BSL Nights 2021 - Week 6 Recaps
Damascus vs Medina
1st place Medina came in and easily mercied last place Damascus….or that’s what the pundits would have you reading. But the story was quite different as these teams on the opposing spectrums matched up for a doubleheader to start off the week 6 games.
Damascus, down but not out, were riding a 3 game unbeaten streak into this one and were poised to carry the momentum against Medina while still missing their 2nd rounder AK.
The boys in blue started off the game with a bang and put up a MERCY inning in the 1st with solid hitting top to bottom, something that’s been missing this season for DMC. Medina would get theirs, as Ahmad Ammad would go ‘crazy’ on this night belting out 3 of his 5 HR’s on the night in this game.
The teams would go back & forth in an entertaining offensive affair as the bats were hot for both squads. DMC continued to show poise and kept the lead for most of the game, but heading into the 6th and final inning found themselves down 1. Gut check time for a team w/ their backs against the wall, they kept their focus and got key hits from all over the lineup but especially the bottom. Adnan Yusuf would help himself to a triple, bringing in 4 rbi’s in this game while Hussein ‘in the membrane’ Allidina brought his mvp game form and went perfect on the night!
DMC would pour in 4 runs to find themselves up 3 and 3 outs away from capturing the W. Medina however wouldn’t go away easily, as the middle did enough damage with timely hits from Rangers, Akif & Tanseer, tying the game up with 2 outs and runners in scoring position. DMC felt the game slipping away, but luckily were able to ground out the last batter to end the game in a tie.
1 point for both teams but Damascus looked like the winners in this one and hoped to keep that attitude going into the 2nd matchup. Maybe it’s the fajr practices, shiny new bats or talk about shisha flavors (shoutout to Peppermint Shake), but somethings begun to work and the points are finally coming for a team thought to be well out of the picture by now. They batted .578 as a team in this game and were confident heading to the 2nd game hoping to get 3 out of 4 points on the night. Read below to see if they’d get it.
Final Score: Damascus 18 vs Medina 18
Medina vs Damascus
In the second of the Wednesday back to back, the Syrians of Damascus, having to play their best, went up against the first place squad hailing from the Holy city of Medina. This writer interviewed various players belonging to each team and the insight was that both teams believed they had let a win slip away. So, going into the second game of the double header we knew both teams would come out with purpose that being to takeaway 3 points for the night. Now, about the game….
The Boys in blue, DMC, came out strong, scoring 8 runs over the first two innings. For the Syrians, brothers were getting on base, allowing power bats of Omer ‘Shuffle Master’ and Saf to drive them home with the long ball.
Medina quickly countered, scoring 5 in their first two innings. Ahmad Ammad had another home run, at this point we lost count of how many balls were crushed over the double fences from his bat. Shout out to Suleman Mann who protected the lineup well.
From the third inning onwards, the crowd witnessed Damascus play their best ball of the season. Having limited Medina to two runs over the rest of the game, while scoring eight more runs, Damascus came out with the much needed victory. It was a great performance by various players, but according to the writer, these players stood out: Ahmad Ammad (5 homers on the day), Suleman Mann (great avg), Zahid Merchant, Moh Kala, Saf, Omer (Shuffle Master), Ali Nazir, Awais Malik (nice catch homie), Jav Ahmed (new bat swag), Hassaan Khan, Zahid P (great pitching performance), Hussein Allidina (Mr. Perfect on the day).
What’s interesting to this writer is that despite Medina and DMC being on the opposite side of the standings, they each are trending in different directions if you factor only the last five games. DMC is ascending upwards, we see their dugout being positive and this win gave DMC more life, as they strive to make a leap into the playoffs. On the other hand, Medina, though being a first place team, are looking to get their swag back. After crushing the competition, they are now 2-2-1 over their last five. We believe Damascus to continue their strong effort and Medina to bounce back strong next week..
Final Score: Medina 7 vs Damascus 16
Cairo vs Istanbul
The opening game of week 6 on a hot day kicked off with Cairo Vs. Istanbul. Istanbul got things started by shutting out Cairo in the top of the 1st, then getting the bats going in the bottom. Timely hitting from Ismail Kara, Zain Khilji and Umair Ali, who were a combined 6/6 on the day, allowed Istanbul to put up 5 runs and take a 5-0 lead. Cairo loaded the bases in the top of the second and a returning Atif Parvaiz had a big hit to open the inning up and allowed Cairo to respond with 4 runs of their own.
