Optimists Cricket Club

# OCC Clinch Victory in Thrilling BCF League Encounter

**Optimists Cricket Club beat Premium Cricket Club Brussels by 6 Wickets**
So there we were, Sunday afternoon, 19th July 2026 — BCF Division 2 — and the Optimists Cricket Club decided to live up to their name for once. Spoiler alert: they won. By 6 wickets. And honestly, it wasn't even that stressful... well, maybe a little.

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**The Toss (a.k.a. opponent only and Last Good Decision)**
Premium Cricket Club Brussels won the toss and chose to bat. Bold move. Confident move. The kind of move you make when you haven't yet met Milad, Girish, Amit and Vishi on a Sunday with nothing to lose.

**Premium's Innings: 201 All Out (46.4 Overs)**
Premium walked out to bat with dreams of a big total. What they got instead was Milad Momand — who apparently woke up that morning and chose violence. Two wickets in the third over. *Third over.* Some batsmen hadn't even finished adjusting their helmets.Riaz Nasiri, bless his soul, decided someone had to hold the fort. And hold it he did — 64 runs off 119 balls. Six fours and a six — just enough to remind everyone he does, in fact, own a bat. Shahmeer Nawaz chipped in with 35 (6 fours), and the two put together a 50-run partnership that briefly made Premium fans think, "Hey, maybe we've got this." They did not have this.

Milad finished with 3/25 in 8 overs (including a maiden, because why not), and Asghar Ali Khan grabbed 2/34 to make sure Premium's tail didn't wag too enthusiastically. Final score: 201 all out. Respectable? Sure. Enough? Let's find out.

**The Chase: OCC Says "How fast can we score"**
Target: 202. Optimists' response? Ten runs in the first over. TEN. That's not a cricket innings, that's a statement of intent wrapped in a cover drive. Advyth Manepalli fell early in the third over to Suhrab Wafa — the only Premium bowler who apparently read the "how to take.  wickets" manual that day. But it didn't matter, because Girish Venkateswaran had already decided this was *his* day. Amit Halbhavi came in and played what can only be described as a "cameo from another dimension" — 42 off 25 balls, 5 fours, a six, and probably a few “wow” attacks in the Premium dugout. The man treated the bowling like a personal insult.

But the real hero? Girish. Unbeaten 80 off 73 balls. 10 fours. 2 sixes. The kind of innings where you don't just chase a target — you chase it, catch it, and then ask it why it was running so slow.A 50-run stand with Amit, another 50-run stand with Vivek Dixit, and before Premium could figure out a Plan B (or even finish Plan A), OCC crossed the line in just 28.3 overs.

**Final Verdict**
Suhrab Wafa tried his best with 2 wickets, but when your opposition finishes the job with 21.3 overs to spare, "tried his best" is about all you can say.

Optimists Cricket Club: living proof that sometimes, optimism isn't just a name — it's a game plan.

See you next Saturday. Get some snacks. 🏏