Jordan Cox’s scintillating unbeaten 90 helps Bangla Tigers leap over Deccan Gladiators

By K.R. Nayar
From Zayed Cricket Stadium

Abu Dhabi. Kent County team wicketkeeper-batter Jordan Cox stole the thunder by scoring a scintillating unbeaten 90 and guiding Bangla Tigers to an impressive 20 runs win over Deccan Gladiators in the eighth match of the Abu Dhabi T10 at the Zayed Cricket Stadium. His knock studded with eight boundaries and six sixes gave Bengal Tigers a whopping total of 143 for 4 in 10 overs.

 

Cox along with Dasun Shanaka (25n.o) put on an unbeaten 110 runs off 39 balls for the fifth wicket. It was a treat to watch this pair thrash the Deccan Gladiators bowlers. The reputed Gladiator’s batters took up the challenge through their skipper Nicholas Pooran’s 41 of 17 balls with three boundaries and four sixes and Fabian Allen’s unbeaten 40 off 16 balls with five sixes and a boundary. However, their efforts were not enough to take their team to the target, and they got restricted to 123 for 2. A total of  266 runs were scored by both teams in a run feast for the spectators.

 

Earlier, Deccan Gladiators had won the toss and elected to field. Bangla Tigers openers Chris Lynn fell to the third ball of the first over clean bowled by Luke Wood for a duck. One-drop Kusal Mendis hit the first ball he faced for a boundary to fine leg. In the second over, while Cox picked a boundary off Trent Boult, Mendis hit a six over deep square leg.  

 

When it looked like the impact of the early blow had been overcome, Mendis fell caught by Wood at deep square leg off Nuwan Thushara for 19. Thushara also got David Miller out to the next ball, clean bowling him through his defence. Worse was to follow as Andre Russell had Daniel Sams caught by wicketkeeper Nicholas Pooran for a duck in the fourth over.

 

Cool Cox’s spectacular show

 

Undaunted by the fall of wickets at the other end, Cox went for his shots. He hit Zahoor Khan for two sixes to ensure a score of 53 for 4 at the half way mark. Cox continued his big hits and scored a six through a reverse sweep off Imad Wasim to third man. He also picked a boundary off Wasim to deep mid-wicket.

 

Thushara was introduced for the second time to bowl the seventh over. Cox hit him to deep midwicket for another boundary. He also reverse-swept the fourth ball for a boundary and reached his half century in 24 balls with the third boundary of the over.

 

Dasun Shanaka, who played second fiddle, hit Zahoor for two consecutive sixes and a boundary. Bengal Tigers reached the 100 run mark in 7.3 overs.  Zahoor trapped Shanaka leg before with the fourth ball but the replay showed he had overstepped the line. Cox hit Wood for his fourth six off the first ball of the ninth over and also hit the fourth ball for another six and ended that over with a boundary.

In the last over too, Cox continued his onslaught hitting Boult for a boundary to mid-on and a six to mid-wicket. He also hit the last ball from Boult through the covers for his eighth boundary to remain unbeaten on 90.

 

Pooran and Allen’s brilliant chase

 

Deccan Gladiators’ consistent opener Tom Kohler-Cadmore began the chase with a six off the first over from Josh Little over backward square leg. Andre Fletcher hit the last ball of that over for a six over deep mid-wicket.  Haider Ali removed Kohler-Cadmore with the first ball of the second over by having him caught by Little at gully for 8. Fletcher hit his second six and also a boundary off the last two balls of the over.

 

Skipper Nicholas Pooran began his onslaught in the third over by hitting Rohan Mustafa for a boundary off the first ball and then scoring two sixes off the third and fourth deliveries. Twenty-one runs were taken off that over.  Deccan Gladiators went past the 50 run mark in 3.2 overs through a six by Pooran off Drakes. He also hit the third ball effortlessly for another six over the extra cover. Drakes struck by having Fletcher caught by Cox at mid-off for 17.

 

Andre Russell joined Pooran who was in full flow. At the half way mark, Gladiators were 71 for 2, needing anoter 73 runs to win. Daniel Sams picked the valuable wicket of Pooran, caught by Mustafa at deep mid-wicket for 41. His 17-ball knock had three boundaries and four sixes. Fabian Allen began by hitting Sams for two sixes to maintain the run flow.

 

Drakes bowled a brilliant seventh over giving away just one boundary.  Needing 52 runs more for 18 balls, Allen hit Brathwaite for a boundary to deep mid-wicket. There was only o e boundary in that over. These two overs helped Bangla Tigers take a firm grip on the match.

 

The required run rate jumped to 22.50 with 45 runs needed off the last 12 balls. Little, who bowled the ninth over, gave away just three runs. With an impossible 42 runs needed off the last over, Allen hit Sams for two consecutive sixes off the first two deliveries; it was more like the last flicker of a dying chase.

Brief scores:
Bangla Tigers bt Deccan Gladiators by 20 runs. Bangla Tigers 143 for 4 in 10 overs (Jordan Cox 90n.o, Dasun Shanaka 25n.o, Nuwan Thushara 2 for 22) Deccan Gladiators 123 for 3 in 10 overs (Nicholas Pooran 41, Fabian Allen 40n.o)
Player of the match: Jordan Cox