Wounded warriors rise to trounce table-toppers Team Abu Dhabi

By K.R. Nayar

Did Northern Warriors read the famous quote by Charles McGonegal who lost both his arms in World War I? The defending champions stunned table toppers Team Abu Dhabi through a powerful batting display from openers Moeen Ali and Kennar Lewis. They recorded the highest partnership in T10 history

Moeen Ali and Kennar Lewis

Northern Warriors were a wounded lot following five defeats in the Abu Dhabi T10 despite being the defending champions. They seemed to have read the famous quote from National Vice Commander of American Legion Charles McGonegal who lost both arms in World War 1. He once said: “It’s not what you’ve lost that counts, it’s what you do with what’s left.” 

The defending champions, playing like the champions that they were twice before in this tournament, stunned table-toppers Team Abu Dhabi through a ten-wicket win. This was the first of the three matches at the Abu Dhabi Zayed Cricket Stadium on Saturday.

None expected them to race to Abu Dhabi’s impressive total of 145 for 6, scored at a run rate of 14.50. They not only reached the target but did in style winning the match through the highest partnership in the history of T10 through their openers Kennar Lewis and Moeen Ali.  The manner in which they massacred the Abu Dhabi bowling was a treat for the spectators. So belligerent were both of them that sixes and fours flowed continuously.    

Lewis is well known for his hard-hitting knocks but none expected Moeen Ali to exhibit such aggression. He virtually overshadowed Lewis by  hitting nine sixes and three boundaries and scored an unbeaten 77 runs. Lewis cracked an unbeaten 65 off 32 balls with four boundaries and six sixes. To comprehend the enormity of their whirlwind knock, one only needs to look into the number of runs that came from the sixes. Together they had hit 15 sixes and that accounted for 90 runs out of their total of 146! The fact that they won with five balls to spare makes it even more creditable.

There were some interesting incidents that took place during the course of their massacre of the Abu Dhabi bowling. Lewis began the six-hitting spree from the second over by hitting Ahmed Daniyal for two sixes. Ali started hitting sixes from the third over when he too hit two sixes off Fidel Edwards. Ali then went on to hit Marchant De Lange for two sixes.

Ali was the first to reach his half-century, and that too with a six. Lewis too reached his half-century with a six. Off the ninth over, Lewis hit Liam Livingstone for two sixes to equal the score.

This match was an example of how even bottom-placed teams can scare other teams in this format. Team Abu Dhabi was guided to their impressive total by Colin Ingram, who hit 61 off 25 balls with five sixes and five boundaries.