Wicketkeeper Monank Patel’s six dismissals lead Samp Army’s march past Team Abu Dhabi

By K.R. Nayar
From Zayed Cricket Stadium

Abu Dhabi. Morrisville Samp Army’s Gujarat-born USA team wicketkeeper Monank Patel produced three stumping and took three catches to lead his team’s victorious march past Team Abu Dhabi by 35 runs in the tenth match of the Abu Dhabi T10 at the Zayed Cricket Stadium.

Samp Army posted an impressive 118 for 5 through knocks of 29 runs each from Faf du Plessis and Karim Janat. Jason Holder too hit a quick unbeaten 29. Team Abu could muster only 83 for 8 with Holder bagging three wickets for 12 runs and Moeen Ali with two wickets for four runs.  It was Abu Dhabi’s third consecutive defeat from three matches.

Samp Army’s impressive batting

Team Abu Dhabi won the toss and elected to field. Samp Army opener Ibrahim Zadran went for his shots right away and hit opening bowler Kyle Mayers for two boundaries and a six in the first over and took 17 runs off the over.  Rumman Raaes stopped Zadran by having him caught by Dwaine Pretorius at mid-off for 17. The third over was Faf Du Plessis’ turn to display his aggressive shots. He hit Pretorius for two sixes off the second and third ball and smashed a boundary off the fourth and then hit another six off the fifth to take 24 runs off that over.

Skipper Moeen Ali lasted only five balls to score two run before edging to wicketkeeper Tom Banton off Tymal Mills. In the fifth over, Du Plessis got run out for 29 through an excellent effort by Banton who flicked the ball to the stumps. Du Plessis had gone off the crease not aware where the ball had gone. At the half way mark, Samp Army were 53 for 3.

Noor Ahmad bowled a tight sixth over giving away only eight runs. Karim Janat hit Roelof van der Merwe for a six to long-off.  Van der Merwe had Najibullah Zadran stumped by Banton off the fourth ball for 10. Next man Jason Holder hit Van der Merwe for a boundary to take 11 runs off that over.

In the eighth over. Holder hit a boundary and Janat a six off Noor Ahmad to swell the total. Janat also hit Raees’s first ball of the ninth over for a six.

Mills struck with the first ball of the last over to have Janat caught by Leus du Plooy at deep mid-wicket for 29. His knock off 13 balls had three sixes. Holder smashed the last three balls from Mills for sixes. The first six was a might shot over deep square leg. The second six sailed over long-on and the third was pulled over deep square leg. Holder remained unbeaten on 29 off just ten balls with two boundaries and three sixes.  Nineteen came of that over and Samp Army posted a total of 118 for 5.

Wicket keeper Patel’s splendid show

Chasing a run rate of over 11 runs needed a good start but opener Kyle Mayers fell to the first ball of the innings, caught and bowled by Holder. Mayers tried to flick the ball and the leading edge landed in the hands of Holder.  Banton hit Holder for a boundary and a six off the last two balls of the first over.  The second over saw Hales hit a boundary off Peter Hatzoglou to short fine leg but fell to the third ball, brilliantly stumped by wicketkeeper Monak Patel for 4.  

Patel produced another spectacular stumping to get Leus du Plooy out for 4. Du Plooy went for a reverse sweep off Qais Ahmed after moving out of the crease but missed the delivery for Patel to do the rest.

The next to go was Banton sweeping Moeen Ali in the air to Najibullah Zadran for 16. Patel produced his third stumping off Ali to dismiss Colin Ingram for 2, Ingram went for a slog sweep and missed the delivery for Patel to remove the bails. By the end of the fourth over, half the Abu Dhabi team was back in the dug-out for 38 runs.

The fall of wickets continued in the sixth over when Asif Khan got caught behind by Patel off Salman Irshad for 4. Patel was thus involved in four of the six dismissals. Pretorius and Alishan Sharafu pushed the score from 44 for 6 to 63.  Pretorius mistimed a pull off Holder to give Patel another catch. Two balls later, Roelof van der Merwe also got caught by Patel down the leg side.

With 56 runs needed off the last 12 balls, Sharafu hit a boundary and a six off Salman Irshad in the ninth over. In the end Abu Dhabi could muster only 83 for 8 with Sharafu unbeaten on 18.

Brief scores:
Samp Army bt Team Abu Dhabi by 35 runs. Samp Army 118 for 5 in 10 overs (Faf du Plessis 29, Karim Janat 29, Jason Holder 29n.o, Tymal Mills 2 for 24) Team Abu Dhabi 83 for 8 in 10 overs (Jason Holder 3 for 12, Moeen Ali 2 for 4)
Player of the Match: Monank Patel