Dubai: Gemini Arabians displayed their strength in the opening match of the Masters Champions League with an emphatic 78 run victory over Libra Legends at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Put into bat by Libra, Gemini posted a massive 234 for 3 riding on whirlwind half centuries from Kumar Sangakkara, and Richard Levi.
Sangakkara led the run spree with 86 runs off 43 balls with seven sixes and six boundaries while Levi scored 62 off 43 balls with three sixes and four boundaries.
Brad Hodge chipped in with an unbeaten 46 off 19 balls with four sixes and two boundaries to swell the total and post a run rate of 11.70 per over.
Chasing the whopping total, Libra could muster only 156 for 8 .
The league took off with Gemini skipper Virender Sehwag flicking the first ball of the tournament for a six. Fourteen runs came off the first over bowled by Andy Mckay. The second over saw Sehwag driving Ian Butler for a powerful boundary and 11 runs came off the over including a five-run wide. Levi hit a straight six off Sean Ervine in the third over to set the tempo.
Brad Hogg, who was introduced in the fourth over bowled a good over giving away just five runs. Levi hit his second six to mid-wicket stands off Butler but Sehwag fell to the fifth ball of that over mistiming a pull to be caught by Hogg for 21. The first five overs produced 54 runs.
Sangakkara joined Levi and Ryan ten Doeschate bowled a tight over giving away just six runs. He could have got the wicket of Levi on 34, had Butler not dropped a skier. Gemini Arabians scored 80 runs in the first ten overs.
Sangakkara who began slowly hit Butler over long on for a six in the 11th over. Gemini Arabians went past the 100 run mark in the 12th over. Levi hit Ervine to mid-wicket for his third six and reached his half century. Sangakkara too pulled Ervine for his second six. The run rate swelled over 10 an over.
Hogg ended Levi’s knock by having him caught at short point by Kallis for 62.
The 15th over saw Sangakkara in full flow. He lifted McKay over mid-wicket for a six and also hit the next ball over the extra covers for another six. Marcus North too was lofted over long on by Sangakkara for a six. He did not spare Doeschate too went for six over backward point. At his score on 86, Doeschate ended Sangakkara’s knock of 86 by having him caught at long off by Butler.
Brad Hodge hit Mckay for the 11th six of the innings over long on to take Gemini past the 200-run mark.
He remained unbeaten with 46 runs hitting the last two balls of the last over for sixes and give his team a healthy 234 for 3.
Libra got off to a bad start losing the prize wicket of Jacques Kallis to Kyle Mills, who had him caught by Hodge at short point for 14. Worse was to follow with Taufeeq Umar getting run out off a direct hit by Rana Naveed from mid-off for 6. Two down for 29, in the fourth over, opener Michael Lumb too followed becoming Mills second victim for 17 in the next over. When Muttiah Muralitharan had Marcus North brilliantly stumped by Sangakkara for 5 with the third ball of his first over, Libra slipped to 43 for 4.
Doeschate and Sean Ervine tried their best to accelerate their run rate but Gemini bowlers bowled tightly. At the half way mark, Libra were 81 for 4. Interestingly, Libra too had scored only 80 runs in the first ten over but losing just one wicket and all that was needed was a good partnership.
Muralitharan, wearing the team jersey number 800, which depicts his Test victim tally, provided the breakthrough in the 12th over by clean bowling Ervine for 22 to end the 55 runs partnership . From the last five overs, Libra needed 111 runs but they could not maintain the run rate. Mills, Muralitharan and Naveed Ul Hasan took two wickets each.