After Ismail Kara hit a solo bomb, Cairo responded with 5 more runs in the 4th with the lower order doing well to get on base. After Cairo took the 9-6 lead, Istanbul responded putting up 5 runs in the next 2 innings while shutting down Cairo offensively, givving Istanbul a huge win 11-9. Steller defence in the outfield by Zain Khilji robbed Cairo of a few hits and Taqi Ahmed continuing to improve on the mound makes Istanbul dangerous going forward. For Cairo this was their 7th straight loss and GM Khizer is left looking for answers. Hamza Waheed will look to improve as he struggled with command on a hot evening, walking 7 batters including some in the lower order. Health is also an issue for Cairo as they have yet to play with a full squad. They will look to pick it up in their second game of the night.
Final Score: Cairo 9 Istanbul 11
Istanbul vs Baghdad
Baghdad comes into this one on a 2-game slide looking to get back on their feet against a dangerous/unpredictable Istanbul squad. Istanbul only picked up 1 point last week and will be looking to bounce back hard against a team on a 2-game losing streak.
While Istanbul has been missing their pitcher, Taqi has been doing a fantastic job on the mound helping his team out while Riyad is away.
Things started off rough for Istanbul as Baghdad pounded their way to a 10-1 lead after 2 frames thanks to Tash/Noor hauling in runs. Baghdad batted all their guys and they seemed they were cruising until Ismail Kara came up and slapped a 2 run shot over the fence cutting into Baghdad’s lead and possibly shifting some momentum over to Istanbul’s side. Unfortunately Istanbul failed to produce over the next 2 innings and eventually Baghdad added to their lead as they put up another 7 before closing out this game. There were some great hits in this game as Tash picked up a pair of dingers while Noor, Nirvan and Aslam also added one each combining for a total of 15 RBI’s on the night. On Istanbul’s side Ismail Kara had 2 beautiful HR’s while Umair Ali had a couple of RBI’s. Pitching battle was pretty epic but this one has to go to Nirvaan not just for his pitching but his quick reflexes in the infield. That man was snagging everything that was lasered his way and as a result helped close out multiple innings.
Baghdad picks up a much-needed win after dropping 2 in the previous week and are trying to find a rhythm before heading into playoffs. Its going to be a battle as most teams are gaining in the standings so its anyone’s guess which teams make the playoffs and which team doesn’t. Can Baghdad fight through and secure a playoff spot before the season ends?
Final Score: Istanbul 6 Baghdad 17
Baghdad vs Cairo
The nightcap at birchwood featured Cairo riding a 7 game losing streak going up against Baghdad, fresh off a convincing win over Istanbul. Cairo came out strong holding Baghdad to a 3 up 3 down inning, then got to work putting up a run in the first. The 2nd inning is when the fireworks started. Baghdad put up a mercy inning with the lower order of the lineup getting some timely hits. Fawad Shaikh. Ali Furqan and Shahan Khan, were a combined 4/8 with 4 RBI on the day. Baghdad was in control up 7-1 before their defence let them down.
Cairo responded with 6 runs of their own in the bottom of the inning to tie the game back up. Over the course of the game Baghdad would commit 5 errors, many of them tough plays but Baghdad will look back with regret at those mistakes. From Cairo's perspective, they finally caught some breaks in a game and were able to capitalize. With the game tied Aslam Abdulla smashed a solo shot for Baghdad, however, in the bottom of the inning, the top got on base which allowed Yousaf Chaudhry to step up and belt a 3 run homer to left to give Cairo the 2 run lead. The remaining innings were a defensive struggle with both teams playing stellar defence. Noor Zia was exceptional as SS for Baghdad, while the Channa brothers and Shamil Khadaroo were excellent in the outfield. With Baghdad needing 2 to tie in the final inning Cairo was able to hold them to one and bat out the remaining time to squeak out the win 10-9.
For Baghdad, it was a disappointing loss as they will feel they gave this game away with their errors. For Cairo it is a much needed win heading into the final stretch. They will look to continue the momentum into 2 tough games next week.
