Angelo Mathews leads from the front through a hat-trick to ensure Northern Warriors an exciting nine-runs win over Samp Army

By K.R. Nayar
From Zayed Cricket Stadium

Abu Dhabi.  Angelo Mathews led from the front by recording a hat-trick to bowl Northern Warriors to an exciting nine-runs win over Morrisville Samp Army in the second match of the Abu Dhabi T10 opening day at the Zayed Cricket Stadium. Although Northern Warriors was restricted to 103 for 5 in 10 overs, Samp Army could muster only 94 for 8. Mathews produced a spell of 3 for 19 from his two overs backed by James Neesham (2 for 19) and player of the match Abhimanyu Mithun (2 for 12).

 

Earlier, Samp Army skipper Moeen Ali had won the toss and elected to field. Northern Warriors’ opener Kennar Lewis unleashed his big hitting capability by scoring two consecutive boundaries off the last two deliveries of the first over from Jason Holder.  Lewis also picked a boundary to short third man off Peter Hatzoglou. In the third over, Karim Janat got the dangerous Lewis out for 18, brilliantly caught at long-off by Faf du Plessis. In that over, Janat gave away only two runs. 

 

Even though Hazratullah Zazai hit Qais Ahmad for a six over long-on, runs were not easy to come by. At the half way mark, Northern Warriors was 46 for 1. Qais Ahmad tightened the run flow by getting Adam Hose caught by Basil Hameed at gully for 10. He also got Angelo Mathews stumped by wicketkeeper Gous for a duck. Only two runs came off that over.  To make matters tough, Hazratullah Zazai got run out for 20. Colin Munro picked two boundaries in the eighth over off Salman Irshad.

 

The ninth over bowled by Karim Janat turned out to be most fruitful one for Northern Warriors. Munro hit Janat for four sixes and three of them were off successive balls. He went on to remain unbeaten on 36 to ensure Northern Warriors’ total crossed the 100 run mark.  

Chasing the target, Faf du Plessis hit Angelo Mathews fourth delivery for a boundary through the covers. His partner Andries Gous began with a six off Azmatullah Omarzai. He also hit Omarzai’s fifth delivery for a boundary but fell to the last ball of the second over to a leading edge and got caught by Hose for 15.

 

Jamesh Neesham went on to pick the valuable wicket of Du Plessis, caught by Hose at mid-wicket for 8. Then he went on to remove Ibrahim Zadaran for 6 caught by Omarzai at backward square leg boundary. Samp Army was now in trouble at 31 for 3.

 

Omarzai gave away just four runs in the fourth over to tighten the grip. Tabraiz Shamsi was hit for two boundaries and at the half way mark, Samp Army was 45 for 3  needing another 59 runs from the next 30 deliveries.

 

In the sixth over, Abhimanyu Mithun struck a double blow. He removed Janat caught by Hose at long-on and Jason Holder caught by Zazai at deep mid-wicket for a duck. 

Moeen Ali hit Shamsi for a six and a boundary. He also hit Mithun for a boundary to pull his team closer to the target. With 33 runs needed from 12 balls, Najibullah Zadran hit Neesham for a six. But Neesham gave only twos and singles from the next five deliveries.

 

The match was excitingly poised at 20 runs needed off the last six balls.  A diving catch at long-off by Neesham off Angelo Mathews ended Moeen Ali’s knock of 37. Mathews also had Basil Hameed hit high to Munro on long on to the next ball.  He also got Qais Ahmed caught by Neesham at long off to record his hat-trick. Though Zadran hit Mathews’ last delivery for a six, Northern Warriors won by nine runs.