South Africa claimed an emphatic 174-run victory to seal an ODI series triumph over Ireland ahead of the final game on Sunday in Abu Dhabi. 

Having cruised to a 139-run victory in the opening encounter, the Proteas continued to avenge their shock T20I defeat against the same opponents last week with another commanding display.

South Africa made a strong start with the bat before Ryan Rickelton (40) fell in the 13th over, with Temba Bavuma (35) retiring hurt from the contest soon after. 

Rassie van der Dussen (35) and Kyle Verreynne (67) also performed well, only for Tristan Stubbs to steal the show with 112 runs from 81 deliveries, handing the Proteas a strong grip on the encounter, with South Africa ending 343-4 from their 50 overs. 

Ireland then made a dismal start to their run chase, losing five wickets in the opening 10 overs as Lizaad Williams and Lungi Ngidi ripped through their opening attack and had Ireland 50-5 early on. 

Mark Adair (21) and Andy McBrine (10) momentarily halted the onslaught, but were soon sent on their way, with Gavin Hoey hitting 23 runs before he was bowled and caught by Ngidi (2-38). 

Graham Hume and Craig Young's 52-run stand frustrated South Africa, only for the former to be bowled out by Bjorn Fortuin (2-36) with just under 20 overs remaining as Ireland ended all out for 169. 

Data Debrief: Proteas on song

It was yet another strong display by South Africa, cruising to a comfortable victory in Abu Dhabi, with Stubbs and Williams starring with the bat and ball. 

Stubbs' knock of 112 saw him record a maiden century in international cricket, ending with an impressive strike rate of 138.27. 

Williams, meanwhile, continued where he left off from the first match, and now has seven wickets during the series so far. 

South Africa cruised to a 139-run win over Ireland in the teams' first ODI in Abu Dhabi, with Lizaad Williams tearing through their opponents' batting order.

The Proteas approached Wednesday's contest reeling from a shock T20I defeat to Ireland on Sunday, with Ross Adair's maiden international century ensuring the two-match series ended 1-1.

There was not to be a repeat in the 50-over format, however, with Ireland's batting order collapsing after Ryan Rickelton (91) and Tristan Stubbs (79) guided an otherwise shaky South Africa to 271-9.

The Proteas started miserably by losing three wickets for 39 runs, Mark Adair taking two of them on his way to figures of 4-50.

But opener Rickelton stayed cool while the wickets tumbled around him, lasting 102 deliveries and allowing Stubbs to join in on the act with comfortably his best ODI score, dragging South Africa to a respectable total.

Ireland might have harboured hopes of a successful chase, but Paul Stirling's fourth-ball dismissal for just two runs set the tone, and a spate of four more wickets in the space of six overs dropped Ireland to 61-5.

Williams finished with figures of 4-32 from his 10 overs for the Proteas, who needed just 32 overs to finish off the tail and bring some much-needed positivity to their tour of the United Arab Emirates, which started with an ODI series loss to Afghanistan.

Data Debrief: Williams wins it 

Rickelton and Stubbs carried South Africa to a score they were capable of defending despite no other batter scoring more than Bjorn Fortuin's 28 – seven scored 13 runs or fewer.

But it was Williams who made sure of the victory, taking three of the first four wickets to leave Ireland in a tailspin, then going on to record the best figures of his young ODI career.

In none of his previous five ODIs had Williams managed more than two wickets, while his 32 runs conceded were also his fewest in the format.

Akeal Hosein's sensational 5 for 6 in two overs dismantled Samp Army as New York Strikers posted a 41-run win in Qualifier 1 to storm into the Abu Dhabi T10 final at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Friday.

Defending 121, the Strikers' left-arm spinner picked up a hat-trick in the first over of the innings, dismissing Andries Gous, Dewald Brevis and Ibrahim Zadran, to leave Samp Army reeling at 1 for 3.

In his second over, he removed the opposition captain Faf du Plessis and Najibullah Zadran in space of three balls to further rattle Samp Army.

Jason Holder's 22 of 11 and Qais Ahmad's unbeaten 31 off 13 at No.10 meant Samp Army huffed and puffed to 80 for 9.

Earlier, opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz's blazing 56 off 28 set the tone for Strikers to post a competitive 121 for 5. His knock included four fours and five sixes.

In the end, Asif Ali smashed three fours in his unbeaten seven-ball knock of 17 to further lift Strikers.

