Abu Dhabi T10: Shahid Afridi inspires Qalandars to second big win
Chris Gayle fails to fire as Team Abu Dhabi end up at 100 for five
Dubai: Qalandars recorded their second nine-wicket win on the trot on the third day of the Abu Dhabi T10 at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Saturday when they breezed to a win over Team Abu Dhabi.
Evergreen Shahid Afridi led the bowling attack by taking two wickets for just 16 runs to walk away the Man of the Match award. It was Qalandars’ tight bowling that restricted Team Abu Dhabi to 100 runs. Chasing the target, Qalandars, thanks to a quick 30 from Tom Banton, an unbeaten 40 from Sharjeel Khan and an unconquered 27 from skipper Sohail Akhtar, won the match with ten balls to spare.
Earlier, Qalandars won the toss and elected to field. Pakistan’s experienced pacer Sohail Tanvir bowled an intelligent first over - giving away just seven runs to Team Abu Dhabi openers Chris Gayle and Paul Stirling. Ahmed Daniyal too bowled a tight second over for only seven runs. UAE’s left-arm spinner Sultan Ahmed then got Gayle caught by Tanvir at deep backward square leg for five.
Afridi, who was introduced for the fourth over, gave away nine runs. At the halfway mark, Team Abu Dhabi was 41 for one. Afridi, who bowled the sixth over, had Ben Duckett caught by Tanvir at deep third man for 15 and also had Stirling caught by Asif Ali at deep mid-wicket for 29.
Ahmad Daniyal, who was re-introduced in the seventh over, bowled brilliantly to give away just four runs. Chris Jordan bowled the eighth over and was hit by Joe Clark for a six to square leg and two exquisite drives to the cover boundary. Clark did not spare Tanvir too, hitting him for a six to deep mid-wicket and also picked a boundary behind square leg.
Chasing the target, Banton gave Qalandars a breezy start by hitting Usman Sanwari for three consecutive boundaries to take 18 runs off the first over. The Englishman also picked a boundary off Rohan Mustafa’s second over. Sharjeel kept the scoreboard moving at a brisk pace and helped Qalandars reach their target by hitting Shinwari for two successive boundaries off the first two balls of the ninth over.
Brief scores: Qalandars bt Team Abu Dhabi by nine wickets. Team Abu Dhabi 100 for five in 10 overs (Paul Stirling 29, Joe Clarke 34, Shahid Afridi 2 for 16) Qalandars 104 for one in 8 overs (Tom Banton 30, Sharjeel Khan 40 n.o, Sohail Akhtar 27n.o) Man of the match: Shahid Afridi).