Deccan Gladiators’ openers Nicholas Pooran and Tom Kohler Cadmore whipped the Bangla Tigers attack to record an emphatic ten-wicket win in just 6.1 overs, hitting 11 sixes between them in the second match of the eighth day at the Abu Dhabi Zayed Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.
Chasing the Bangla Tigers’ score of 108/6, both openers remained unbeaten on 50. Pooran hit seven sixes and a boundary in his 16-ball knock while Tom Kohler-Cadmore hit four sixes and five boundaries in his 21-ball innings.
Deccan Gladiators won with 23 balls to spare and also moved to the top of the points table.
Bangla Tigers had posted 108/6 through another fine knock from Iftikhar Ahmed, who scored an unbeaten 54. However, his knock went in vain.
Bangla Tigers had won the toss and elected to bat.
They got off to a promising start with Joe Clarke hitting Josh Little for three boundaries.
The start of the second over too was a good one too as Clarke hit Mohammad Hasnain boundaries off the third and fourth balls. Hasnain hit back with the last ball by having Clarke caught by David Wiese at mid-on for 23.
Wiese’s over saw Bangla Tigers lose more wickets. Evin Lewis and Colin Munro departed with just 26 on the board.
The fourth over from Odean Smith was a disciplined one giving away just seven runs.
The consistent Iftikhar Ahmed hit Wiese for a six off the third ball of the fifth over to long-off.
At the halfway stage, Bangla Tigers were 45/3. Smith clean bowled Ben Cutting with the first ball of the sixth over.
The seventh over saw Iftikhar in full flow. He smashed three sixes and a four to take 24 runs off that over.
Mohammad Hasnain struck in a tight eighth over, dismissing Benny Howell.
Iftikhar registered another 20-run over, this time taking on Josh Little for three fours and a six in the penultimate over.
In the last over, it was Shakib who hit Andre Russell for a boundary and a six before getting dismissed for 17.
Deccan Gladiators, needing to score just over 10 runs an over, found Bangla Tigers’ opening bowler Mohammad Amir giving away only eight runs.
Opener Tom Kohler-Cadmore hit Rohan Mustafa’s fifth and sixth deliveries for sixes over long off. In the third over, Kohler-Cadmore hit Ben Howell’s fourth and fifth deliveries for sixes, this time both to over long-on.
The 50 run-partnership with Nicholas Pooran came in 3.3 overs.
Kohler-Cadmore dominated the partnership with 32 and Pooran with just seven. From the fourth over, Pooran began to open out and hit Luke Fletcher for two consecutive sixes to deep mid-wicket.
Pooran greeted Shakib Al Hasan who bowled the fifth over with three consecutive sixes. The West Indian then hit the fifth and sixth deliveries also for maximums to take 30 runs off the over.
Kohler-Cadmore scored four consecutive boundaries off Rohan Mustafa too in the sixth over to win it for his team.
Brief scores:
Bangla Tigers 108/7 in 10 overs (Iftikhar Ahmed 54*, Mohammad Hasnain 2/12) lost to Deccan Gladiators 109/0 in 6.1 overs (Tom Kohler-Cadmore 50*, Nicholas Pooran 50*)
Player of the Match: Nicholas Pooran
