SAMP ARMY’S WINNING RUN CONTINUES
Karim Janat and David Miller maintained tournament debutants Morrisville Samp Army's winning run at the Abu Dhabi T10 with a clinical eight-wicket victory over Chennai Braves at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
Earlier in the day skipper, Rovman Powell's power-packed unbeaten 76 ensured Northern Warriors' record a six-wicket win over Bangla Tigers.
Samp Army is now threefrom-three in the Abu Dhabi showpiece that's to Janat and Miller's unbeaten 76 runs partnership for the third wicket. Janat remained unbeaten on 58 off 28 balls with six sixers and one boundary while Miller weighed up with a useful unbeaten 17 runs.
Samp Army had won the toss and elected to field. Chennai Braves openers Adam Rossington and Dawid Malan began well with Malan getting a boundary off Sheldon Cottrell's to third man and Rossington hitting the last ball of the over for a six to deep square leg.
Rossington also punished George Garton for a six to fine leg in the next over. While Anrich Nortje bowled a tight third over giving away just five runs Malan made up for that in the next over from Karim Janat hitting two consecutive sixes off the first two deliveries, one six to deep mid-wicket and another to deep square leg.
In the fifth over UAE'S Ahmed Raza had Rossington caught behind by wicketkeeper Johnson Charles for 19 while Malan was clean-bowled by Dwaine Pretorius in the next over. He scored 32 of just 20 balls with two sixes and one boundary.
The prospects of a big score for the Braves began to fade when Pretorius bowled a good eighth over giving away only eight runs. In the end, they posted a total of 105 for 4 in 10 overs.
Samp Army needed a steady start and opener Johnson Charles and skipper Moeen Ali provided just that. Charles, in his usual style, hit Olly Stone for two consecutive boundaries off the second and third deliveries of the first over and then punished James Fuller for two boundaries in the second over.
Sam Cook provided the breakthrough in the third over getting Moeen Ali caught by Stone at mid-off for six. Brathwaite then claimed the prize wicket of Johnson Charles who was caught by Whiteley for 23. Brathwaite gave away just seven runs in that over.
Skipper Sikander Raza introduced himself for the fifth over. He bowled the first five deliveries tightly but Karim Janat hit a six off the last ball to long off. Still, only eight runs came off that over. The sixth over from Sabir Rao too was well used by Janat to hit two successive sixes. Fifteen runs came off that over.
David Miller slog-swept Raza for a six in the seventh over and took 11 runs off that over. With 35 runs needed off the last 18 balls, it was anybody's game. Stone bowled a tight eighth over giving away no boundary. This resulted in 26 runs needed from the last 12 balls.
Sam Cook bowled the ninth over and Janat pulled his third delivery for a six. Miller too picked a boundary off the fifth ball and 15 runs came off that over.
The last over began with Samp Army needing 11 runs off six balls. Janet hit Brathwaite's first delivery for a six and reached his halfcentury in 27 balls. He also hit the second delivery for a six to win the match by eight wickets.