Optimists Cricket Club

Optimists CC cruise to eight-wicket win over Brugge CC-1

Optimists Cricket Club produced a disciplined all-round performance to beat Brugge Cricket Club-1 by eight wickets in BCF Division 2.
After choosing to bat, Brugge struggled to build momentum and were bowled out for 74 in 20.1 overs. Rahimjan Pashahi was the only batter to find real fluency, scoring 17 from 12 balls, including two fours and a six, while Victor and Sukhwinder added 12 each.

Pankaj Malav led the bowling attack with an outstanding 5 for 29 from eight overs, including 37 dot balls. He set the tone from the first over with a sharp caught-and-bowled dismissal. Abhinav supported him superbly with 3 for 17 from seven overs, aided by excellent catches from Thiyagu, Yama, and Amit Halbhavi. Vishwajeet Deshpande claimed the remaining two wickets for 26 runs.

Brugge lost wickets regularly, slipping from 25 for 5 to 33 for 7, before late contributions from Rahimjan and Sukhwinder lifted them to 74.

In reply, Optimists suffered two early setbacks, losing Aman Khan for a duck at 4 for 1 and Amit Halbhavi for 8 at 31 for 2. From there, Malith  and Anoop took control with a composed, unbeaten third-wicket partnership.
Malith finished unbeaten on 31 from 29 balls, striking six fours, while Anoop made an unbeaten 26 from 27 deliveries with five boundaries. Their steady approach ensured there was no late drama as Optimists reached 75 for 2 in 12.2 overs.

Asadullah Siddiqie was Brugge’s most successful bowler with 2 for 29, but the modest target left little room for a comeback. Pankaj Malav’s five-wicket spell was the defining performance in a convincing Optimists victory.
With this win, Optimists have secured a top-two position in the standings and set up the next round-robin stage against the other top-four teams.