Zurich Crickets Club Day 2024 (14th September)

After the threat of rain, the weather was kind and the Club Day could go ahead. All the age groups were well respresented and many thanks go to everyone involved in the organisation of the day. The excellent food and drinks went down perfectly after the closely contested matches, while the day was rounded off with a Bowl-out.

We look forward to the next such event in 2025.

ZCCC U19 win by 71 runs against Solothurn CC to set up semi-final spot (17th August)

An outstanding 94 by Saifullrahman, assisted by two parnerships (54 and 58) with Firdaws (22) and Faisal (28), saw the U19s post 199.

ZCCC by the break at 15 overs had broken the back of Solothurn at 90-4. The last 6 wickets fell for just another 38 runs with the spinners Faisal (7-35-3) and Firdaws (4-21-3) doing most of the damage. A fine spell by Afsar (5-20-2) set up Emal (1-6-1) to close the match, with Solothurn 128 all out.

Premier League T20 ZCCC 1^st XI wins against a tough ZCCC 2^nd XI (27^th July)

Batting first, the 1^st XI top order maintained a relentless 10-11 runs an over. A fine 56 from Sahil combining well with Noorkhan (30) set the tone. Aqib (20) dealt only in boundaries until he retired hurt, to be followed by Muhammad Wali’s quick-fire 16. Nic’s 35 took us to the 20^th over, together with a blistering 30 from Afsar’s 14 balls and Fayaz’s 12. 214 runs were on the scoreboard.

The 2^nd XI in reply were on top of the game with Sarhad’s rapid 11, together with Saifullrahman (20), and the flamboyant, irrepressible Abid. On 101-4 after 10 overs, the game was definitely on. Faisal (14) and Nawroz’s 31 off just 14 balls, working together with Abid took the score another 50 runs closer. The lower order needed to stay with Abid, who was the key. At the beginning of the 18^th over, Abid fell to Haron (3-17-3), having contributed a scintillating 73 runs. The youngster Parwiz 3.2-25-3 and Sahil 2-10-2 had caused too much damage to the promising chase. The 1^st XI won by 43 runs.

Congratulations to both teams for the entertainment!

1^st XI win CSPL vs Berne CC to remain unbeaten (July 20^th)

Showing strength in depth, with several senior players absent, ZCCC drafted in five U17 players. They did a wonderful job for the team! Tasal (19) and Sahil (60) put together 90 runs for the first wicket. The perfect start. A flurry of wickets threatened to undo the hard work. Nic (24) brought stability but a total of 163 remained a disappointment.

Berne built a solid and rapid foundation and at 60-2 in the 6^th over, one wondered. It was Abdullah’s removal of the openers that opened the sluice gates. None of the other batsmen were able to build a partnership and wickets fell in rapid succession. Afsar (6-20-3) was constantly a threat and was rewarded. New players Haron (2-8-2) and Parwiz (2-5-2) devastated the lower order, while Farhad finished off the Berne innings. A couple of catches went down, but keeper Nic held the two he was offered, and Farhad took the valuable catch of an opener. ZCCC won by 63 runs.

ZCCC 2nd XI dominate Eagles CC in 40-over fixture for a 6-wicket win (13^th July)

Despite losing the toss and bowling first, captain Nawroz immediately effects a run-out in the first over. The second and third wickets come quickly, falling to Bashir (3-15-1) and Saifullrahman (3-20-1). But it is Hezbullah, once again, who does the damage. In quick succession, with the score on 67, he removes the 4 middle order batsmen, leaving the Eagles floundering on 77-7. His figures, 8-1-21-5, are superb and he again is Man of the Match. Zubair 6-2-14-1 and Faisal 8-1-25-0 add so much pressure that the wickets continue to tumble and Dirushaan deservedly picks up the final wicket, with Eagles on 121 in the 33^rd over.

In reply, ZCCC openers Abid (24) and Sarhad (19) bring up the 50 in the 8^th over, having played patiently and watchfully. It is Saifullrahman and Aqib who put on another 40 runs until the 15^th over, when Aqib departs. Saifulrahman’s assertive and confident 42 not out, together with Dirushaan, get us over the line after 20 overs.

Congratulations to the whole team on an excellent day with both the ball and the bat! A great team performance.

