Abu Dhabi T10 2023, Match 12 Review: Deccan Gladiators push struggling Team Abu Dhabi to fourth consecutive defeat

2^nd December 2023, Abu Dhabi: Deccan Gladiators trounced struggling Team Abu Dhabi by 63 runs in the 12th match of the Abu Dhabi T10 at the Zayed Cricket Stadium. Riding on quick knocks from Andre Fletcher (41), Nicholas Pooran (30) and Tom Kohler-Cadmore (35), Gladiators posted 141 for 6 in 10 overs.

Team Abu Dhabi could muster only 78 for 5 in 10 overs and crashed to their fourth defeat in four matches. Leus du Plooy (25) and Colin Ingram (19) put on a 41 runs partnership for the fourth wicket to give some respect to their total.

Deccan Gladiators’ brilliant batting show 

Team Abu Dhabi won the toss and elected to bowl. The innings started with Deccan Gladiators opener and skipper Nicholas Pooran hitting the first ball of the match from Roelof van der Merwe for a six over long-off. He went on to pick two consecutive boundaries off the third and fourth deliveries and also slog swept the last delivery for a six to take 20 runs off that over.

Rumman Raees bowled a good second over giving only a boundary to Pooran. Tom Kohler-Cadmore escaped being caught behind by wicketkeeper Tom Banton off Tymal Mills’ at his score of 2 while attempting a big shot to the leg side but edging it behind in the process. Mills too gave away only seven runs.

Raees picked the valuable wicket of Pooran by trapping him leg before with the second ball of the fourth over for 30. Pooran attempted to flick but missed the ball completely. His knock off 17 balls had three boundaries and two sixes.

Raees struck again with the very next ball to have Andre Russell caught behind by Banton. Andre Fletcher denied Raees a hat-trick and got off the mark with a single.  Kohler Cadmore hit a boundary off the fifth ball to mid-off. Raaes gave away only seven runs but picked two wickets.

Skipper Dwaine Pretorious introduced himself for the fifth over. Kohler-Cadmore hit him for a boundary and a six off successive deliveries to take 20 runs off that over. At the half way mark, Deccan Gladiators had posted 62 for 2. Andre Fletcher hit Noor Ahmad for two consecutive sixes – one to mid-wicket and another over extra cover.  This sixth over yielded 17 runs.

Fletcher was unstoppable in the seventh over as he hit Kyle Mayers for a six to mid-wicket and another over long off. He also hit a boundary to deep mid-wicket. Deccan Gladiators reached the 100 run mark in 6.5 overs. Flectcher also hit his third six of the over lifting Mayers over long on to take 27 runs off that over.

Kohler-Cadmore hit Noor Ahmad’s first delivery of the eighth over for a six over long-on but Fletcher fell to the third delivery of that over. He got caught at long-on by Van der Merwe for 41. His knock off 12 balls had one boundary and five sixes.

Mills had Fabian Alen pull into the hands off Van der Merwe and mid-wicket for 2. He also had Kohler-Cadmore out in an identical manner for 35 caught by Van der Merwe, His knock off 17 balls had two boundaries and two sixes. Mills gave away only six runs in the ninth over and took two wickets.

David Wiese hit Van der Merwe’s second delivery over long-off for a six and the next ball for a straight six. He got bowled to the fifth ball attempting another big hit for 15. In the end Deccan Gladiators posted an impressive 141 for 6.

Another dismal show from Abu Dhabi

Kyle Mayers and Alex Hales began Abu Dhabi’s chase towards the steep target getting just one run off the first over from Luke Wood.  Nuwan Thushara clean bowled Mayers who attempted to hit across the line with the second ball of the second over for 1. Team Abu Dhabi managed just one run in the second over and lost a wicket too.  

Banton managed to hit the first boundary of their innings off the fifth ball from Wood. Still, only seven runs came from that over. The fourth over saw the fall of Hales hitting to Allen at mid-wicket for 8.

Trent Boult who was introduced for the fifth over had Banton out for 4, caught by Pooran at extra cover. ColinIngram hit a six off Boult’s fifth delivery. The score board at that point read a pathetic 26 for 3, needing another 116 runs from the remaining five overs.

Leus du Plooy hit Mohammad Zahid for two consecutive boundaries while Ingram picked two more boundaries in the same over. Ingram got out flicking Nuwan Thushara in the eight over to Boult for 19.  Du Plooy, who top scored with 25 runs, fell in the last over to Zahoor Khan, caught by Wiese at long on. 

Brief scores:

Decccan Gladiators bt Team Abu Dhabi by 63 runs. 

Deccan Gladiators 141 for 6 in 10 overs (Nicholas Pooran 30, Tom Kohler-Cadmore 35, Andre Fletcher 41, Rumman Raees 2 for 15, Tymal Mills 2 for 13) 

Team Abu Dhabi 78 for 5 in 10 overs (Leus du Plooy 25, Nuwan Thushara 2 for 5)

Player of the Match: Andre Fletcher