2017 T10 League, Day 3 round-up: Pollard blast lifts Kerala Kings; Pakhtoons overcome Miller pyrotechnics
Following an action-packed second day, the inaugural edition of the T10 League moved to the play-offs stage during Saturday. Bengal Tigers and Pakhtoons began the day with a captivating clash at the fabled Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
South Africa's star batsman David Miller set the stage on fire by blazing an unbeaten 68 from just 26 balls. The left-hander's stunning knock contained as many as seven sixes. With Johnson Charles also contributing a handy cameo, Bengal Tigers reached 126 for the loss of just two wickets.
The Pakhtoons relied on the Pakistani trio of Ahmed Shehzad, Fakhar Zaman as well as captain Shahid Afridi to get their chase up and running. The troika added seven fours and eight sixes between them. Liam Dawson completed the nerve-wracking chase by hammering a 5-ball 19.
Brief Scores: Bengal Tigers - 126/2 [David Miller 68* (26), Johnson Charles 28 (12), Shahid Afridi 1/2, Liam Dawson 1/6]; Pakhtoons - 130/4 from 10 overs [Ahmed Shehzad 38 (17), Fakhar Zaman 31 (11), Mohammad Naveed 1/18]
Result - Pakhtoons won by six wickets
Kerala Kings squared off against Team Sri Lanka for the second match of the day. The latter batted first and registered a fighting total of 112 through the efforts of captain Dinesh Chandimal as well as all-rounder Bhanuka Rajapaksa. Sohail Tanvir showed his tactical nous by conceding just 14 runs from his quota of two overs.
After rain had truncated their target to 91 from eight overs, Kerala Kings lost the in-form Paul Stirling for a golden duck. But wicket-keeper batsman Chadwick Walton smashed a 21-ball 47 to keep the pursuit on track. The major difference between the two teams came in the form of Kieron Pollard. The experienced Trinidadian reeled off six towering sixes to make a mockery of the run-chase.
Brief Scores: Team Sri Lanka - 112/3 from 10 overs [Dinesh Chandimal 38* (24), Bhanuka Rajapaksa 26 (16), Sohail Tanvir 1/14]; Kerala Kings - 92/2 from 6.1 overs [Chadwick Walton 47* (21), Kieron Pollard 40* (12), Kasun Madushanka 1/14]
Result - Kerala Kings won by eight wickets with 11 balls remaining (by D/L Method)
Without the services of skipper Virender Sehwag, Maratha Arabians took on Punjabi Legends in a crucial play-off match. Rilee Rossouw, who had fired an unbeaten 49 in the previous game against Team Sri Lanka, continued his splendid form by smacking a 27-ball 67. Despite the commendable bowling performances of Faheem Ashraf and Ravi Bopara, the Arabians still managed to run up 130.
Punjabi Legends' run-chase got off to a relatively sedate start as Umar Akmal was dismissed by compatriot Mohammad Amir. New Zealand's wicket-keeper batsman Luke Ronchi took his time to get going. Although he chipped in with a half-century, the scoring-rate was not rapid enough to overhaul the target.
Brief Scores: Maratha Arabians - 130/6 [Rilee Rossouw 67 (27), Asghar Stanikzai 26 (10), Faheem Ashraf 2/23, Ravi Bopara 1/16]; Punjabi Legends - 116/3 [Luke Ronchi 56 (31), Shoaib Malik 27 (17), Mohammad Amir 1/14]
Result - Maratha Arabians won by 14 runs
In a low-key contest to determine fifth place, Bhanuka Rajapaksa singlehandedly enabled Team Sri Lanka to register a competitive total. Even as the other batsmen struggled to time the ball, the southpaw flayed Bengal Tigers' bowling attack to all parts of the ground. Anwar Ali's parsimonious spell of 1/10 was one of the finest bowling performances of the day's play.
Powered by Johnson Charles' quick-fire 36 as well as David Miller's explosive 8-ball 25, Bengal Tigers got to the target in the last over of the match. In spite of Kasun Madushanka's two-wicket haul, Team Sri Lanka could not avoid a wooden-spoon finish.
Brief Scores: Team Sri Lanka - 115/4 [Bhanuka Rajapaksa 65 (27), Aamer Yamin 2/37, Anwar Ali 1/10]; Bengal Tigers - 118/4 from 9.2 overs [Johnson Charles 36 (15), David Miller 25* (8), Kasun Madushanka 2/21]
Result - Bengal Tigers won by six wickets with four balls remaining
Semifinals lineup
Pakhtoons versus Punjabi Legends - 1900 IST on Sunday
Kerala Kings versus Maratha Arabians - 2100 IST on Sunday