Jason Holder produced the defining all-round performance of the Abu Dhabi T10 so far, smashing 21 off seven balls and then taking 3 for 11 as Yas Lions beat Arabian Aces by 29 runs at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.
Put in to bat after the Aces won the toss, the Lions posted 132 for 5 in their 10 overs. James Vince fell for 14 to Andre Russell and Andries Gous for 16 to Alzarri Joseph inside the first four overs, but Dasun Shanaka and Tom Moores rebuilt the innings with a 66-run stand off just 25 balls. Shanaka finished unbeaten on 38 off 17 balls and Moores made 35 off 16, each hitting four sixes. Richard Gleeson struck twice in the eighth over to remove Moores and Karim Janat, but Holder joined Shanaka to add 32 off the last two overs, the skipper making 21 off seven balls with two sixes before being run out off the final delivery.
The chase was wrecked inside the first three overs. Holder took the ball early and struck twice in the second over, having the in-form Paul Walter caught by Moores for 10 and Tom Kohler-Cadmore caught by Ansh Tandon for 1. David Willey then had Liam Livingstone caught by Holder for a duck, leaving the Aces on 14 for 3. Fazalhaq Farooqi removed captain Moeen Ali for 15, and when Andre Russell and Sam Billings added 36 in 14 balls, Willey had Billings caught behind by Gous for 12.
Holder returned to bowl Russell for 29 off 14 and finish with 3 for 11 from his two overs, leaving the Aces needing 58 from 14 balls. Alishan Sharafu hit 22 off 10 before Akeal Hosein had him caught by Tandon, and the Aces closed on 103 for 7. Willey finished with 2 for 20 and Hosein 1 for 14, while Gleeson, with 2 for 17, was the pick of the Aces attack.
The win was the Lions’ third in a row and their second in as many days, taking them to six points from four games and level with United Tigers at the top of the table. It also ended the Aces’ two-match winning run, built on Walter’s unbeaten 62 and 82 in their previous two games, and left them on four points. Holder was named player of the match for a performance that shaped the game at both ends, and he also took a catch in the field to complete the set.
The tournament continues on Friday, when United Tigers face Emirates Eagles and Royal Desert Champions take on the Lions, with the final scheduled for November 20.
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