Samp Army will have a second chance to make the final when they play the winner of the Eliminator between Bangla Tigers and Deccan Gladiators in Qualifier 2 later today.

At the time of publishing, the Tigers were 78-4 off seven overs batting first.

Delhi Bulls sank to the lowest total in the Abu Dhabi T10's seven-year history, folding for just 31 despite having Quinton de Kock, Johnson Charles, James Vince, Rilee Rossouw, Rovman Powell, Ravi Bopara and Dwayne Bravo in their ranks, to give New York Strikers their third win and a spot at the top of the table for now.

If you score 98 for 4 in a ten-overs-a-side tournament where three figures are breached quite often, you expect to have it tough in the second half, but it was certainly not the case on the day for Strikers at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Monday.

Two wickets fell in the first over of the chase, to Akeal Hosein (3 for 7), one each in the second and third, and three in the fifth to Chamika Karunaratne (3 for 6). That was the end of the specialist batters bar Bopara, who was the only Bulls batter to get into double-digits with 16.

The Bulls were bowled out with three balls left in the innings after four batters fell for ducks.

In the first half, Rahmanullah Gurbaz dominated proceedings with a 24-ball 49 not out, as Strikers reached what was a just-about-par score of 98… it proved more than three times what Bulls could manage on the day.

Bulls have now lost two on the bounce after starting with three wins in a row, and are still up at No. 3 on the table, while Strikers, after starting with a loss, have now won three in a row.

Richard Gleeson picked up three big wickets in one over, and later the Player-of-the-Match award, to set up a huge win for Delhi Bulls over Bangla Tigers in Abu Dhabi T10 League action at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Saturday.

The win was Bulls' third in a row, and placed them comfortably at the top of the table, at least for the time being.

Tigers were going fine at 28 for 2 after three overs, and with Jordan Cox, David Miller and Dasun Shanaka, among others, to follow, looked set to put up another big total after scoring 143 for 4 in their win over Dubai Gladiators on Thursday.

But Gleeson changed the script in the space of five balls in the fourth over, getting rid of Miller, Shanaka and Cox, in that order, to leave Tigers completely off-kilter at 29 for 5.

Between Daniel Sams (20 not out in 15 balls) and Carlos Brathwaite (21 in 17), Tigers did fight back to get to 81 for 7, but it was never going to be enough against Bulls' powerful batting line-up.

Quinton de Kock and Johnson Charles fell inside two overs, but James Vince (17 in nine), Rilee Rossouw (21* in 11) and captain Rovman Powell (37* in 11) made sure Bulls got to the target quickly - in just six overs.

For Tigers, it was a second loss in three games, and at the end of it, they were placed seventh on the eight-team table.

Earlier on Saturday, explosive 30s from captain Nicholas Pooran and Tom Kohler-Cadmore, followed by Andre Fletcher's 12-ball 41, set up a crushing win for Deccan Gladiators over Team Abu Dhabi.

Pooran dashed out of the blocks taking left-arm finger-spinner Roelof van der Merwe for two fours and two sixes in the first over. Rumman Raees then dealt a double-blow, removing both Pooran and Andre Russell off successive balls in the fourth over, but Kohler-Cadmore and Fletcher proceeded to re-establish Gladiators' dominance.

Six of the 12 balls that Fletcher faced were sent to the boundary, including five sixes. Fletcher, Fabian Allen and Kohler-Cadmore all fell in quick succession, but David Wiese provided the final flourish with 15 off six balls.

Abu Dhabi started their chase shakily, losing their top three inside five overs. Leus du Plooy (25), Colin Ingram (19) and captain Dwaine Pretorius (9), fought back to lend some respectability to the scorecard. Sri Lankan slinger Nuwan Thushara, who plays for Jaffna Kings in the LPL, was the pick of the bowlers for Gladiators, coming away with 2 for 5 in his two overs.

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Formula One’s newly crowned world champion Nico Rosberg announced his retirement from the sport on this day in 2016.

Mercedes driver Rosberg had claimed his maiden title at the season-deciding race in Abu Dhabi just five days earlier – and then made the shock revelation at a press conference in Vienna ahead of the FIA’s official prize-giving awards ceremony.

The German, 31, confirmed he took the final decision to walk away from the sport in the hours after his championship triumph.

Rosberg began his grand prix career with Williams in 2006 and competed in more than 200 races.

He joined Mercedes in 2010 and partnered compatriot Michael Schumacher, the seven-time champion, before Lewis Hamilton, his long-term rival, joined the team from McLaren in 2013.

