Sharjah: From the first ball cricket fans ask for sixes in the Heera Group T10 Cricket League at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
The vociferous request reaches its peak if the batsmen walking out to bat are well known for their ability to clear the ropes.
So when Kerala’s Kieron Pollard went out to bat the chant from the fans reached its zenith.
Team Sri Lanka had posted an impressive score of 112 for three in 10 overs. When rain stopped play the target was revised to 91 from eight overs.
Pollard with the help of six sixes scored 40 runs off just 12 balls and Kerala recorded a comfortable eight-wicket win with 11 balls remaining.
Punjabi Legends have another six-hitting champion like Pollard in Carlos Brathwaite. Every fan here knew that he was the hero of the 2016 World T20 final when he hit four successive sixes to finish off England in the last over and lift the World Cup at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
So when bowling against him, it was natural for the Maratha Arabians to fear that their target of 130 for six could be easily reached. He got only six balls to face but he ensured that Punjabi Legends entered the semi-finals through a six off the last ball.
Punjabi needed nine runs off the last two balls to better their run rate and clinch their place in the last four.
Maratha Arabians, who bravely used UAE pacer Zahoor Khan for the last over, saw Khan’s fifth delivery race to the third man for a boundary and while everyone waited with bated breath whether the five runs will be scored, Brathwaite slogged the ball for a six to square leg and achieved it.
It was a match where both the teams were a winner — Maratha by beating Punjabi by 14 runs and Punjabi by getting the required runs to qualify for the semi-finals.
Thrillers like these are what the cricket fans want to watch.
Speaking to Gulf News, Shaji Ul Mulk, the chairman of the T10 Cricket League said: “Already I am getting feedback from different parts of the world wanting to stage T10 cricket. I have a request from a team owner wanting to stage a Dh100,000 prize money T10 domestic tournament in Ajman. The West Indies Cricket Board may stage its first T10 tournament in Jamaica.”
For the UAE cricketers that are playing in the T10 league it has been a huge experience. UAE wicket keeper Saqlain Haider kept wickets for Pakhtoons world class bowlers like Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Irfan and Umar Gul. Mohammad Naveed hit a winning six for Bengal Tigers and Maratha Arabians entrusted the responsibility to bowl the last over to Zahoor Khan.
Former UAE captain Khurram Khan, who is the batting coach of the Bengal Tigers, said: “UAE players could rub shoulders with the greats of the game through this tournament and it is such exposure that is needed for them. Mohammad Naveed and Zahoor has bowled well and Naveed even took the wicket of Afridi and all these will add to their confidence.”
Brief scores:
Kerala Kings bt Team Sri Lanka by eight wickets (D/L revised target)
Team Sri Lanka 112 for 3 in 10 overs (Dinesh Chandimal 38n.o, Bhanuka Rajapaksa 26, Ramith Rambukwella 20n.o) Kerala Kings 92 for 2 in 6.1 overs (Chadwick Walton 47n.o Kieron Pollard 40n.o).
Maratha Arabians bt Punjabi Legends by 14 runs Maratha Arabians 130 for 6 in 10 overs (Rilee Rossouw 67, Asghar Stanikzai 26, Faheem Ashraf 2 for 23) Punjabi Legends 116 for 3 in 10 overs (Luke Ronchi 56, Shoaib Malek 27)
Fifth place play off: Bengal Tigers bt Team Sri Lanka by 6 wkts. Team Sri Lanka 115 for 4 in 10 overs (Bhanuka Rajapaksa 65 Aamer Yamin 2 for 37) Bengal Tigers 118 for 4 in 9.2 overs (Tom Kohler-Cadmore 24, Johnson Charles 36, David Miller 25n.o Kasun Madushanka 2 for 21)
