Bjørvika A Ck vs Aliens, SL (Div 1) Match 4
When: 29th June 2025
Where: Ekeberg 1
Bjørvika A Ck 262/9 (35)
Aliens 87/10 (23.4)
Bjørvika A Ck won by 175 Runs
On a warm afternoon in Oslo, Bjørvika A and Aliens produced a contest that was decided less by the ebb and flow of pressure than by a single, overwhelming intervention. Bjørvika’s total of 262 for 9 from their 35 overs was, by any measure, formidable. Aliens’ reply of 87 all out in 23.4 overs, less so.
The innings of Usman Arif was the difference. Arriving with Bjørvika at 153 for 6, he proceeded to alter the complexion of the match within half an hour. His 71 from just 24 deliveries, including nine sixes, was destructive and unanswerable, a contribution that lifted the side from a competitive position to one of unassailable dominance. Walid Ghauri’s earlier 66 provided the foundation, while Daniyal Iqbal and Usman Haider lent support. The innings as a whole was punctuated by brisk cameos, but it was Arif’s extraordinary acceleration that defined it.
The Aliens’ bowlers could only endure. Sushil 4 for 44 was commendable in its persistence, but the surrounding figures reflected the punishment absorbed. Even the author, who escaped with the most economical figures of the innings, with 1 for 30 from his seven overs, could only slow the tide, not turn it. He was however somewhat shocked to be subbed off after his 7 ovrs had been bowled (in the 28th over, only to eat a banana, check the football scores and look up a short time later and see 78 runs had been added in just 4 overs, and more shockling that it wasn't just another scorer pressing buttons while paying little attention to what was happening on the field of play.
In pursuit, Aliens were swiftly destabilised. Two wickets falling before the total was in double figures; thereafter, the innings never regained coherence. Only Avratanu Biswas, with 17, suggested any prospect of consolidation, while Milton Mondal’s 51-ball vigil for 13 demonstrated resolve without reward. The remainder of the batting subsided too quickly to sustain hope.
Bjørvika’s bowlers shared the task with notable efficiency. Naderi’s 3 for 20 led the way, while all of the others nabbed at least one victim. Muhammad Afzaal’s 2 for 11 from 4.4 overs underscored the extent to which their large total meant they could set attacking fields, and maintain them, a rare advantage in limited-overs cricket.
Aliens’ 26 extras (or sundries who describe the pre season trip as Too-AH), which was comfortably the top score, pretty much summed up the day.