ZCCC 3rd XI lose opening T20 against Superlions CC by one run! (23rd June)

1^st XI dominates in all departments vs Cossonay (15th June)

Baljit (39) and Sahil (31) got us off to a brisk start of 56 before Noorkhan (44) joined Baljit for another 65 runs until the 13^th over. Gokul (40) and Zac’s 15 off 7 balls kept the momentum flowing, while Aqib and Nic were there to see us to 193-6.

Cossonay, under pressure from the start, took risks and wickets fell regularly, leaving them unable to craft any threatening partnerships. Afsar’s 4-16-2 was exceptional. Faisal 3-25-2 and Farhad 4-35-3 kept up the pressure and were rewarded. Abdullah and Zac both chipped in with the crucial wickets of the two openers. Highlight of the day was ‘Fountain of Youth’ BS and his sprinting, full-length diving chase and roll to catch Cossonay captain Arjun, much to the delight of his less agile teammates. The opposition finished on 164 and 31 runs short.

2^nd XI disappointment with the bat vs Cossonay (15th June)

Early wickets and only one promising partnership of 44 runs between Avneet (32) and Fayez (13) meant 76 all out, and we would have to fight and bowl superbly to get a result. In all fairness, we did. Bashir’s 3.3-16-3 were outstanding, while the others were all economical. However, in the 14^th over it was all over. 

Zurich Crickets U13's finished 3rd at the picturesque Zuoz 2024  (June 1st/2nd)

Zurich had a successful 1st day winning both their matches against Swiss Girls and eventual champions Basel Dragons.

In the first match against Swiss Girls, Pranav was excellent with his bowling figures of 2 for 10 in his 3 over spell, supported by Ben, Tejas and Nikhil with 1 scalp each, limiting Swiss Girls to 73 all out in 17.4 overs.

Zurich cruised the chase without losing a wicket in 9.4 overs with all 4 batsman contributing, Nikhil -20, Moksh - 10, Tejas - 21 and Ben - 9 runs.

Against eventual champions Basel in the 2nd match of the day, Zurich knew the competition was going to be tough given the previous matches between these teams.

Winning the Toss and electing to field, Zurich conceded 118 runs in 18 overs. Tanish with 2 wickets was Zurich's most successful bowler supported by Nikhil with a wicket. The other wicket came through a run out from Harsh and Tejas combined.

Chasing 119 against mighty Basel was by no means an easy one, but thanks to Nikhil's extraordinary innings of 41 runs off 25 balls with 5 fours and two sixes (all boundaries were a delight to watch, especially the two sixes over cover and mid wicket) Zurich chased down the target in 16.2 overs for the loss of 5 wickets.

Moksh - 10 runs, Ben - 12 runs, and Saani with 14 runs provided able support to Nikhil to see the chase through. Harsh and Kapilan bowled economically in both matches providing support to other bowlers.

Finishing top of the table on Day 1, Zurich returned confidently on the 2nd day to take on Romande U13, in the last of the round robin matches.

Winning the toss in drizzly conditions with a wet outfield, Zurich chose to field again. Unable to get a breakthrough and letting the openers score big, Zurich was set a target of 125 runs. Tanish was most economical for Zurich with 2 wickets for 11 runs in his three over spell, and Ben with 1 wicket.

Zurich batsman struggled in the chase. Nikhil was out without scoring. Tejas - 21 off 16 with 2 fours, and Moksh with 15 runs, which included a 4 and a six, put together the only partnership of the chase while other batsman struggled to score. Eventually we were all out for 80 runs, thereby losing out of the final due to a poorer run rate.

Disappointed at not making the finals, Zurich U13s took on the Swiss Girls for the 3rd place play off.

Batting 1st, Zurich scored 122 for the loss of 2 wickets. Kapilan - 6* , Saani - 14* (2 fours) , Moksh - 13* , Tanish- 8* (1 four)  & Ben - 19* with three boundaries, all contributed with the bat, supported further by Harsh, Nikhil and Tejas

Zurich comfortably won the 3rd place play-off, restricting Swiss Girls to 73 runs with all bowlers bowling economically, particularly Harsh , Kapilan and Saani with a wicket each.

Special mention to Pranav for coming back on 2nd day with a fractured thumb for supporting the team and contributing with his bowling.

