The Deccan Gladiators completed a near perfect season in the Abu Dhabi T10 League with an eight-wicket win over the Morrisville Samp Army in the final on Monday.
The Gladiators got to the final after winning the first qualifier on Saturday against the same opposition while the Samp Army got a second crack at the Gladiators by winning the second qualifier earlier on Monday against the Delhi Bulls.
Deccan won the toss and elected to field first in the decider, posting a respectable 104-7 from their 10 overs thanks to 34 from Faf du Plessis and 21 from Andries Gous.
Man of the match Richard Gleeson took 2-16 for the Gladiators with his pace.
The Gladiators then needed only 6.5 overs to reach 110-2 and win their second title in three years.
Tom Kohler-Cadmore led the way with 56* off 21 balls, hitting four five fours and four sixes while captain Nicholas Pooran made 28 off 10 including three sixes.
Player of the tournament Jos Buttler made 12* for Gladiators who lost only once this season to the UP Nawabs in the league phase.
Bradley Jacks is a budding journalist and an avid sports fan. His love of research and sports has led him to SportsMax.tv, a place where those passions work hand in hand to allow him to produce content.
Bangladesh completes dominant 101-run second Test victory over West Indies at Sabina Park; secures first Test win in Caribbean since 2009
Bangladesh completed their first Test match win in the Caribbean in 15 years with a dominant 101-run victory over the West Indies at Sabina Park to draw their two-match series 1-1 on Tuesday.
The tourists started Tuesday’s play in a strong position, 193-5 in 41.4 overs, leading by 211 in their second innings with Jaker Ali and Taijul Islam in the middle on 29 and 9, respectively.
Islam added a further five runs before becoming the first batsman dismissed on the day, caught by Kavem Hodge off the bowling of Alzarri Joseph in the 50th over if the innings.
The wicket of Mominul Haque followed soon after for a duck, leaving Bangladesh 211-7 in the 51st over and giving the hosts hope of wrapping up the innings in quick time to try and secure a series win with the bat.
Ali had other ideas, however, scoring rapidly in the midst of the falling wickets at the other end due to some adventurous stroke making, entertaining the small Sabina Park crowd.
Hasan Mahmud (3) and Taskin Ahmed (0) came and went during Ali’s onslaught that saw Bangladesh make it all the way to 268 all out off 59.5 overs.
Ali, in just his third Test match, was the last man dismissed for a crucial 91 off just 106 balls including eight fours and five sixes.
Kemar Roach finished with 3-36 off 10 overs while Alzarri Joseph and Shamar Joseph also had good spells with 3-77 and 2-80 off 15.5 and 12 overs, respectively.
Set 287 to win, West Indian openers Kraigg Brathwaite and Mikyle Louis set out to first ensure that they got to the lunch break without the loss of a wicket.
Unfortunately, even that task proved too much as, in the fifth over of the innings and final one before lunch, Louis (6) played a full delivery from left arm spinner Taijul Islam onto his foot which then lobbed in the air to be caught by Shahadat Hossain fielding at short leg, leaving the West Indies 23-1 off 4.2 overs at lunch.
The post lunch session started with Brathwaite and new batsman Keacy Carty attempting to get stuck into some disciplined Bangladesh bowling.
Almost ten overs into the session, however, Carty played at one to many, edging behind to Litton Das off the bowling of Taijul Islam for 14 leaving the hosts 57-2, needing a further 230 to win.
35 runs later, Brathwaite got a beauty from Islam producing an edge that was parried off the gloves of Das into the arms of the diving Mahmudul Hasan Joy at first slip. Brathwaite made an uncharacteristic 63-ball 43 including two fours and a six.
Three quickly became four as Islam struck once again, this time breaching the defense of Alick Athanaze for five to leave the hosts 106-4 in the 27th over with hopes of a win looking dimmer by the second.
Kavem Hodge and Justin Greaves tried to steady proceedings with a 37-run fifth wicket partnership, which lasted through the tea break.
During that partnership, Hodge brought up his third Test fifty before being dismissed not long after, trapped in front for 55 by Islam with the score on 143 in the 39th over.
The wickets of Justin Greaves (20) in the 43rd over and Joshua Da Silva (12) in the 46th over basically ended all hope for what already looked like an improbable victory. Da Silva’s wicket brought up Islam’s 15th five wicket haul in Tests.
Fast bowlers Hasan Mahmud and first innings hero Nahid Rana combined with the wickets of Alzarri Joseph (5), Kemar Roach (8) and Shamar Joseph (8) to bowl out the West Indies for 185 in 50 overs and secure Bangladesh’s first win in the Caribbean since 2009.
