vs Siddis, T20 (Div 4) Match 2
When: 30th May 2026
Where: Lassa
Siddis 134/10 (19.1)
Aliens 102/9 (20)
Siddis won by 32 runs
To Stavanger then, for the Aliens’ annual jaunt westwards to play cricket in the rain. Following a tortuous process to identify 10 Aliens willing to travel, an auspicious start as we boarded the Norwegian flight LYON ready to try and tame a fearsome Siddis XI.
Sent out to bowl first on a sodden outfield and in overcast conditions, we made the perfect start. Benan intercepting a fierce drive to take a high catch in the second over. Aliens being Aliens, we then managed to shell four catches, of varying difficulty, in the next three overs as the Momand brothers put on a rapid partnership of 38 in the next 16 balls. Sudesh ended their fun with a sharp stump-botherer, 40/2 off 4 overs.
Benan and Marcus then calmed proceedings down with a nagging display of line and length, with just 9 runs coming off the next 4 overs and each of them bagging a wicket.
When Gareth and Jitendra then whistled through the next 4 overs for just 14 runs and also bagged a wicket each, things were looking good. 63/6 off of 12 overs. But we hadn’t reckoned on the mighty Aryan Khan (jaber). Boasting a top score in the league of 168 and hitting a six every eight balls, he came in and transformed the match with an innings of 37 off 19 balls. Gareth was dispatched onto the roof of the training nets and then, next ball, into the adjacent field.
We needed something to disrupt the might Aryan’s concentration and it came in the 16th over. With confusion over the start of the bowling powerplay and how many overs were remaining, the game stopped for 20 minutes while we tried to figure out the score. Upon closer inspection, the umpires discovered the scorer had inserted an entire extra over, bowled by “Unknown 2 Aliens Ck”. And what an over it was, conceding just the one run, a wide, from his 6 deliveries.
We were left to wonder – had the scorer hallucinated the entire over? Or perhaps we on the field had suffered a mass case of amnesia and in fact the masterful “Unknown 2 Aliens Ck” had reeled off an economical over so dull and easily forgettable that we had all forgotten it. Perhaps the aliens really were visited by Aliens and they had erased the entire episode from our minds?
It took a while to delete this hypothetical over from the app and from cricketing history. With so much to ponder, it was no wonder Aryan holed out soon after in the deep to give Sudesh his third victim. A couple of irritating cameos followed from Siddis’ number eight (16 off 17) and number 10 (13 off 7) to further take the game out of reach. But Benan closed out the other end masterfully to finish with figures of 4-1-7-3 and Damon took the final wicket in the 20th over to leave Siddis on 134 all out.
Aliens reply started steadily. Siddis, somewhat unfairly, utilised their advantage of being much younger and more agile than us by opening the bowling with a couple of young speedsters. Number 97 in particular hit some impressive speeds and run-scoring was difficult on a typically lush Norwegian outfield.
We finished the Powerplay on 25/0 and the required run rate steadily rising. With pace on the ball not working, Siddis’ then unleashed their secret weapon, Qamar Gk, a bowler with an enormous run-up culminating in slow, loopy, moon balls. How could we resist? Qamar soon had Marcus (11) caught at point and then Milton (9) trapped LBW.
Avra and Damon rebuilt the innings with a tenacious partnership, until Avra was dismissed by jaffa, gone for 30 off 34 balls.
Damon now had to contend with a rising run rate, a clatter of wickets at the other end and – an added dimension in a run chase – the impending threat of missing his flight home, as further scoring app issues meant the match dragged out deep into a fourth hour. The returning Number 97 (4-0-16-2) bowled both Gareth and Hinchy with some impressive pace bowling. Benan performed a trademark run out to depart for a duck, and eventually Damon holed out for 26. With him, departed Aliens last hopes, finishing on 102 for 9 off our 20 overs.
On reflection, the better team won. Siddis fielded better, bowled with good discipline and managed to find some pockets of good hitting at moments when Aliens were in the ascendency.