ZCCC 2^nd XI beat Pakhtoon Zalmi CC by 70 runs to top Regional League table (1^st June)

Zurich’s centurion Shankar led throughout the innings to reach 118 not out! On a difficult wet wicket and slow outfield Shankar set about accumulating ones and twos. His boundaries were the patiently awaited occasional poor ball from the tight bowling that demolished the rest of the team. The 72 runs for the 9^th wicket with Mirwais were key, and endlessly frustrated the opposition. Composed and disciplined, Mirwais played the perfect part in their 13-over stand. 185 all out, Shanker had played an exceptional knock, so full of confidence and intelligent decisions, having faced more than 22 overs of the almost 40-over innings.

In reply, the opposition never really look threatening, especially after the two outstanding reflex catches by Nawroz and Faisal, which removed the two openers. Mirwais (7-2-21-3) opened the bowling and was excellent. The two spinners, Fayez 2-26 and Faisal 2-40, were always asking questions and, together with Bashir and Saifullrahman, the last 6 wickets fell for just 27 runs, leaving Pakhtoon Zalmi CC 70 runs short. 

2nd XI lose 40-over match to Winterthur CC (26th May)

Delighted to bowl first, it went so well. At 39 the first WCC wicket fell and after that they kept falling, although one felt that WCC tailenders had got away with nearly 30 runs too many. The bowling was tight and disciplined. Bashir and Fayez produced 7 wicktets, ably assisted by the pressure of Mirwais, Adil, Saifullrahman, Faisal and Ziaulhaq. Sharp in the field, despite a couple of dropped catches, we did hold on to the other 7 catches.

Chasing 146, the run rate was never going to be a problem. Fayez and Sarhad got us off to a patient and confident start. But when they were both out with the score on  34, the team imploded to suddenly find themselves on 65-7. After 26 overs ZCCC were all out for 94. What had looked so promising...

All agree there is work to be done. We are still at the beginning of the season with one win and one loss.

1st XI win tight T20 vs Winterthur CC (25th May)

A good start with the bat by Sahil (33) and Gokul then led to a flurry of wickets. Steadied by Noorkhan (25), Aqib (27) with four wonderfully struck 6s, and Firdaws (17), but that was it. We were 127 all out and left wondering where it had all gone wrong.

However, with Winterthur on 46-2 at the end of the powerplay, the opposition collapsed. Wickets fell, and continued to fall, leaving ZCCC to win by 8 runs. Abdullah 4-19-2, Firdaws 4-13-3 and Sahil 3-17-2 were exceptional and the catching key. An excellent fight back!  

1^st XI produce blistering start to the T20 season (12^th May)

Nomads-2 won the toss and decided to bat. Bowling first, ZCCC removed batsmen at a canter:  8-1, 11-2, 11-3, 28-4, 35-5, 47-6, 48-7, 55-8, 57-9, and 61 all out. Pick of the bowlers was Firdaws 2-0-4-4, and he was deservedly Man of the Match. However, Farhad’s 3-1-9-2, Abdullah’s 2.2-0-16-2 and Afsar’s 4-0-18-2 were no less worthy of mention, with Zac’s 4-1-14-0 adding the required pressure. Catches were held, all eight of them, to round off a superb effort in the field.

The openers Sahil (29*) and Baljit began with intent and when the first wicket fell with 48 on the board the captain, Noorkhan finished the job in style with 15 off just 4 balls. 

2^nd XI win the first 40-over match of the season (11^th May)

The new 2^nd XI took on Basel Afghans to open their 40-over season. With the visitors’ carefully crafting 72 in the first 11 overs before one of the openers finally fell, it was clearly going to be a long day. The 3^rd wicket of the dangerous Amin Ullah was taken by Fayez with 147 runs on the board in the 28^th over. This was the chance ZCCC had patiently waited for. The final 7 wickets were gobbled up for just 33 runs and it was the 3 spinners who brought about the collapse. Zia finished with 8-52-2, Fayez with 8-28-2 and Faisal an impressive 8-30-4. Mirwais took out the first and the last batsmen!

Chasing 180 to win, the run rate was never going to be a problem. It was wickets and, unfortunately, they fell alarmingly quickly: 17 for 4! Abid and Fayaz rebuilt but at 90 for 6 things were looking tough. Aqib put together 33 priceless runs, Saifullrahman and Faisal another 16. At eight wickets down the two spinners, Faisal and Zia put together another patient but intermittently heart-stoppingly flamboyant 40 runs to seal the win. Character and fighting spirit in abundance. A nailbiter!

