ILT20: Pollard inspires MI Emirates to playoffs as they beat Abu Dhabi Knight Riders by 18 Runs

Abu
Dhabi
Knight
Riders’ winless
run
continued
after
they
let
MI
Emirates
post
180
for
4
in
20
overs
through
some
poor
fielding
and
unimpressive
bowling.
Dropping
Waseem
thrice,
they
let
the
high-scoring
UAE
opener
flourish
and
hit
60
runs
off
43
balls
with
six
sixes
and
one
boundary.
Skipper
Kieron
Pollard’s
cameo
of
43
off
just
17
balls
with
four
boundaries
and
three
sixes
swelled
the
total.

Chasing
the
target,
Abu
Dhabi
were
bowled
out
for
162
in
19.2
overs
with
Dwayne
Bravo
producing
a
fine
spell
of
3
for
37,
backed
by
Imran
Tahir
(2
for
20)
and
Zahoor
Khan
(2
for
33).
Andre
Russell’s
fighting
knock
of
42
off
22
balls
with
five
boundaries
and
two
sixes
went
in
vain.

1

9879-nonopta-56141

Abu
Dhabi
Knight
Riders
won
the
toss
and
elected
to
bowl.
Their
opening
bowler
and
medium
pacer
Akeal
Hosein
gave
away
just
a
single
in
the
first
over.
Opener
Andre
Fletcher
got
the
first
boundary
of
the
day
off
Marchant
de
Lange
through
an
edge
over
the
slips.
Muhammad
Waseem
too
scored
a
boundary
off
Hosein
past
point.
They
scored
29
runs
during
the
powerplay.
In
the
seventh
over,
skipper
Sunil
Narine
provided
the
breakthrough
having
Fletcher
caught
and
bowled
for
22.

When
on
14,
Muhammad
Waseem
got
a
life
when
Brandon
King
at
backward
point
dropped
him
off
Russell.
At
the
halfway
mark,
MI
Emirates
was
55
for
1
with
Lorcan
Tucker
too
picking
the
gaps
correctly.
In
the
13thover,
Waseem
hit
Matiullah
Khan
for
two
successive
sixes
to
score
16
runs
off
the
over.
Tucker
too
hit
Hosein
for
a
six
over
long-on.
Waseem
then
went
on
to
hit
two
successive
sixes
off
Sabir
Ali
to
reach
his
half-century
in
38
balls.
This
was
followed
by
another
six
off
Narine
over
square
leg.
He
also
smashed
another
six
to
mid-wicket
in
the
same
over
and
also
escaped
being
caught
again
at
cover.

Tucker
who
took
23
balls
to
score
33
runs
was
retired
out
to
accelerate
the
run
flow.
Nicholas
Pooran
replaced
him
at
the
crease
but
Waseem
on
60
got
clean
bowled
to
the
first
ball
of
the
16th
over
by
Marchant
de
Lange.

Kieron
Pollard
joined
Pooran
and
tried
to
accelerate
the
run
flow.
Pollard
picked
two
successive
boundaries
off
Russell’s
first
and
second
deliveries
of
the
18th
over.
He
also
hit
the
fourth
delivery
for
a
six
to
long
on,
then
edged
the
fifth
for
a
boundary,
and
then
hit
the
last
ball
for
a
six.
Twenty-six
runs
were
scored
off
that
over.

Marchant
de
Lange
was
hit
for
boundary
to
backward
square
while
Pooran
hit
him
for
a
six
to
deep
mid-wicket.
Pollard
hit
Sabir
Ali
who
bowled
the
last
over
for
a
straight
six
and
then
fell
edging
the
next
ball
to
wicketkeeper
Joe
Clarke
for
43.
Pooran
and
Pollard
thus
added
56
runs
in
just
25
balls.
Pooran
remained
unbeaten
on
10
and
MI
Emiratres
posted
an
impressive
180
for
4.

Chasing
the
target,
Abu
Dhabi
lost
opener
Paul
Stirling
to
the
second
ball
of
the
first
over
from
Trent
Boult
for
a
duck
caught
by
Pollard
at
mid-off.
Boult
began
with
a
wicket
maiden
as
well.
Brandon
King,
who
joined
opener
Joe
Clarke,
hit
Boult
for
a
six
and
two
boundaries
but
fell
to
Imran
Tahir
in
the
fourth
over
caught
by
Fletcher
at
deep
mid-wicket
for
20.

