MIT cricket team claims back-to-back titles
The MIT cricket team won the American College Cricket (ACC) League Home and Away Championship for the second time in as many seasons, finishing with a 9-2 record. The Engineers finished ahead of local rivals Harvard in the league that also included the likes of Princeton, Yale, Dartmouth, Northeastern, Boston University and UMass Lowell. The competition was fierce with MIT and UMass Lowell competing closely for the top spot. In the end, MIT won two consecutive matches away at UMass to ensure league victory.
MIT kicked off its campaign with a home victory against Yale. Suyog Shukla scored a blistering century in the opening game to set the tone for the rest for the campaign. Taranjit Singh ’18 finished as MIT’s top scorer of the tournament with 169 runs. Muhammad Jehangir Amjad G finished as the leading wicket taker for the season with 17 wickets at an economy rate of 5.41 runs per over.
One of only two matches that MIT lost was a nail-biter against Harvard. Batting first, MIT put up a competitive 178 runs against a strong bowling performance by Harvard. While the target appeared surmountable considering the small size of ground, MIT’s bowlers stepped up their performance against a formidable Harvard batting lineup. In the final over, Harvard needed 17 runs with only three wickets in hand. MIT looked set to win the match. However, Harvard’s captain Manik Kuchroo had other ideas and smashed three sixes in the final over to clinch the victory.
MIT’s captain Fahad Mahmood G was ecstatic about the team’s performance throughout the league. He said: “We have a great team chemistry. Everyone stood up to their role and made crucial contributions. The Harvard match we lost was a minor setback but we recovered quickly with more positivity than ever. I think we have the best bowling department in this region. I can trust my bowlers on any given day under any circumstances. It’s a pleasure to lead people who work hard towards their game.”
“We are looking forward to our next season and we hope to repeat our strong performances. We are very thankful to MIT for helping us by providing the resources in the form of funds and ground space. The club has been around for a couple of years now and we are trying to build a support network from our alumni,” Fahad said when asked about what is next for the club.
The MIT Cricket Club organized a cricket boot camp on Dec. 4, 2015 at the Johnson Athletic Center. About 40 MIT students attended the session and learned the basics of cricket. With the league victory and successful cricket boot camp, the club steps forward in expanding cricket’s reach to a wider community at MIT.