The United Tigers made it three wins from three in the Abu Dhabi T10 on Monday, beating the Royal Desert Champions by nine wickets at the Zayed Cricket Stadium after Abbas Afridi’s 3 for 10 restricted them to 81 for 9.
Tigers captain Fakhar Zaman won the toss and chose to bowl, and the decision paid off from the very first ball. Awais Ali had Champions captain Nicholas Pooran caught by Sahibzada Farhan for a golden duck, then bowled Phil Salt for 2, and Afridi removed Sherfane Rutherford for 9 as the Champions slumped to 26 for 3 inside the fourth over.
Muhammad Waseem fought back with four fours in 24 off 17 balls, but Faheem Ashraf struck twice in two balls in the sixth over, trapping Waseem lbw and having Tajinder Dhillon caught first ball. Afridi returned to take two more wickets in the eighth over, removing Janith Liyanage for 11 and Chris Jordan, both caught by Iftikhar Ahmed, and Azmatullah Omarzai had Keemo Paul caught by Awais. At 62 for 8, the Champions were in deep trouble before Naseem Shah’s unbeaten 18 off 10 balls lifted them to 81 for 9, with Ali Naseer run out off the last ball.
Afridi finished with 3 for 10 from his two overs and was named player of the match, with Awais taking 2 for 16, Faheem 2 for 21 and Omarzai 1 for 13.
The chase was over almost before it had begun. The Tigers took 28 from the first two overs, and although Keemo Paul had Sahibzada Farhan caught by Jordan for 12, that was the Champions’ only success. Fakhar and Joe Clarke added an unbroken 56 off 28 balls, with Fakhar hitting four fours and three sixes in an unbeaten 45 off 21 and Clarke striking five fours in 25 not out off 12. The Tigers reached 84 for 1 in seven overs, winning with 18 balls to spare.
The result keeps the Tigers clear at the top with six points from three matches and a net run rate of +3.930, ahead of the Arabian Aces on four. The Champions are bottom after a third straight defeat, with a net run rate of -2.356.
The Tigers face the Yas Lions next on Tuesday at 7:15 PM IST, while the UAE Bulls meet the Emirates Eagles at 9:30 PM IST.
Brief scores: Royal Desert Champions 81/9 in 10 overs (Muhammad Waseem 24, Naseem Shah 18*; Abbas Afridi 3/10, Awais Ali 2/16, Faheem Ashraf 2/21) lost to United Tigers 84/1 in 7 overs (Fakhar Zaman 45*, Joe Clarke 25*, Sahibzada Farhan 12; Keemo Paul 1/23) by 9 wickets.
Related:
- Paul Walter’s 82 Off 29 Powers Arabian Aces to 10-Wicket Win Over Emirates Eagles in Abu Dhabi T10 — https://t20star.com/paul-walters-82-off-29-powers-arabian-aces-to-10-wicket-win-over-emirates-eagles-in-abu-dhabi-t10/
- Shanaka’s Six Sixes and Omarzai’s Second Straight Player of the Match Show Power as Yas Lions and United Tigers Win in Abu Dhabi T10 — https://t20star.com/shanakas-six-six-60-and-omarzais-second-straight-player-of-the-match-show-power-yas-lions-and-united-tigers-to-t10-wins/
