Inconsistency Costs The Tigers Their Season

This year, Stuyvesant’s cricket team, the Tigers, has had a confusing season riddled with inconsistency. They have been unable to find a system that works for them every game, and their results are ample evidence of that. With a 3-6 record, which puts them at the bottom of the standings of their Bronx/Manhattan league, the Tigers have just three postponed games left to play, and they need a 5-5 record at this point to have any chance to qualify for playoffs.

Their inconsistency and a number of unforeseen circumstances have cost them their season. Because of AP exams, the Tigers have played a few games without a full starting 11. They missed out on a game against Lehman, who they beat, because of some confusion on the PSAL’s part regarding field locations.

The Tigers cannot dwell on these details and must find a solution to their problems on the field. This inconsistency has an explanation: “It’s just one of those things that comes with having a young team. We play a lot of teams that have veteran players or [players that] have been playing this sport for years. Secondly, we don’t have any cricket fields near us, and this doesn’t give us the best opportunity for practice and training. This puts us at a disadvantage,” sophomore and co-captain Vishwaa Sofat said.

The Tigers have just six active upperclassmen (four seniors and two juniors) out of 22 players. Many of those 22 are newcomers who are still learning the basics; this leads to many mistakes in games. However, senior and co-captain Aryan Bhatt finds promise in this predicament. “Only very few players will be graduating in the next two years, and the majority of our team is made up of underclassmen that are showing an insane amount of promise, so I'm confident that in the next two years, with all this hard work they're putting in, the Tigers are going to reach heights we never have before,” Bhatt said. With practice, many of these players can become consistent bowlers and batters. Despite the seemingly poor performance, this has been the Tigers’ second best season to date. Given last year’s 0-11 record, this season is much more impressive and a great start for the Tigers to build on in the years to come.

Some of these new players, including freshman Sayan Shil, Stuyvesant’s wicketkeeper, have already proven themselves this season. Shil was integral in the Tigers’ win in the game against Francis Lewis, which they won by only two runs. Shil’s crucial eight runs in the last over won the game for the Tigers. Another consistent underclassman is sophomore Fatin Ahmed, who has proven himself as a dangerous dual threat, batting and bowling consistently, something very few players have done this season. With these key younger players, the Tigers’ future looks bright even as this season winds down to an end.