Northern Warriors’ blow hot, blow cold approach and Bulls’s verve

By K.R. Nayar

Northern Warriors blow hot, blow cold ways has resulted in their team failing to exploit the momentum gained from the last two victories. They crashed to a 10-wicket defeat to Deccan Gladiators in the second match of the Abu Dhabi T10 on Sunday. The third match, in contrast, was a display of Delhi Bulls verve to bounce back and stop Bangla Tigers.

Dominic Drakes - deadly spell 

Given that the luck of the toss went the Warrior’s way, all they needed to have done was to play with a plan to commit less mistakes. Warriors did get the two Toms out without them posing a big score.  Both the Gladiators openers, Tom Banton and Tom Kohler-Cadmore, fell on the  unlucky 13. However, they let Tom Moores keep swelling the total with support from Andre Russell’s quick 22 off 11 balls.  Warriors removed Moores and Russell by 7.4 overs. At this stage, Gladiators had made only 92 runs.  

Odean Smith

Gladiators’s Odean Smith made it tough for the Warriors with a quick unbeaten 33 off 11 balls. In a T10 match, even a one over mistake can take the match away. Rayad Emrit, who bowled the ninth over, was hit for 24 runs. Smith hit four boundaries and a six in that over. Even Oshan Thomas who bowled the last over gave away 17 runs. It was these two overs that cost Warriors the match as they lost by 19 runs in the end.

While chasing the total, after a good start from openers Keenar Lewis and Moeen Ali with 22 runs each and Rovman Powell’s 25, the Warriors were on course to win the match. At one stage they were 96 for 2 in 8.3 overs but Rumman Raees’ tight ninth over giving only nine runs and Russell’s last over giving away just 13 runs ensuring Gladiators victory. Skipper Wahab Riaz too bowled his two overs giving away just 13 runs and taking the wicket of Moeen Ali. Riaz was adjudged the Player of the Match.

Delhi Bulls celebrate their win 

The final match of the day was nothing but Bulls’ raging spirit. They too lost the toss but fought tooth and nail. Tigers did restrict them to 100 for 7 through Mohammad Amir and James Flaukner’s two wicket spells giving away just 13 and 18 runs each. If not for Eoin Moragan’s fighting 35 runs, the Bulls would have not reached the 100 run mark.

Though the total wasn’t a big one, Bulls fought hard from the start. Leading the way was their veteran skipper Dwayne Bravo. He removed Tigers’ dangerous openers Johnson Charles and Hazratullah Zadran for single digit scores. Will Jacks got bowled by Adil Rashid for a duck. Rashid then went on to trap Karim Janat leg before for 8. From a pathetic 25 for 4, skipper Faf Du Plessis tried hard to take his team towards the target. Dominic Drakes ensured Bulls’ victory bagging four wickets including the wicket of Du Plessis for 26.  UAE batsman Vishnu Sukumaran (10) and Luke Fletcher (19n.o) pulled the team closer to the target but fell short by 19 runs.