At the opening ceremony of any Major sporting event, the Master of Ceremonies signs off saying, “ May the Best Team Win.” I don’t think anyone who participated or watched the Masters Cricket USA O-50 Nationals in Atlanta this week will disagree with the statement that indeed the best team, South Stallions, won the championship.

To win a championship with 12 strong teams fighting it out you need Flair, Consistency, Skills, Leadership, and the Will to win. South Stallions had all of these and more. Everyone on that Stallions team was a STUD, and none looked like a square peg in a round hole. Be it the opening batsmen, or the engine room of the top order, or the highly potent lower order, everyone essayed their roles to perfection. The Stallions showed no signs of a tail in their batting lineup. Naveen, Jignesh, Rahim, Fazeh were consistent with the bat. Mohsin, Fazeh, and Jignesh were very incisive with their bowling.  ShahaNawaz, Ayaz, Rahim, played brilliant support roles with their bowling. Stallions were good in the field as well. To top it all, Mohsin led the team astutely and with great assurance. When a team fires on all cylinders, there is no stopping it.

West Warriors had a great campaign as well, coming in unbeaten to the finals, but on the day they fell short and could not match up to the Stallions’ gallop. Raj Badadare and Srikanth Satya were very skillful throughout the championship but on the day when it mattered Naveen and Ayaz got the Stallions off the gates safely and briskly. Once the initial threat was seen off, Jignesh did what he does best, which is to slowly and steadily get the game in his grasp and a tight grip.

Jignesh is a master tactician who plans his moves and builds innings like an engineer builds projects. There are times when he steps up the gear and times when he sits back; all of these moves are well-designed and architected. There is clarity in his thought, and his batting is all about skill and execution. Add to it, he has the stroke range, which can discourage the best of bowlers, as Ramkishan figured out a few moons back.

All through the tournament, Rahim played critical innings for his team and ensured one end was safe, and at the same time, effective in terms of runs. In a team game, you need different players to play their game, just as in an orchestra, different musicians play different musical instruments to bring in a symphony. When the symphony is in sync you end up with a winning performance as was the case with the Stallions.

Another musician who ensured he played his instruments in tune was Fazeh. His role was to bang the drum down and create fear in the opponent, and he did just that with his thunderous stroke play. The Stallions were a gun side, and every gun fired well.

231 runs at the Paramveer complex was way beyond a par score, given the lush and thick outfield and not necessarily batting-friendly conditions. Stallions had the bowling to easily defend such a stiff target, and they did that easily. Rahi and Ayaz shared the spoils as they hunted as a pair. Fazah, Mohsin, and Jignesh chipped in with a wicket each, with the entire bowling unit hunting like a pack of wolves. Sunny Singh showed his abilities to play a tough bowling pack and showed resistance as well as his flair to attack in scoring 39 runs of just 49 balls.

The South Stallions were the best team of the tournament and deservedly got to hold that trophy aloft. Congratulations, Stallions, I had the pleasure of seeing the best of your players and take great joy in penning these few lines in appreciating your cricket and your will to win. Mohsin, congratulations to you as well. It is one thing to have a stallion and another to lead it to win. You were an outstanding leader and deserve that trophy.

Ravi Suri

MCUSA Media