Islam’s final figures were 5-50 off 17 overs while Mahmud and Taskin Ahmed took 2-20 from six overs and 2-45 from 10 overs, respectively.
Full Scores:
Bangladesh 164 off 71.5 overs (Shadman Islam 64, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 36, Jayden Seales 4-5, Shamar Joseph 3-49, Kemar Roach 2-45) & 268 off 59.5 overs (Jaker Ali 91, Shadman Islam 46, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 42, Kemar Roach 2-36, Alzarri Joseph 3-77, Shamar Joseph 2-80)
West Indies 146 off 65 overs (Keacy Carty 40, Kraigg Brathwaite 39, Nahid Rana 5-61, Hasan Mahmud 2-19) & 185 off 50 overs (Kavem Hodge 55, Kraigg Brathwaite 43, Taijul Islam 5-50, Hasan Mahmud 2-20, Taskin Ahmed 2-45).
Sufiyan's record-breaking five-for seals T20I series for Pakistan
Sufiyan Muqeem took career-best figures of 5-3 as Pakistan thrashed Zimbabwe by 10 wickets to clinch their three-match T20I series with a match to spare on Tuesday.
After electing to bat first, Zimbabwe were bundled out for just 57 runs in 12.4 overs, their lowest-ever score in the format, beating the 84 they scored against Sri Lanka in January.
Opening duo Brian Bennett (21) and Tadiwanashe Marumani (16) top-scored for the hosts, but when the former fell to Muhammad Abbas Afridi (2-2), their capitulation began.
The hosts lost four wickets in quick succession, including Ryan Burl (1) and Tashinga Musekiwa (0) in consecutive deliveries from the impressive Sufiyan in the eighth over.
Zimbabwe were only able to add 20 runs to their total following Bennett's dismissal, with Salman Ali Agha (1-7), Haris Rauf (1-13) and Abrar Ahmed (1-21) chipping in for Pakistan.
Pakistan made light work of the chase and reached their target with 87 balls remaining, helped by unbeaten knocks from Omair Bin Yousuf (22) and Saim Ayub (36).
After the tourists also won the first game of the series by 57 runs, the third and final fixture will take place on Thursday at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo.
Data Debrief: Sufiyan smashes Gul's T20 record
Having won only one of their last eight multi-game bilateral men’s T20I series (D2 L5), Pakistan improved their record in the format with a comprehensive showing on Tuesday.
They recorded their third 10-wicket T20I triumph, needing just 33 balls to reach their target, with the damage already done by Sufiyan with the ball in hand.
In just his seventh T20I for Pakistan, Sufiyan registered the best bowling figures for the team in the short-over format, surpassing Umar Gul's previous record (5-6 - against New Zealand in 2009 and South Africa in 2013).
Adams lauds five-wicket Rana during strong Bangladesh display
Andre Adams lauded Nahid Rana's bowling display as his five-wicket haul helped the tourists take control on the third day of their second Test against the West Indies.
Starting the day 70-1, the West Indies were dismissed for 146, with Rana (5-61) adding four wickets to his total, having caught and bowled out Mikyle Louis (12) on day two.
Keacy Carty (40) top scored for the hosts, with Rana aided in his attack by Hasan Mahmud (2-19), which gave the tourists a lead of 18 runs ahead of their second innings.
Bangladesh rallied from the early loss of Mahmudul Hasan Joy (0), with the Tigers' opener dismissed by Jayden Seales (1-43), who took four wickets in the previous innings.
Shadman Islam (46) and Mehidy Hasan (42) steadied the ship, but both fell to Shamar Joseph (2-70), before Jaker Ali's unbeaten 29 took the tourists past the 200-run lead mark.
At stumps, Bangladesh were 193-5, an advantage of 211 runs with Jaker and Taijul Islam (9) returning to the crease for day four at Sabina Park in Kingston.
"A very good day, really. Very happy with how our bowlers are going. The batting has been different today, but nice to see,"
Given that the highest successful run-chase in a Test match at Sabina Park is just 211, achieved by the West Indies against Sri Lanka in 2003, history would appear to be on the side of the tourists, forcing a series-levelling victory over the final two days.
And Bangladesh have Rana to thank following his maiden five-for, with head coach Adams highlighting the 22-year-old's significant improvements over the last 12 months.
"We knew it was coming at some stage. When you bowl at 150kph you're going to take wickets at some stage. What he has done in the last year is become accurate.
"He's improved on that more. He is very keen, and he has a lot of pace. We just try to give him some instructions and let his instincts take over.
"He's a young bowler, he bowls fast, so you have got to look after his bowling loads.
"He's young but luckily, we have the likes of Taskin and Hasan to help him and a captain like Mehidy."
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