Team Abu Dhabi’s Peter Hatzoglou and Andrew Tye wreck Samp Army’s batting for an 18 runs win

From K.R. Nayar in Abu Dhabi

Through a fine display of accurate bowling backed by some excellent fielding, Team Abu Dhabi destroyed Morrisville Samp Army’s batting and pulled off an 18-runs win in the 17th match on the seventh day of the Abu Dhabi T10 at the Abu Dhabi Zayed Cricket Stadium on Tuesday. Though Team Abu Dhabi could post only 100 for 3 in 10 overs, Peter Hatzoglou (3 for 6) and Andrew Tye (3 for 17) backed by Fabian Allen (2 for 24) restricted Samp Army to 82 for 9 in 10 overs.

Peter Hatzoglou... accurate spell

At one stage, Samp Army were tottering at 28 for 8 in 6.1 overs before UAE’s Basil Hameed hit an unbeaten 47 off 18 balls with five sixes and three boundaries to give some respect to his team’s total.

Team Abu Dhabi had won the toss and elected to bat. Samp Army began with UAE’s Ahmed Raza bowling the first over. He struck with the first ball clean bowling the dangerous Alex Hales. The ball spun past his forward defence to hit the bails. James Vince, who joined his captain and opener Chris Lynn, hit the third ball from Raza for a six to deep mid-wicket.

Vince also hit George Garton who bowled the second over to two consecutive boundaries off the fifth and sixth deliveries. Raza was also hit by Vince to deep mid-wicket for a boundary in the third over. From the fourth over, Lynn began to hit out. He hit Dwaine Pretorius for two sixes, one to deep square leg and another over backward point. Team Abu Dhabi picked 18 runs off that over.  

Andrew Tye... timely strikes 

Anrich Nortje was introduced for the fifth over and he gave away only a boundary to Lynn. At the half way mark, Team Abu Dhabi were 57 for 1. Karim Janat was also hit for only one boundary by Vince in the sixth over.

At a time when Team Abu Dhabi should have started scoring briskly, they began to lose wickets. Chamika Karunaratne removed Lynn, who hit straight to David Miller at long-on for 35. Brandon King fell to the very next ball caught and bowled by Karunaratne.

Vince hit Nortje’s first delivery of the eighth over for a six over long-on. He also hit the fifth delivery for a boundary. Karunaratne was introduced for the ninth over. He bowled a brilliant over giving away just six runs.

In the last over bowled by Karim Janat, Fabian Allen took a boundary off the third and final ball to take Abu Dhabi total to exactly 100 for 3. James Vince remained unbeaten on 44 off 25 balls with five boundaries and two sixes.

Team Abu Dhabi’s opening bowler Naveen Ul Haq prevented opener Johnson Charles from getting any runs from the first five deliveries. His last ball of the over was a wide. Charles managed just a single off the repeat delivery. Peter Hatzoglou struck with the second ball off the second over by having Charles caught by Allen at mid-wicket for 3 while playing a slog sweep and top edging the delivery. With the last ball, Hatzoglou got Moeen Ali out for a duck when Allen took a brilliant leaping one-handed catch at cover.

Adil Rashid too bowled a good third over to Karim Janat. Just nine runs came from that over despite a boundary from Karim. Andrew Tye struck with the first ball of the fourth over by having Karim Janat caught and bowled for 9. Shimron Hetmyer walked in and hit the first ball he faced for a boundary past point. Tye removed Hetmyer with the last ball of that over caught by Sharafu at long-off. That over too yielded only six runs.

David Miller was clean bowled by Hatzoglou for 1 with a beauty of the first ball of the fifth over. At the half way mark, Samp Army were tottering at 23 for 5. Needing 78 from the last five overs.  Fabian Allen quickened Samp Army’s end  taking the wickets of Pretorius for 1, caught by Hales at point and George Garton caught by Tye at long off for 3. With the first ball of the seventh over, Tye had Chamika Karunaratne caught by Lynn for 2.

Basil Hameed walked in and hit Tye’s fifth delivery for a six. In the eighth over, Hameed hit Rashid for a boundary and a six off the first two deliveries. He also hit the fourth ball for a six and fifth for a boundary to take the score past the 50-run mark. Twenty-one runs came off that over.

In the end, Basil Hameed remained unbeaten on 47 to reduce the margin of defeat.

Brief scores:
Team Abu Dhabi bt Morrisville Samp Army by 18 runs.  Team Abu Dhabi 100 for 3 in 10 overs (Chris Lynn 35, James Vince 44, Chamika Karunaratne 2 for 13) Morrisville Samp Army 82 for 9 in 10 overs (Basil Hameed 47n.o, Peter Hatzoglou 3 for 6,  Andrew Tye 3 for 17, Fabian Allen 2 for 24)
Player of the Match: Peter Hatzoglou