T10 is a fast-paced format in nature. There is barely any space for a batter to play himself in and slashing his bat at almost every delivery becomes a necessity. But it is not often a side gets bowled out for under 50 in a T10 game. Delhi Bulls franchise which features big players like Quinton de Kock, Johnson Charles, Rilee Rossouw, Dwayne Bravo and others was bowled out for just 31 chasing a target of 99 at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi on December 4.
New York Strikers' left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein started with a double blow in the first over. Charles and James Vince were dismissed for golden ducks. From the other end, Mohammad Amir got rid of Rossouw. Hosein in his second over dismissed Usman Khan. De Kock and skipper Rovman Powell faced an uphill task. With no time to rebuild, they decided to go after Chamika Karunaratne and paid the price. First, De Kock got caught and bowled. Then Powell departed after scoring just two runs. Dwayne Bravo could not do much either and was dismissed for a golden duck.
Reduced to 15/7 in the fifth over, the Bulls were fighting a lost battle. Naveen-ul-Haq tried to dance down the track against Sunil Narine and got stumped. Ravi Bopara tried to play as many deliveries as he could. In the penultimate over, Richard Gleeson returned to the pavillion. In the final over, Bopara started off with a boundary. He tried to take on Odean Smith but departed on the third ball. Bopara contributed with a run-a-ball 16 as the Bulls were bowled out for 31 with three balls left in the innings.
Earlier, Powell won the toss and opted to field first. Naveen got the wicket of Mark Deyal in his first over. Wasim Akram got rid of Muhammad Waseem and Kusal Perera in the third over. While Rahmanullah Gurbaz fired from one end, Bravo dismissed his former teammate Pollard. Gurbaz and Smith helped the Strikers recover. The Afghan wicketkeeper-batter scored 50 runs from just 24 balls featuring two fours and five sixes. Smith contributed with a 15-ball 25 cameo as the Strikers posted 98/4.
With their third win from four games, Strikers climbed to the top spot on the points table on the basis of superior net run rate. On the other hand, Bulls slipped to the fourth position with three wins from five games.
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