Probasee Bengalee Asso. Of NZ holds Spirit of Cricket Tournament
On Sunday the 11th of February, Probasee lifted the Spirit of Cricket title beating the Deccan Acers by 7 runs at the Mount Wellington War Memorial Reserve.
The Spirit of Cricket tournament sponsored by Relianz Forex has been running for 26 years. The tournament is played with an incredible across a 20 over format.
Winning the toss, Probasee elected to bat first in what was a low scoring final between the teams. Early on, runs were hard to come by with an accurate bowling display by the Deccan Acers.
Resistance from Nishant Murali (8), Sai Karnan (7) and skipper Rahul Banerjee (7) meant Probasee were able to put 52 on the board, being bowled out in the 18th over.
Probasee started strong with the ball, with Rohan Kundu and Kartik Banerjee setting the tone early restricting Deccan to 11-3 after 8 overs with tight and disciplined bowling. This was backed up by an energised fielding display by the entire team.
The pressure was maintained by Shouvik Nandi taking regular scalps through the middle finishing with 3 – 11.
Despite a fightback from Deccan, Tushar Bhowmik made key breakthroughs during the innings (2-9) aided by an accurate bowling spell from Nishant Murali (0 – 12) which took Probasee over the line on the day.
The performance in the final was representative of the season the Probasee boys have had, which has been a well-rounded team effort. With only one individual team award (Anshuman Bhaduri – best fielder), the season saw different players stepping up during different stages.
Probasee, who has been a participant in this tournament since its inception 26 years have enjoyed a rich, successful history. The team have reached a total of 7 finals, winning the cup 3 times. The first title they took out was in 2004, followed by 2018, taking their third cup home in 2024. The team were proudly supported by K2 Consultants, Mai Trip, ACMI and Netbridge in this year’s edition.
The tournament has a very special place in the hearts of Probasee members, providing the community an opportunity to come together. Probasee, which translates to Bengalis living outside Bengal in India, had a large, vocal crowd that came out to support them in the grand finale. The members came out in numbers and cheered on the boys, which helped the boys get over the line on the day.
-TIN Bureau