Final Score: Baghdad 9 Cairo 10
Cordoba vs Jerusalem
Jerusalem started off hot in this one, putting up 10 runs in the first 2 innings, led by team spiritual captain Imran Merchant and good guy Rameez Siddiqui.
However, Cordoba continued to put pressure with a consistent attack, highlighted by a massive 3 run home run from Ahmed Butt. Cordoba continued to put up runs throughout the game, Jerusalem was shut out in the middle innings and their rally just wasn't enough to get the job done.
Bilal Javed continued to set the league on fire with a big night - 3/3 1 HR and 3 RBIs. Saad Husnain had a monster night himself with 1 HR and 5 RBIs.
Mohammed Al Sukhni and Arsalaan Abdullah were bright spots for Jerusalem going 2/3 each respectively.
Cordoba and Jerusalem remain neck in neck for second place, and a bye.
Final Score: Cordoba 16 Jerusalem 14
Lahore vs Cordoba
Let's talk about the match up against our Underdogs of BSLNights, The Cordoba Cobras against the LAHORE Kaalanders. The Cobras came off a close win against the mighty Jerusalem Salamanders and were pretty pumped up for their next match. The Cobras were ready to go for this game. Kalandars started the game by batting first but closed out the inning with scoring a nice shiny doughnut for the first inning. They just didnt seem to find the gaps in the CobraNet Defense system setup by the Cobra Commander, Bilal J and his trusted SS Osama. The Lahore Kaalanders showed the same promise they show in PSL by not doing much, and managed to Score in 2 Runs for the whole game.
The Cobras replied back with managing to squeeze 2 runs on their turn in the first inning, and then from there on the runs fireworks started and Cobras managed to rake in another 6 runs in the second innings, by exploding the HR Cannons, courtesy of The Commander Bilal Javid and team Elder, Hassan Chaudhry. The rest of the Cobras on the team, Ahmed Butt, Sunny, Jibran Khan and Malik Saab (Bilal Malik) also contributed to the runs derby by putting up runs throughout the game. Last but not least, how can we forget the great effort put in by the Sub (Sherif Shehata) subbing in for the Hulk as he was resting up for one game this week. The Cobras took the win for this match by scoring a wooping 16 runs again the Kaalanders. It seemed more like a mercy match then a normal match for this week. With this win, the Cobras slithered their way up to 2nd position the BSL Standings right behind the Medina Badgers, trailing only by ONE Point. Let's see what the future holds for the team in the Playoffs, the tables seem to have turned since the opening of the season and anything can happen in the playoffs. We will just have to wait and see who emerges victorious when the dust settles. Thats all for this week Folks ! Till next week, take Care and stay Safe !! Happy Independence day Everyone!! Pakistan Zindabad
Final Score: Lahore 2 Cordoba 16
Jerusalem vs Lahore
The 9:30pm game at Valley’s was a featured rematch of the infamous 27 walk game from Week 2 in BSL Nights. Jerusalem was well rested as they sat to watch the previous double header and Lahore was coming fresh off a beat down from Cordoba. Jerusalem had this game circled on their calendars for a while, after being accused of taking too many walks in Week 2 vs. Lahore (26-10 W). Jerusalem being questioned before the game whether they brought their bats or not just added fuel to the fire.
Superstar Ali Chaudhry was on the mound as Lahore was once again without Fuzail Thakur. The game started off tight as both teams scored 2 each in the first inning. The top of the 2nd inning, Jerusalem finally woke up and put their feet to the metal. Jerusalem scored 3 straight mercy innings in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th inning with the score at 23-4 after the 4th inning. At this point it felt like a funeral and a moment of silence was required. Lahore managed to put a few more runs on the board and the game ended with a final score of 25-7. Ali Chaudhry and Omar Khattab both hit bangers and combined to hit 4-6, 2HR and 4 RBI. Imran Merchant once again came through going 3-3, HR and 6 RBI. A solid all-round game from the Jerusalem who scored 25 runs off 24 hits for the night. The boys truly came out to “swing” tonight. Jerusalem goes home with 3rd in the standings, just behind Cordoba for 2nd and Medina for 1st. Lahore on the other hand puts themselves in a tough spot at 7th in the standings with hot Damascus right on their heels.
Final Score: Jerusalem 25 Lahore 7