By The Arusha News Correspondent
ACC began their ARCC Pro10 campaign on a high note, securing a 7-wicket win against TCA in their opening league match at the St Constanine ground last week.
Electing to field first after winning the toss, ACC restricted TCA to a modest 81/6, despite an aggressive opening stand by Bilget and Shabani during the powerplay. A well-rounded performance by Prasad and Jaimin (Bapu), backed by a composed innings from skipper Jenu Pandya, paved the way for ACC’s victory with just three balls to spare.
TCA’s openers started aggressively against ACC pacer Karimu, who conceded 26 runs in his two-over spell during the powerplay, as TCA looked set for a score exceeding 100. However, Jaimin struck in the fourth over, dismissing both openers at the cost of just three runs – an effort that turned the tide in ACC’s favour. Gurpreet was introduced from the Nursery End and applied pressure with his orthodox spin, conceding just one run in his over. These two tight overs brought ACC back into the contest, with TCA reduced to 39/2 after five overs.
Jaimin continued in the sixth over as Juma Safari tried to accelerate the innings, managing a boundary through mid-off. However, a string of dot balls and poor strike rotation kept TCA’s scoring rate in check. Prasad replaced Gurpreet and made an immediate impact – removing Mohamed with a delivery that shattered the middle stump and later dismissing Juma Safari in his second over. TCA eventually posted 81/6 after their 10 overs.
In reply, ACC opened with Jaimin and Jenu Pandya in the absence of Shyam Soni. The pair laid a solid foundation with a cautious 19-run stand in the powerplay against Juma Safari and John Frank. Jaimin then unleashed an aggressive assault on John Frank in the fifth over, scoring 16 runs to push ACC to 41/0.
Bilget provided TCA with a breakthrough, dismissing Jaimin as he attempted a big shot over mid-wicket, only to be caught by Amiry. Karimu was promoted to number three but fell cheaply, caught at short cover by Mohamed off Manan’s bowling.
Prasad joined Jenu Pandya and got off the mark with a boundary through third man. The pair went on the attack, scoring 13 runs off Bilget’s over, including a six over deep mid-on by Prasad. He followed it up with consecutive boundaries off Juma Safari to bring ACC within striking distance.
Although Prasad was bowled in the final over, ACC needed just one run to win. Gurpreet calmly stole a sharp single alongside Jenu Pandya, who remained unbeaten on 20, to seal a brilliant finish.
