• Home
• /
• Sports
• /
• Cricket

Bengal Tigers tame Maratha Arabians to end T10 campaign on a high note

Sharjah - Maratha Arabians scored 121/6 while the Tigers reached home in 19.1 overs

Inspired by UAE player Muhammad Usman's fantastic start with the bat and Sherfane Rutherford's breathtaking strokeplay, Bengal Tigers ended their campaign in the second edition of the T10 League on a high as they took the third place, beating Maratha Arabians by six wickets at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
After being put into bat, Maratha Arabians made 121/6 in overs in the third place game.
In reply, the Tigers reached home in 19.1 overs.
The Lahore-born Usman (28, 9 balls, 2 fours, three sixes) was in top form for the Tigers as he launched a brutal attack on the Maratha Arabians bowlers.
The highlight of his cameo was two straight sixes off star Afghan spinner Rashid Khan in the fourth over of the Tigers' innings.
He got out in the next over to Australian all-rounder James Faulkner, but his start already put the Tigers in a commanding position. Then West Indies all-rounder Rutherford (46, 21 balls, 1 fours, 6 sixes) gave a masterclass in six-hitting in front of a packed stadium.
The best part of his innings was his four consecutive sixes against Rashid (0/42) in the seventh over of the innings.
It was a day to forget for Rashid, but the Sharjah crowd on the UAE National Day could not have expected a better batting entertainment in the first match.
The left-handed Rutherford missed his half century as he was run out in the ninth over of the innings, but his six-hitting skills and Usman's fearless start at the top order scripted the Tigers' memorable win.
Earlier, England batsman Adam Lyth (52, 24 balls, 7 fours, 2 sixes) was the Maratha Arabians brightest batting star as his half-century helped them post a competitive total.
Lyth shared 75 runs for the second wicket with Afghan opener Hazratullah Zazai (39, 15 balls, 2 fours, 4 sixes) in just 31 balls.
The Arabians' total could have been even bigger if not for Lyth's dismissal in the seventh over of their innings.
South African fast bowler Morne Morkel (1/22) dismissed the England player that sparked a collapse as the Maratha Arabians lost three wickets, adding only 30 runs in the last three overs of their innings.
rituraj@khaleejtimes.com