ILT20: Banton, Pooran steer MI Emirates to 26-run win over Dubai Capitals

ILT20

MI Emirates had the best of the seasons with their first DP World ILT20 win, courtesy half-centuries by Tom Banton and Nicholas Pooran in their 26-run victory over Dubai Capitals at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Monday. 

Shai Hope was the hero of the evening with his brilliant century — 101 runs off 59 balls — but it was nothing and the Dubai Capitals got defeated by the MI Emirates for the first time in the tournament. 

A bowl by Fazalhaq Farooqi who had two wickets and only three runs in his over changed the match for MI Emirates. 

The Capitals being chased down to 188, MI Emirates put the spin bowlers on the track when Akeal Hosein was allowed the ball and the decision almost made sense in the third over. Ben Dunk got a quicker one, but it was a bust as Waqar Salamkheil lost a sitter. Shai Hope was the man in the middle who scored most of the runs and paced the Capitals’ innings. 

Alzarri Joseph gave MI Emirates a big start when he bowled Dunk in the sixth over but Hope whizzed on down the other end for his 50 in 32 balls. 

Hope and McMullen 62 for the second wicket before the latter was stumped by Pooran. For Salamkheil, it was a salvation story, and he had his man. 

Hope was undaunted, as he got AM Ghazanfar four and six while talking about his second T20 century. It was the first century by a Dubai Capitals player and third 100 of the DP World ILT20. Hope couldn’t go any further, as he was blown off the next ball. 

The bats began to swing MI Emirates’ way in the next minute as Fazalhaq Farooqi blew away Sikandar Raza with a yorker that broke his toe. Farooqi went two in two with yet another killer yorker to eliminate Dasun Shanaka’s off stump. 

The Dubai Capitals had a chance to be ejected but Zahoor Khan bowled an outstanding 19th over for one. It was 36 in the last over for Dubai Capitals but it was too high a hill to scale as the MI Emirates took a resounding win. 

MI Emirates had earlier this evening faltered in the opening run-up after Dushmantha Chameera made it one in a single. He got Kusala Perera behind the back and rattled his leg stump to open up a game for the Dubai Capitals. The MI Emirates were provided with stability by Tom Banton and Muhammed Waseem in the middle whose 38 runs were peppered with boundaries. 

But Raza made up for a bad catch earlier, finding the stumps on a magnificent pass in mid-off and Waseem was back in the pavilion for 18. MI Emirates won 50/2 on the powerplay with lots of positive things for both teams to take away. 

Banton was still on the scoreboard on one end and rounded off his 50th birthday with an imperious six off Zahir Khan’s leg side in the 11th over. 

Pooran joined the action at four, and in a 29-ball endeavour he bowled two fours and six sixes for 59 runs. Pooran stumped Olly Stone for three sixes in the 15th over. The captain’s attack started with a good scoop, the next was an edge that jumped the mast and the third was a repeat of the first. Pursuing a fourth consecutive 50, he took a dive off Dasun Shanaka at deep midwicket. 

Stone had one more stroke in the 18th over as he destroyed Banton who had started MI Emirates’ innings with an unbeaten 74 in 52 balls. Romario Shepherd, Kieron Pollard and Joseph completed Gulbadin Naib’s second consecutive triple-wicket stand in the final over as the Capitals bowled out the MI Emirates for 187-7.

Brief scores:

MI Emirates beat Dubai Capitals by 26 runs

MI Emirates 187-7 in 20 overs (Tom Banton 74, Nicholas Pooran 59, Kieron Pollard 22, Gulbadin Naib 3 for 27)

Dubai Capitals 161-6 in 20 overs (Shai Hope 101, Brandon McMullen 16, Fazalhaq Farooqi 2 for 22)

MI Emirates triumph! Banton and Pooran lead the team to a 26-run victory over Dubai Capitals—catch the highlights and stay tuned for more action. To get the latest news subscribe to Sports Monks!

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