Ticket Booked for ICC World Cricket League Division 8 in Kuwait in November; Port Soif, Guernsey 19.07.2010
Despite losing the final game of the ICC WCL Division 2 Europe Championship to Israel by 56 runs – the first ever defeat at the hands of Israel – Germany completed a successful Championship in Guernsey by taking the runners-up spot behind hosts, Guernsey.

With wins against France, Gibraltar and Norway – three wins from five games - Germany secured 6 points as against Guernsey's ten points. France also made 6 points, but the 'head to head' win by Germany over France in their opening game of the tournament meant that Germany came above France in the league table. The tournament rule also determined that once Germany had lost the league game against Guernsey, it could no longer challenge Guernsey for the league title.
As the top team in the league from Germany, France and Israel, however, Germany won the coveted prize of a place in Divison 8 of the ICC World Cricket League, Germany will be taking on teams from all over the world in Kuwait in November 2010. The members of the German squad were presented with their runners-up commemorative medals at a presentation dinner held at the St Pierre Park Hotel, Guernsey on Monday evening, 19 July.

In the game against Israel, Israel won the toss and decided to bat. Again the German opening attack fired from the beginning and Israel got off to a slow start. The first wicket to fall came as the result of a run-out follwing smart work from Tarun and Rishi. Israel 24 for 1. Ehsan Latif, again, as in other games troubling batsmen with his speed and swing took the second wicket with a clean bowled. Israel 32 for 2 in the 10 th over. Two overs later he obtained another wick with an lbw and another two overs on he got another lbw. Israel 51 for 4 in 14 overs. There was then an Israel recovery during which the German team suffered a blow when Satya pulled up in the field with an injury and had to be substituted. The Israeli batsmen took their score to 117, before Tarun Rawat, the off spinner, had one of the successful batting partners caught by Milan Fernando on the mid-wicket boundary. Israel 117 for 5 in the 29th over. Unfortunately, Tarun had a good opportunity to inflict further damage to the Israelis, but could not take a caught and bowled chance offered him – that batsman went on to top score with 73 runs and was the backbone of the innings - such is cricket.
The next wicket to fall was a run-out, but by this time the score had moved on to 191 for 6 in the 43rd over. In the next over Javed Rana-Iqbal had the next Israeli to fall, caught behind by Khalid Butt. In the 46th over Rishi Pillai had the chance of a hat trick, first Andre Leslie took a high catch in the deep and then Pillai obtained an lbw – there was to be no third victim in a row, though, as the incoming batsman survived. Rishi then did get his third wicket - in the 49th over. First there was a catching mix-up between himself and Egglestone at mid-off reulting in no one taking the catch, but with the last ball of the over he bowled out the last Israeli batsman. Irael finished with 222 all out in 49 overs. A score which had seemed remote at certain parts of the game, but two valuable Israeli partnerships made that total possible.

Germany got off to a disastrous start in the chase for 223 runs to win at 4.56 runs per over.
Opener Egglestone fell first, caught behind for 2, on the first ball of the fifth over and Rishi Pillai followed him back to the pavilion on the last ball of the same over, having made 2. In the next over, Milan Fernando was out lbw for 5. Germany 9 for 3 wickets after 6 overs - and rocking. Andre Leslie and Tarun Rawat, making his senior international debut in ICC tournament cricket, then steadied things and when Leslie was out lbw for 39, the score had been raised to 112 for 4 wickets in the 32 over. Shafraz Samsudeen, another debutant player, then took the soce on to 130 for 5 when Tarun was caught and bowled. He had made 54 on his debut, something which will go down in the DCB history books. Farook Ahmed, was next to be out, caught at mid-on for 1, followed by Samsudeen in the next over for 16 runs. Satya came in with a runner to partner Khalid Butt. This partnership was broken when Satya was out, caught at mid off for 2 runs. Germany 140 for 8 wickets. Ehsan Latif and Butt took the score on to 156 before Butt was out, caught in the covers for 13 runs. Latif was joined for the last wicket by Javed Rana-Iqbal and in a stop-go partnership took the score to the final total of 166 when Ehsan was bowled out for 8, leaving Javed Iqbal-Rana as the not-out batsman on 6.
An Israeli win, then, by 56 runs.

This game was natually a disappointing end to the tournament for Germany, but qualification for the WCL was the main aim of the exercise in Guernsey and Germany achieved that with some good displays of cricket over the week. That is a cause for celebration.

Now the DCB has to make its plans for Kuwait. It will play in the two-division-tournament in Division B against Gibraltar, the Bahamas and Zambia. In the other group will play Surinam, Vanuatu, Bhutan and Kuwait. The first two after the play-offs will be promoted to Division 7, the third team will remain in Division 8 and all the rest will be relegated back to their regional leagues, to seek to qualify again through their regional structure next year. The aim of Germany has to be once again to win its group and get itself embedded in the WCL.

Brian Fell