Joe
Clarke
and
Charith
Asalanka
took
the
score
to
50
by
the
end
of
the
powerplay.
Tahir
struck
again
with
the
third
ball
of
the
second
over,
trapping
Asalanka
who
went
for
a
sweep,
missed
and
got
trapped
leg
before
for
17.
Andre
Russell
walked
in
and
hit
the
second
ball
he
faced
from
Tahir
for
a
six
and
then
slashed
Fazalhaq
Farooqi
for
another
six.

Another
MI
Emirates’ champion
bowler
Dwyane
Bravo
struck
in
his
first
over
clean
bowling
Joe
Clarke
for
22.
Abu
Dhabi
went
past
the
100-run
mark
in
10.4
overs
with
Russell
scoring
two
consecutive
boundaries
off
Bravo.
UAE’s
Zahoor
ended
Abu
Dhabi’s
challenge
in
the
13th
over
by
taking
the
valuable
wicket
off
Russell
caught
by
Waseem
at
mid-wicket
for
42.

After
Russell,
wickets
began
to
fall
in
quick
succession.
This
included
Narine
caught
behind
off
Farooqi
for
11,
Hosein
caught
and
bowled
by
Bravo
for
a
duck,
and
Connor
Esterhuizen
caught
by
Fletcher
at
mid-wicket
off
Zahoor
Khan
for
17.
De
Lange
and
Matiullah
Khan
held
on
but
Bravo
had
Khan
caught
by
Pollard
at
mid-off
for
2.
Mousley
bowled
De
Lange
for
19
to
bowl
out
Abu
Dhabi.

Speaking
about
their
performance,
MI
Emirates’
head
coach
Shane
Bond,
“We
had
a
slow
start,
but
we
have
shown
an
ability
to
pile
on
runs
at
the
back
end.
Kieron
has
been
playing
brilliantly.
I
thought
180
was
a
good
score,
but
we
have
to
work
on
a
few
things
in
the
bowling
department.”

Meanwhile,
the
Abu
Dhabi
Knight
Riders
batting
coach
Ryan
ten
Doeschate
said,
“They
scored
55
runs
off
their
first
ten
overs
and
then
notched
125
runs
in
their
last
ten
overs.
It
could’ve
been
different
if
we
took
our
chances.
You
shouldn’t
give
good
players
chances.
It’s
something
we
are
working
on,
but
it
obviously
needs
to
be
addressed
further.”

The
Sharjah
Warriors
will
take
on
Abu
Dhabi
Knight
Riders
at
the
Zayed
Cricket
Stadium
in
Abu
Dhabi
on
Saturday.
The
Warriors
will
see
the
return
of
their
three
English
stars
Chris
Woakes,
Dawid
Malan
and
captain
Moeen
Ali
as
they
look
to
confirm
a
playoffs
spot
in
their
last
two
league
games.

Brief
scores:

MI
Emirates
bt
Abu
Dhabi
Knight
Riders
by
18
runs.
MI
Emirates
180
for
4
in
20
overs
(Andre
Fletcher
22,
Muhammad
Waseem
60,
Lorcan
Tucker
33,
Kieron
Pollard
43)
Abu
Dhabi
Knight
Riders
162
in
19.2
overs
(Joe
Clarke
22,
Andre
Russell
42,
Imran
Tahir
2
for
20,
Zahoor
Khan
2
for
33,
Dwayne
Bravo
3
for
37)

Awards:

Player
of
Match
($1500):
Kieron
Pollard

DP
World
Smart
delivery
of
the
day
($1500):
Dwayne
Bravo
to
Joe
Clarke

Fairplay
News
biggest
hit
of
the
match
($
1500):
Andre
Russell’s
six
of
95
mts.

Skytech.Net
Super
4s
of
the
match
($1500):
Andre
Russell
(5
boundaries)

Sportsbuzz
Buzzmaker
of
the
match
($1500):
Muhammad
Waseem
for
scoring
95
fantasy
points

Green
Belt
Holder:
Alex
Hales

White
Belt
Holder:
Chris
Jordan

(with
inputs
from
agency)