The European Cricket Network live broadcasts the 2020 European Cricket Series Barcelona encounter between Men in Blue and Gracia.
Tune in to the live action Friday from 9am CEST * 8am UK * 7am GMT * 12:30pm IST from the Montjuïc ground in Barcelona, Spain.
Team Preview for Men in Blue
Men in Blue CC have played three matches so far in the European Cricket Series, winning just one of them. They have been competitive for the most part, coming within four runs of the dominant Falco side last Thursday night so we know that they are capable of challenging even the most fearsome teams. Men in Blue do have a path to the semi-finals but it will likely involve them winning all of their remaining matches.
Captain & Main Wicketkeeper: Prasanna Jathan
Key Players:
Shankar Kaligatla is a key all-rounder who has bowled really well at the death so far in the tournament, picking up four wickets. He is also the Men in Blue’s leading run-scorer to this point in the tournament, so he will be looking to keep up his good form.
Puneet Shrimali has shown in all the aspects of the game. The left-handed batsman is also a useful left arm pace bowler when called upon, and he grabbed one of the best catches in the tournament to date. He can bowl early in the innings and has the best economy rate of any of their bowlers, conceding only 6.33 per over so far in the European Cricket Series.
Prasanna Jathan will lead the side from behind the stumps. The skipper is a hard hitter who has won couple of games single handedly in the domestic competition. He has had some promising performances in the series so far, batting well in the against Hira CC but was unfortunate to get run out in his last innings.
Team Preview for Gracia
Gracia CC were one of the form teams of 2019 and when I looked at their squad prior to the tournament I had them as one of the favourites in Group B. However, their form so far in the series has been horrendous! They are rooted to the bottom of the ladder without a win after 4 matches and they are certainly out of contention. They do have some good players so if and when it clicks for them, they will be a competitive unit.
Captain: Heera Mahey
Main Wicketkeeper: Mayank Dayal
Key Players:
Mukhtiar Singh possesses the ability to clear the boundary while proving to be a genuine wicket-taker with the ball, taking three wickets in a match on two separate occasions. He needs to go on with it with the bat - Gracia badly need some runs after they only managed a poultry 58 in their last outing and he is a big piece of the puzzle.
Kuldeep Lal was the leading run scorer in the first ever ECS back in March. His form has been steady in this series but with a top score of only 30, he is another one that has to do more if Gracia are going to open their account in this match.
Heera Mahey has been good with the ball, with three wickets and a miserly economy rate of only 7.43. Unfortunately, the captain has been horrendously out of touch with the bat with only 16 runs from four attempts including two donuts! He is capable though and could turn it on at any time, so keep an eye out for him.
Mr Maximo’s tip: MEN IN BLUE
From my viewpoint, Gracia have been the biggest underachievers in this European Cricket Series, as I hoped they would build on their solid 2019 form and challenge for a place in the semi-finals. I would love to see them get off the mark in this game but with their current confidence levels I just can’t see it happening, so my prediction is for Men in Blue to win the first match of four on Friday in the European Cricket Series. With over one week still to go, this tournament is really hotting up, so don’t miss any of the action on the European Cricket Network!
