A half-century from former USA U-19 star Randall Wilson was followed by a tight bowling spell from captain Muhammad Ghous as a New York Invitational XI defeated the Marylebone Cricket Club by 65 runs on Saturday afternoon at Baisley Pond Park in Queens, New York. Wilson top-scored with 76 off 106 balls in a total of 225 before Ghous claimed 3 for 20 as MCC were bowled out for 160 in reply.

A half-century from former USA U-19 star Randall Wilson was followed by a tight bowling spell from captain Muhammad Ghous as a New York Invitational XI defeated the Marylebone Cricket Club by 65 runs on Saturday afternoon at Baisley Pond Park in Queens, New York. Wilson top-scored with 76 off 106 balls in a total of 225 before Ghous claimed 3 for 20 as MCC were bowled out for 160 in reply.




Wilson opened the batting with Abdullah Syed and the pair added 63 for the first wicket in just 7.5 overs. Syed dominated the partnership, striking three fours and three sixes in his 34 off 23 balls before he was runout. Two more wickets fell in quick succession to make it 81 for 3 as wicketkeeper Francis Mendonca fell for 3 before Nicholas Standford was dismissed by Paul Byrne for 10.

Wilson and Alex Amsterdam steadied the innings with a 54-run stand with Amsterdam making 29 off 31 before becoming the fourth man to go. Javein Thomas (7) and Adil Bhatti (11) also fell cheaply, both to leg before decisions, before Wilson’s innings came to an end, bowled trying to swipe Byrne’s spin across the line to make it 202 for 7.

MCC captain Simon Birtwisle wiped out the tail with his left-arm spin, claiming 3 for 30 in 5.4 overs. Birtwisle accounted for Danial Ahmed and Keon Lake leg before while Jasdeep Singh tried to smash a loopy wide delivery only to edge behind as New York were dismissed in 43.4 overs.

MCC’s chase never managed to get any momentum as they crawled through the Powerplay in the face of a disciplined pair of opening spells by Jessy Singh and Adil Bhatti to reach the first drinks break at 33 for 3 in 15 overs. MCC’s first wicket fell in the fourth over courtesy of some sloppy running as Luke Jackson misjudged a second run hit over cover and was denied by a sharp relay from the boundary by Prashanth Nair to Mendonca. Singh then removed Naseer Chohan for a six-ball duck when the batsman missed a whip to midwicket and was given leg before. Birtwisle fell on the last ball before drinks when he edged a drive to Mendonca off a full delivery for 18 to become Ghous’ first wicket.

After play resumed, MCC were no less cautious in their approach, continuing at just above two per over. That did not help them stem the flow of wickets though as Steve Naylor was trapped playing back to a full delivery from Danial Ahmed for 14 before Byrne’s charge to Nair’s generously flighted left-arm spin resulted in a stumping for Mendonca to make it 53 for 5 in the 26th over.

Byrne and Robbie Arthur produced MCC’s best partnership of the day, 52 for the sixth wicket, as Arthur excelled at sweeping the New York spin arsenal. Arthur eventually top-scored for MCC with 58 off 66 balls, one of just two batsmen in the touring side to cross 20 on the day. The stand ended when Byrne was bowled playing back to a full ball from Ghous for 15 and the New York captain struck a third time two overs later in the 38th to bowl Harry Horsley making it 115 for 7.

Arthur eventually perished in the 41st, bowled through the gate by Bhatti missing an attempted drive with Mendonca up to the stumps. Bhatti claimed a second wicket in his late spell when Andrew Brock was caught at deep midwicket for 6 before Nair ended the game getting Chris Glasper to send another catch to the deep midwicket rope to wrap up the MCC innings in 47.2 overs.

The two teams play again on Sunday at the same venue.