Deccan Gladiators champions Abudabhi T 10 2023
2023.12.11
Asif Ali and Narine lead the New York Strikers to the Abu Dhabi T10 championship.
The Deccan Gladiators, who had won the title the previous two seasons, came up short with the bat.
The New York Strikers, captained by Sunil Narine, produced an outstanding bowling effort in the final to thrash the Deccan Gladiators by seven wickets with four balls remaining on Saturday, ending the team’s chances of winning three consecutive Abu Dhabi T10 championships.
As the competition progressed, large scores had decreased, but Gladiators’ 91 for 5, which they had submitted in, didn’t seem good enough for the major game. Despite the Strikers being 7 for 2 in 1.1 overs, it turned out to be just that, as openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Muhammad Waseem were removed for very little.
The innings was restarted by Niroshan Dickwella and Player of the Match Asif Ali, however Dickwella was removed by Andre Russell for a 12-ball 14. After that, it was all Asif and skipper Kieron Pollard, who combined for 56 runs without any pressure from the scoreboard to slow them down.
The Strikers won the title because to Asif’s 48 not out in 25 balls with two fours and four sixes, and Pollard’s 22 not out in 13 with a four and a six.
The bowlers, however, laid the stage for the victory. Gladiators put up a respectable opening partnership of 28 between Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Nicholas Pooran, who rank first and third respectively in the tournament run-scoring standings. However, in the third over, Narine struck for a seven-ball 13 after taking Kohler-Cadmore’s wicket. After two balls, Pooran was dismissed by George Scrimshaw, and the Gladiators found themselves at 28 for 2. Subsequently, they were at 36 for 3, 41 for 4, and 57 for 5 after 7.1 overs. Narine then returned from his two overs with 2 for 6, giving up only one boundary.
Even though David Wiese, at 20 not out from 11 balls with two fours and two sixes, and Russell, who finished undefeated at 30 from 18 balls with two fours and two sixes, gave the Gladiators some momentum to close the innings, it was too little, too late, for them to hold on to.
Scorecard
New York Strikers 94 for 3 (Asif 48*, Pollard 22*, Russell 1-13, Boult 1-13) beat Deccan Gladiators 91 for 5 (Russell 30*, Narine 2-6) by seven wickets
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