Shimron Hetmyer smashed 76 off 28 balls and Haider Razzaq took four for 20 as Emirates Eagles beat UAE Bulls by 25 runs in the Abu Dhabi T10 at Sheikh Zayed Stadium on Tuesday, leaving the Bulls still searching for their first win of the season.
The Bulls won the toss and chose to bowl, and for two balls the decision looked inspired. Tahir Zaman removed Kyle Mayers for a golden duck off the first ball of the match and Kusal Perera for six soon after, leaving the Eagles on seven for two. Hetmyer then took the game away from them. The West Indies left-hander smashed seven fours and six sixes in a 76 off 28 balls at a strike rate of 271.43, and he added 88 for the third wicket in 37 balls with captain Rovman Powell, who made 43 off 20 balls with four fours and three sixes. Mohammad Amir finished with three for 38 and Tahir Zaman two for 16, but the Eagles still reached 137 for seven, with Alex Hales falling for a duck and Chris Green for one along the way.
The Bulls chase never recovered from a poor start of its own. Aneurin Donald hit 21 off eight balls and Andre Fletcher 12 off five, but the Bulls were 53 for three after 3.2 overs and 87 for four when Shadab Khan fell in the seventh over. Captain Kieron Pollard fought back with 33 off 17 balls, hitting two fours and three sixes, but his dismissal at 98 for five in the ninth over ended the chase as a contest. Razzaq then ran through the lower order, removing Shadab, Pollard, Romario Shepherd and Mohammad Wasim Jr in a spell of four for 20 from his two overs, and the Bulls closed on 112 for seven, 25 runs short. Trent Boult was the most economical of the Eagles bowlers with one for 10 from two overs.
Hetmyer was named Player of the Match, and it was his second big innings of the tournament after his unbeaten 65 off 30 balls against Yas Lions on Sunday. The win was the Eagles’ second in four games, after their opening victory over Royal Desert Champions, and it keeps them in the race for the top four. The Bulls, meanwhile, have now lost all three of their matches, after defeats to Yas Lions and United Tigers, and they sit at the bottom of the table with the Royal Desert Champions.
The tournament continues on Wednesday with Royal Desert Champions facing UAE Bulls in the 11th match, followed by Arabian Aces against Yas Lions later in the evening.
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