Deccan Gladiators’ openers Nicholas Pooran and Tom Kohler Cadmore whipped the Bangla Tigers attack to record an emphatic ten-wicket win in just 6.1 overs hitting 11 sixes between them in the 21st match on the eighth day of the Abu Dhabi T10 at the Abu Dhabi Zayed Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.
Chasing Bangla Tigers score of 108 for 7, both openers remained unbeaten on 50. Pooran hit seven sixes and a boundary in his 16 ball knock while Tom Kohler Cadmore hit four sixes and five boundaries in his 21 balls innings. Deccan Gladiators won with 23 balls to spare and also move to the top of the points table displacing Team Abu Dhabi who had taken that slot before this match.
Bangla Tigers had posted 108 for 6 through another fine knock from Iftikhar Ahmed. He followed up his unbeaten 83 against Delhi Bulls on Tuesday with an unbeaten 54 in this match, but his knock went in vain.
Bangla Tigers had won the toss and elected to bat. They got off to a promising start with Joe Clarke hitting Josh Little for three boundaries. The start of the second over too was a good one as Clarke hit Mohammad Hasnain for a six over third man off the third ball and the fourth he hit for a boundary to deep point. Hasnain hit back with the last ball by having Clarke caught by David Wiese at mid-on for 23. Wiese, diving full length, took this catch.
Wiese’s over saw Bangla Tigers lose more wickets. With the third ball he had Evin Lewis caught by Andrew Russell at mid-off for 1. Colin Munro fell to the next ball clean bowled for a duck. The fourth over from Odean Smith was a disciplined one giving away just seven runs.
The consistent Iftikhar Ahmed hit Wiese for a six off the third ball of the fifth over to long-off. At the half way stage, Bangla Tigers were 45 for 3. Smith clean bowled Ben Cutting with the first ball of the sixth over for 9.
The seventh over saw Iftikhar in full flow. He hit Zahoor Khan for a six off the second ball to fine leg. He hit the next delivery over long-on for another six. Off the fifth ball, he hit a boundary over mid-off. He also hit the last ball by upper cutting over third man for the third six and take 24 runs off that over.
Mohammad Hasnain struck in the eighth over too by having Benny Howell caught behind by wicketkeeper Nicholas Pooran for 2. Iftikhar hit Josh Little’s first ball of the ninth over to fine leg for a boundary and followed it up with a six off the next ball over extra cover. Shakib Al Hassan too hit a boundary off Little. Iftikhar ended that over picking two more boundaries and 20 runs.
In the last over it was Shakib who hit Andre Russell for a boundary and a six and fell to the fifth ball brilliant caught by a diving wicketkeeper Pooran for 17. Umair Ali got run out to the last ball and Bangla Tigers posted 108 for 7 with Iftikhar Ahmed unbeaten on 56 off 21 balls with three boundaries and five sixes.
Deccan Gladiators, needing to score just over 10 runs an over, found Bangla Tigers’s opening bowler Mohammad Amir give away only eight runs. Opener Tom Kohler-Cadmore hit Rohan Mustafa’s fifth and sixth deliveries for sixes over long off. In the third over Kohler-Cadmore also hit Ben Howell’s fourth and fifth deliveries for sixes, this time both to over long-on. The 50 runs partnership with Nicholas Pooran came in 3.3 overs.
Kohler-Cadmore dominated the partnersip with 32 and Pooran with just seven. From the fourth over, Pooran began to open out and hit Luke Fletcher for two consecutive sixes to deep mid-wicket.
Pooran greeted Shakib Al Hasan who bowled the fifth over with three consecutive sixes. The first six to deep square leg, the next to backward square leg and third between extra cover and long-off . Pooran hit the fifth and sixth deliveries also for sixes. Except the fourth delivery all the rest were hit for sixes to take 30 runs off the over. Kohler-Cadmore scored four consecutive boundaries off Rohan Mustafa too. This onslaught by the two openers ensured Deccan Gladiators a quick win.
Brief scores:
Deccan Gladiators bt Bangla Tigers by 10 wickets. Bangla Tigers 108 for 7 in 10 overs (Joe Clarke 23, Iftikhar Ahmed 54n.o, Mohammad Hasnain 2 for 12, David Wiese 2 for 15) Deccan Gladiators 109 for no loss in 6.1 overs (Tom Kohler-Cadmore 50n.o, Nicholas Pooran 50n.o)
Player of the Match: Nicholas Pooran
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