ZCCC U19s undone by Rorschach by 44 runs (9^th May)

A mixture of some excellent bowling by Farhad, Dirushaan, Mirwais and Sahil, and wayward, expensive deliveries by the other 6 bowlers allowed Rorschach to post 200 on the board. ZCCC’s reply was just as frustrating with the bat. Despite a wonderfully confident 73 by opener Sahil, no one managed to stay with him, and the pressure built. The final 5 wickets fell for just 22 runs.

Zurich Crickets runners up at Basel Indoors 2024 (March 16th & 17th)

After competing for two days and six matches in a six-team competition consisting of Zurich Crickets, Basel Dragons, Romande, Swiss U11's,  Swiss Girls & Luxembourg, Zurich Crickets U13s finished 2nd in the competition.

Zurich were placed in Group A with Romande and defending Champions Swiss U11's.

In the Round Robin stage Zurich lost the first match against defending champions Swiss U11's and comfortably won against Romande.

Second place in the group stage meant Zurich had to win three consecutive knock-out matches to qualify for the final, which was achieved by a much determined and motivated bunch. They won all three matches against Luxembourg, Romande and the Swiss U11's. 

The Final against Basel Dragons was ZCCC's fourth match of the day and third consecutive one. Defending 123, ZCCC kept chipping away with wickets and took the match deep into the final over and but finished 2nd best with 5 balls to spare.

In the tournament ZCCC's Tejas (142 runs and 3 wickets) topped the batting figures, followed by Moksh (92 runs and 4 stumpings) and Ben (86 runs and 1 wicket). These three ZCCC players were backed up by Saanidhya (78 runs and 3 wickets) at No.7. Tejas was awarded the Best Batter.

Nikhil (48 runs and 7 wickets) topped the bowling chart! Kapilan was 3rd best bowler (47 runs and 4 wickets). Then there was Harsh (28 runs and 1 wicket) , Mani (45 runs and 3 wickets), Tanish (34 runs and 2 wickets) and Ansh (33 runs and 3 wickets) contributed with bat and ball through out the tournament.

Special mention and thanks to Arjun (2 wickets) for playing with Romande Team.

Players are now looking forward to the outdoor season and ZCCC's very own Tournament Zuoz 2024

ICC Umpiring and Coaching Courses (26^th February 2024)

During the winter months several senior players have invested time on Sunday afternoons to qualify themselves as umpires and coaches. Congratulations to Nawroz J, Farhad M, Firdaws R, Sahil T and Khalid N on successfully completing the following courses:

ICC Umpire Foundation Course – Introduction

ICC Umpire Level One – Equivalent to Stage One

In addition, Afsar F has completed the ICC Umpire Foundation Course – Introduction

The following players have also finished the ICC Coaching Foundation Course and completed Part 1 of the ICC Coaching Level 1 Course: Nawroz J, Farhad M, Sahil T, Khalid N and Firdaws R. They are looking forward to completing the ICC Coaching Level 1 Course in early 2024.

All of them have been in action coaching the ZC Academy and Senior players on a weekly basis since last year (2023), together with experienced coaches Nic H, Noorkhan A and Abdullah Z.

The two Henderson Trophies go to ZCCC players in 2023!

Beginning in 2021, Patrick Henderson, known to most for his time as the first national youth development officer (2004-2013) and president of Zurich Crickets Cricket Club (2004-2021), sponsored two trophies to Cricket Switzerland to encourage and celebrate young performers of the year.

The “Emerging Player of the Year Trophies” are presented by the Henderson Family and awarded to: Emerging Batsman of the Year and Emerging Bowler of the Year.

In 2023 the winners are:

1: Sahil Tarakhel (ZCCC): Emerging Batsman of the Year

2. Khalid Niazi (ZCCC): Emerging Bowler of the Year

The trophies were awarded for the first time in October 2021.

The previous winners were Numan Ahmadzai and Jamal Stanikzai in 2022, and Noorkhan Ahmadi and Malyar Stanikzai in 2021.

Criteria for the trophies

1.  A player can be a maximum of 22 years old (cut-off date being their 23rd birthday)

2. The trophies are awarded to players based on their batting and bowling, while fielding performances can also be taken into consideration. 

Congratulations to the two ZCCC players.