It was a long wait but The Chennai Braves notched their first victory of season 5 of the Abu Dhabi T10 against defending champions Northern Warriors.
Neither team has a chance of making it to the playoffs but The Chennai Braves would have breathed a sigh of relief after finally getting a win under their belt.
The win was set up by their bowlers, who restricted Northern Warriors to 108 before openers Mohammad Shahzad and Bhanuka Rajapaksa took them home with an unbeaten 114-run stand.
Here’s a glance at what went down on matchday 11.
Skipper Livingstone leads Team Abu Dhabi to top of the table | Full Scorecard
Captain Liam Livingstone’s 59 off 24 balls took Team Abu Dhabi to victory in a top-of-the-table clash against Deccan Gladiators.
Phil Salt’s three fours in the opening over gave Team Abu Dhabi a rapid start despite losing Paul Stirling.
After Phil Salt fell in the second over and with Chris Gayle uncharacteristically struggling to up the scoring rate, Livingstone cut loose with two sixes off Odean Smith in the fifth over.
The skipper was harsh on Tymal Mills, taking 20 runs in the ninth over, reaching his fifty in the process, before being dismissed.
A few lusty blows from Colin Ingram took Team Abu Dhabi to a formidable 125/4.
In response, Sheldon Cottrell removed Gladiators’ dangerous opener Tom Kohler-Cadmore off the first ball of the innings.
A short cameo from fellow opener Tom Moores pushed Deccan Gladiators forward with Anwar Ali taking over the mantle when he fell.
Deccan Gladiators were motoring along at 88/3 in the seventh over when Marchant de Lange’s golden arm took out both Anwar Ali and the explosive Andre Russell to derail the Gladiators’ chase.
Another double-wicket over from Naveen-ul-Haq in the ninth stifled Gladiators and despite a late assault from Wanindu Hasaranga, they fell short of the target.
Brief Scores: Team Abu Dhabi 125/4 (Liam Livingstone 59, Tymal Mills 2-34) beat Deccan Gladiators 117/8 (Anwar Ali 42, Sheldon Cottrell 2-18)
Bowlers set up The Chennai Braves’ win | Full Scorecard
Five of the six bowlers of The Chennai Braves found themselves on the wicket-taking charts as a collective effort gave the team their first win of the season.
Braves’ Curtis Campher trapped Warriors’ opener Kennar Lewis off the first ball of the innings to set the tone for the contest.
Veterans Moeen Ali and Upul Tharanga shared a 55-run stand for the second wicket for the Warriors but The Chennai Braves pulled back in the fifth over, as Mark Deyal removed Tharanga.
The Chennai Braves picked up two more wickets and conceded no boundaries until the seventh over when Warriors’ skipper Rovman Powell butchered three sixes off Roman Walker.
The bowlers then kept picking wickets in every over, with captain Dasun Shanaka picking two in an over, to keep Northern Warriors to just 108.
In response, The Chennai Braves’ openers Mohammad Shahzad and Bhanuka Rajapaksa played out the first over from Imran Tahir cautiously.
Mohammad Shahzad was then severe on Abhimanyu Mithun in the second over, taking 21 runs.
The openers consistently managed two boundaries in an over from then on and the chase was finished in the ninth over with Mohammad Shahzad reaching his half-century with a match-winning six.
Brief Scores: Northern Warriors 108 (Upul Tharanga 32, Ravi Bopara 2-6) lost to The Chennai Braves 114/0 (Bhanuka Rajapaksa 55*, Mohammad Shahzad 54*)
