Abu Dhabi, Nov 25 (Cricket News) Left-arm pacer Shiraz Ahmed grabbed three wickets for just two runs in a superb final over to help Delhi Bulls beat Northern Warriors by four runs in the Abu Dhabi T10 match here.
Northern Warriors needed just seven runs to win the match off the last over but Shiraz dismissed a well-set Sherfane Rutherford for 26, Usman Khan for 47 and Mark Deyal for a duck at the Abu Dhabi Zayed Cricket Stadium.
Invited to bat, Delhi Bulls posted a challenging 119 for 4 in 10 overs.
They lost opener Rilee Rossouw early, as Mohammad Irfan had the batter out caught behind by wicketkeeper Kennar Lewis for 4.
Opener Tom Banton then took 18 runs off the second over bowled by Mark Deyal and another 20 runs off Abhimanyu Mithun's over.
At the halfway mark, Delhi Bulls were 57 for 2.
Liam Dawson choked the run flow by giving away just a boundary but Wayne Parnell, who bowled the seventh over, was hit for two consecutive boundaries by Tim David. Parnell also ended Banton's fine knock caught behind by Lewis for 38 off 18 balls with three boundaries and three sixes.
David took on Juniad Siddiqui in the ninth over. He hit two boundaries off the first two balls and two consecutive sixes off the next two. Though Siddiqui struck back to have David out caught by Rovman Powell at long on for 42, Delhi Bulls took 22 runs off that over.
Parnell gave away 13 runs off the last over.
Northern Warriors were 64 for 2 at the halfway mark of their run chase, needing another 56 in the remaining five overs.
Gleeson struck a vital blow by having Powell caught behind by wicketkeeper Tom Banton for 25. All hopes rested on a free-stroking Usman Khan. He hit Gleeson for a boundary to extra cover but could get only eight runs off that over.
Delhi Bulls skipper Dwayne Bravo introduced himself in the seventh over and gave away just four runs.
Waqas Masood was re-introduced in the eighth over with pressure mounting on Northern Warriors with the asking rate rising to 14.66 an over.
Rutherford hit Maqsood's third delivery for a six to deep mid-wicket and also scored a boundary off the fifth ball. With 27 runs needed from the last 12 deliveries, it was anybody's game.
Bravo came in to bowl the ninth over but conceded 20 runs which virtually tilted the match in Delhi Bulls' favour.
With only seven runs needed off the last over, UAE's Shiraz Ahmed had Rutherford out with the second ball, caught by Drakes at deep cover for 26.
With the fifth ball, he trapped Usman Khan leg before for 47. Excitement mounted with five runs needed off the last two deliveries. Shiraz gave no run off the fifth ball and then had next man Deyal out, forcing him to scoop to Bravo at short fine leg and win the match by four runs.
In another match, debutants New York Strikers recorded a 27-run win over Chennai Braves.
Brief Scores: Delhi Bulls: 119 for 4 in 10 overs (Tim David 42, Junaid Siddique 2 for 27) beat Northern Warriors 115 for 6 in 10 overs (Usman Khan 47, Shiraz Ahmed 3 for 1) by four runs.
New York Strikers: 99 for 6 in 10 overs (Paul Stirling 32, James Fuller 3 for 15) beat Chennai Braves 72 for 6 in 10 overs (Carlos Brathwaite 22 not out, Akeal Hosein 2 for 6, Jordan Thompson 2 for 11) by 27 runs.
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News Source : PTI
