the competition. “I enjoyed my knock because the bowlers were getting help and it is always nice to do well when the conditions don’t suit you. This tournament essentially is a learning process for the youngsters but we too are learning every day,” said Umar, who remained unbeaten on 52 off 41 balls with six fours and one six.

Giving Umar company in his winning cause was S. Abbas Ali, who slammed 42 off 31 balls with six fours. “Abbas was outstanding,” noted Moin. He was. But his dismissal was bizarre. Wicketkeeper Ibrahim Khaleel fumbled with the snick, saw the ball deflect on to the stumps, but he recovered remarkably to snap it inches off the ground.

Reflecting on the effort, Abbas shared credit with Umar. “It was fun batting along with him. It was a nice learning process.” It was a learning process worth remember for young left-arm spinner Ali Murtaza too when he castled Inzamam, the ball keeping low. “What I would learn here in a short time may not have been possible in five years if I was to play just the domestic cricket,” said the gentle Uttar Pradesh youngster, who will be 18 this January.

“It’s a pity if Murtaza or Umar don’t get to play cricket in their country any more. It’s not a crime to play in the ICL. Cricket is bread and butter for us," concluded Moin.

The scores: Hyderabad Heroes 141 for nine in 20 overs (Nicky Boje 45, Inzamam-ul-Haq 34, Abdur Razzaq 29 not out) lost to Delhi Jets 143 for five in 17.4 overs (Taufiq Umar 52 not out, S. Abbas Ali 42).

Kolkata Tigers 124 in 19.3 overs bt Chandigarh Lions 81 in 17.3 overs (Darren Maddy four for six).

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