ECL19 FINAL WRAP
Netherlands champions Rotterdam were crowned the kings of Europe after beating Findorff from Germany in an action-packed final of the inaugural European Cricket League (ECL).
Rotterdam’s international openers Scott Edwards and Max O’Dowd produced a savage batting clinic, racking up an undefeated 222 off 10 overs – mullering the shell-shocked German bowlers to all corners and beyond in La Manga, Spain.
In a brutal display of hitting Man-of-the-match Edwards starred with 137 off 39 balls (5×4,18×6 MAXIMO!) – while Man-of-the-Tournament O’Dowd was no slowcoach himself with a sizzling 74 off 25 balls, enjoyed by a large crowd at La Manga.
Following the destructive Dutch hitting, Findorff from Bremen in Germany had no realistic chance, but posted a tidy reply of 129, which normally would be a good score in this novel T10 format. Even Rotterdam’s Dirk van Baren historic first hat-trick of the competition almost paled into insignificance after the remarkable Edwards & O’Dowd batting show.
V.O.C. Rotterdam wins ECL19
Furthermore, the inaugural European Cricket Champions League will be forever remembered for producing its own cricketing superstar in the sensational Romanian Pavel Florin. Cluj president Florin became an unlikely cricket superstar after his unique bowling went viral.
Florin broke his leg last week in an unfortunate training accident, but “Big Pav” battled on gamely despite the injury, sending the internet into a spin with his incredible feats, character, charisma and pure love for the game.
Packing 17 matches into a T10 format over three days, interest in the competition was massive, with every match televised live in Europe, Asia, North America and Australasia across a combination of broadcast, digital and social channels, including the newly-launched European Cricket Network.
Over 100 countries worldwide broadcasted coverage including the UK, Australia, India, Middle East, the United Arab Emirates, France, Germany, Turkey, Spain, USA, Canada and the Caribbean.
