Abu Dhabi T10 League 2019 : Yuvraj Singh disappoints but Maratha Arabians through to the final
Maratha Arabians continued their march towards the T10 League 2019 championship with a close win over the Qalandars in Qualifier 1. Chris Lynn (67) received the Man of the Match award for his captain’s innings as the Arabians won the match by 7 runs.
The table-toppers batted first in this high-stakes match and got off to a disappointing start as Mujeeb Ur Rahman (1/16) removed his compatriot Hazratullah Zazai (1) in the first over itself. Lynn then stabilized the innings with Adam Lyth (28) as the duo added 51 runs for the second wicket.
Last night’s heroes, Najibullah Zadran (2) and Yuvraj Singh (1), lost their wickets in quick succession as Jordan Clark (4/20) executed a double strike and reduced the Maratha franchise to 71/4.
Also see – BBL points table
Lynn continued to decimate the bowlers from the other end as he hit 4 fours and 6 sixes in his quick-fire knock. Clark took 2 more wickets in the final over as Maratha Arabians posted a total of 119/6 on the board.
Chasing a target of 120 runs, the opening batsmen of the Qalandars, Luke Ronchi (17) and Dawid Malan (12) provided a good start to the innings. Phillip Salt (26) smashed 4 fours and 1 six in his 10-ball knock as the momentum shifted in favour of the Qalandars.
However, Shiraz Ahmed (0/11) bowled two decisive overs and his dot balls helped the Arabians win the match. Laurie Evans (35*) tried his best to win the match for the Qalandars but ultimately, they could only score 112 runs in their 10 overs.
With this victory, the Arabians have booked their spot in the grand finale while the Qalandars will have to fight against the winner of the ongoing battle between Bangla Tigers and Deccan Gladiators in the last match of the day. The winning team of Eliminator 2 will face off against the Arabians for the title.