Abu Dhabi T10: Delhi Bulls thrash Maratha Arabians

Dubai - After getting the better of the Bangla Tigers by seven wickets in their opening game on Thursday night, Dwayne Bravo’s side followed that up with a nine-wicket win in the Group A fixture

West Indian opener Evin Lewis smoked an unbeaten half-century as the Delhi Bulls scored a comprehensive victory over defending champions Maratha Arabians in the Abu Dhabi T10 League on Friday night.

After getting the better of the Bangla Tigers by seven wickets in their opening game on Thursday night, Dwayne Bravo’s side followed that up with a nine-wicket win in the Group A fixture at the Zayed Cricket Stadium.

Chasing a modest target of 88, it was an emphatic victory for the Delhi Bulls, who got home with an astonishing five overs to spare. Despite losing opener and last night’s hero Rahmanullah Gurbaz cheaply, Evan Lewis and Ravi Bopara ensured there were no further hiccups.

Lewis, who had made an unbeaten 32 against the Bangla Tigers, coshed a 16-ball 55 in which he biffed seven sixes and two boundaries.

Bopara, meanwhile, scored an unbeaten 28 from 12 balls with five boundaries.

“They are the defending champions but it is an entirely new squad. So, we feel more like we are the defending champions,” said Bravo, who had captained the Maratha Arabians last season.

“But, having said that, it was a great team effort. To come back in less than 24 hours and put on a display that we did today, we strive on discipline and try to be the team to set the tone of the tournament, and I’m very happy with the entire team,” he added.

Earlier, the Maratha Arabians had a disastrous start from which they couldn’t recover from, after being put into bat. They eventually managed to finish up at 87 for four.

Opener Abdul Shakoor, who had smoked a swashbuckling 28-ball 73 against former champions Northern Warriors, to become the first UAE player to score a fifty in the tournament, fell for nought off the second ball of the innings.

The wicketkeeper-batsman tried to slog medium pacer Amad Butt across the line after dancing down the track but could only manage a thin under-edge. And wicketkeeper Rahmanullah Gurbaz made no mistake with the offering.

One-down Laurie Evans hit two delicious strokes off Fidel Edwards for a boundary and a six off successive deliveries, but the West Indies quick got his revenge by having the Englishman gobbled up by Mohammad Nabi at long-on.

Mohammad Hafeez was tied down by Butt and the Pakistan all-rounder departed soon after making a scratchy five from six balls, off American pacer Ali Khan, with Nabi snapping up his second catch of the match.

Opener Javed Ahmadi, who had resisted the Delhi Bulls bowling attack, was run out by Ali Khan after making 24 from 19 balls, which had two boundaries and a six.

The Arabians’ total was down to their captain Mosaddek Hossain, who scored an unbeaten 35 from 22 deliveries with the help of five boundaries and a six.

Hossain was also involved in a crucial 52-run stand with Ahmadi for the fourth wicket.

UAE medium pacer Kashif Daud, who was the most expensive of the bowlers in the Bulls’ opening game against the Bangla Tigers, leaking 36 runs, came up with a better showing on the night, with his two overs costing just 17 runs.

Brief scores:

Maratha Arabians: 87-4 in 10 overs (Mosaddek Hossain 35 not out, Javed Ahmadi 24, Laurie Evans 11) lost to Delhi Bulls: 89-1 in 5 overs (Evin Lewis 55 not out, Ravi Bopara 28 not out) by 9 wickets.

james@khaleejtimes.com