Abu Dhabi T10: Zahoor Khan and Delport help Deccan Gladiators record their first victory

Team Abu Dhabi pay the price for a poor start and crash to a six-wicket defeat. UAE’s medium pacer Zahoor Khan and South Africa’s experienced batsman Cameron Delport steered Deccan Gladiators to a six-wicket win over Team Abu Dhabi in third match of the second day of the Abu Dhabi T10 at Zayed Cricket Stadium.

Zahoor Khan and Imtiaz Ahmed, hailing from India’s northern state of Uttar Pradesh, bowled accurately to restrict Team Abu Dhabi to 95-9 in 10 overs. Khan returned with figures of 3-13 from his two overs while Ahmed took two crucial wickets in the first over for eight runs.

Deccan, who were beaten by the Pune Devils on the first day, won the toss and elected to field. Abu Dhabi, playing their first game of this edition, opened their innings with Chris Gayle and Luke Wright. Gayle hit the first ball from Imtiaz Ahmed for a boundary to midwicket. Thirty-five-year-old medium pacer Ahmed struck with the third ball through an accurate yorker to clean bowl Gayle for 4. He also clean bowled Paul Stirling with the fifth ball of that over for 4 runs. Ben Duckett, joined his skipper Luke Wright and attempted many risky shots. Aaron Summers made Duckett top edge to Zahoor Khan, who took a well-judged catch in the third over.

Three down for 30 in the first three overs, Gladiators introduced veteran leg spinner Imran Tahir. He bowled tightly except the last ball of his over which was hit for a six by Joe Clarke.

Zahoor Khan, through an intelligent change of pace, clean bowled Clarke for 21. Khan also had Najibullah Zadran brilliantly caught by Imran Tahir at long leg in the same over. Thus half the side was back in the dugout for just 54 runs.

Wright kept the scoreboard moving but got run out in the eighth over for 25 through a fine throw from Cameron Delport at long on. Through a direct hit, Imtiaz Ahmed ran out Jamie Overton. Sunil Narine and Zahoor Khan gave away five and six runs respectively to also take one wicket each in the last two overs.

The Gladiators began their chase through openers Mohammad Shahzad and Cameron Delport. After Naveed Ul Hassan was hit for 20 runs in the second over, UAE spinner Rohan Mustafa and Obed McCoy, a left-arm pacer from West Indies, gave away just six and three runs respectively from their next two overs. In the fifth over, Overton gave the breakthrough by having Shahzad caught by Stirling at deep cover for 21.

Skipper Kieron Pollard joined Delport and at the half way stage Gladiators needed 48 runs. Delport began to stroke freely from the sixth over and hit McCoy for a six and a boundary to pick 17 runs off the over.

Though Mustafa clean bowled Delport for 40 in the eighth over, Gladiators needed only 10 more runs to win from the last two overs. Overton removed Pollard for 24 and Azam Khan off successive balls of the last over when Gladiators needed just two runs. Sunil Narine hit the winning run by slashing Overton to the boundary to win with two balls to spare.