Dubai 2016

Our last game was played against the Sharjah Cricket Academy XI at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Having won the toss, captain John Oliver decided to bat in the sweltering heat, and this turned out to be a masterstroke. A sensational batting performance then ensued - an innings full of class, aggression and patience. Arman Khan brought up his fifty in 36 deliveries whilst Oliver calmly reached his half century off 49 deliveries. This unbelievable opening partnership lasted 81 balls and yielded an astonishing 168 runs. However, Oliver had to leave after a close LBW decision but Khan did not succumb to the pressure. In fact, he struck a further 4 4's and 3 6's to score the first ever century by a Scotsman in the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. When he retired after the mammoth 59 ball century with 14 4's and 3 6's, the run rate had hit 9.5 per over and the middle order - consisting of Jamie Percival's patient 17 off 34, Fraser Gordon's steady 14 off 14, and Ruiaridh Russell's quick fire 28 off just 22 deliveries - bolstered the team total to 278 off the 35 overs. An innings of such brilliance is incomplete without some dazzling statistics, so here they are: Arman Khan's tour average is 96 and his tour strike rate is a sensational 104, John Oliver has made scores of 25 or above at strikes rates above 75 in all 4 matches and above all, The Glasgow Academy's average score in 35 over matches is now 234 (above a run a ball). But it is not so much the numbers as the beauty, ease and confidence with which all our top order batsmen played that impressed everyone. John Oliver's regal cover drives, Arman Khan's glorious chips to the deep midwicket boundary, Callum Bell's strong shots down the ground and Ross Hegginbottom's wonderful cuts have become everyday sights and this can only be described as a privilege. However, following our first game, we knew that any score could be chased down by some of the opposition batsmen. In fact, things were looking very bleak at 33 for no loss of 4 overs. Nevertheless, John Oliver (7-0-32-1) kept faith in his bowlers and in his own ability and this paid off when he rattled the stumps to send one of the openers back. However the newcomer and the other opener soon built a good partnership and suddenly, the game seemed have been taken away from us. Having tried a variety of options, captain Oliver plunged new depths with his ingenuity. He brought on Arman Khan, who was unable to bowl pace due to the pulled muscle he had picked up the other day and hence, had been unable to open the bowling. But Oliver threw him the ball to bowl spin and placed the utmost faith in him. As they say, fortune favours the bold, and this certainly held true when Arman was rewarded with 2 wickets off his first 3 balls! Although a hefty fourth wicket partnership threatened to turn the game on its head, Greg MacMillan (7-0-32-1), Arman Khan (3-0-25-2) and Jamie Percival (6-0-39-2) ensured that The Glasgow Academy secured a 59 run victory. In particular, the fielding was spectacular, with Adam McMurray bagging two brilliant catches in the deep and Arman Khan picking up one at short cover. Fraser Gordon is also due a mention, not only for 2 match-winning stumpings, but also his eagerness to keep for the majority of the match when Fayz Siddiqui had to leave due to a finger injury. Overall it was another strong team performance. We had been warned that this side was better than the first to whom we lost by ten wickets and our victory is evidence of how far we have come on in this tour. It has been a pleasure to offer coverage to all those reading but it would not have been possible without the help of the teachers but more importantly, the brilliant players who have given me so much to write about. Personally, I know that not only are they great cricketers, but they are also amazing people. Thank you.

Rick Mukhopadhyay.Read more