Hamilton beat Rosberg to the drivers’ championship in both 2014 and 2015, with the German finally ending his long-running losing streak by claiming the 2016 title at the Yas Marina Circuit.

Following his shock revelation, Rosberg later posted a message on Facebook giving more details behind the decision.

“Since 25 years in racing, it has been my dream, my ‘one thing’ to become Formula One World Champion,” he said.

“Through the hard work, the pain, the sacrifices, this has been my target. And now I’ve made it.

“I have climbed my mountain, I am on the peak, so this feels right. My strongest emotion right now is deep gratitude to everybody who supported me to make that dream happen.

“I pushed like crazy in every area after the disappointments of the last two years, and they fuelled my motivation to levels I had never experienced before.

“Of course that had an impact on the ones I love, too – it was a whole family effort of sacrifice, putting everything behind our target.”

The German later returned to motorsport after establishing Rosberg X Racing to compete in the all-electric off-road racing series Extreme E, with the team winning both the 2021 constructors’ and drivers’ titles.

Johnson Charles and Rovman Powell both played starring roles to help the Delhi Bulls get their second win in as many games in the 2023 Abu Dhabi T10 League on Friday with a 65-run triumph over the Chennai Braves at the Zayed Cricket Stadium.

Charles made a 21-ball 40 opening the batting including four fours and two sixes while skipper Powell, batting at five, hit 35 off just 15 balls including one four and four sixes to help the Bulls post an intimidating 126-6 off their 10 overs after being put in to bat.

Englishman James Vince also showed good form with 37 off 14 balls. Obed McCoy and Junaid Siddique had identical figures of 2-18 from two overs.

Chennai’s chase then came up significantly short, being bowled out for just 61 in 8.5 overs.

Only Mohammad Nabi was able to crack double figures with 25 as Fazalhaq Farooqi (2-8 from two overs), Muhammad Rohid (2-14 from two overs), Naveen-ul-Haq (2-22 from two overs) and Ravi Bopara (2-4 from five balls) combined to produce an excellent display of bowling.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc edged out Lando Norris in practice for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix which was red-flagged on two occasions.

A combined 30-minute delay wiped out half of the one-hour session after Carlos Sainz and Nico Hulkenberg both crashed out.

Leclerc saw off Norris by just 0.043 seconds, with Max Verstappen third, 0.173 sec off the pace. George Russell and Lewis Hamilton finished sixth and eighth respectively for Mercedes.

A week after he smashed into a loose drain cover in Las Vegas, Sainz was in the wars again, but on this occasion it was through driver error.

Sainz – who appeared to be put off by another car arriving from the pits – lost control of his machine through turn three and ended up in the barrier.

Although the Spaniard was unharmed in the high-speed smash – with the running just eight-and-a-half minutes old – he sustained significant damage to his car; with the sidepods, floor, rear suspension and front wing of his Ferrari all destroyed.

Sainz’s impact also left the barrier in a mess and a 22-minute delay ensued as the tyre wall was repaired.

But only moments after the running re-started, the red flag was out again – this time after Nico Hulkenberg crashed on the exit of turn one.

On cold tyres, the German was too hasty on the throttle, sliding into the barrier before stopping in his wounded machine.

The stoppages arrived as a blow to half the grid who sat out the opening session as 10 rookie drivers were blooded at the Yas Marina Circuit.

Mercedes are looking to hang on to second in the constructors’ championship and are only four points ahead of Ferrari with one race to go.

And the troubled team will be alarmed by Leclerc’s speed as the Monegasque, on pole position in Las Vegas, topped the order.

Russell finished three tenths adrift of Leclerc while Hamilton, who made way for the team’s Danish junior driver Frederik Vesti in the opening running, was half-a-second back.

Mercedes’ sluggish pace also leaves the grid’s once-dominant team facing up to a winless season – their first since 2011.

In the day’s first running, British drivers Zak O’Sullivan, 18, and Jake Dennis, 28, made their Formula One weekend debuts for Williams and Red Bull respectively.

Ollie Bearman, 18, who in Mexico became the youngest British debutant at a Grand Prix, was handed his second practice appearance by Haas.

Dennis, in Verstappen’s Red Bull machine which Hamilton has described as the fastest ever seen in F1, finished 16th of the 20 runners, 1.1 sec off the pace.

O’Sullivan was 18th – seven tenths behind Williams’ Logan Sargeant – with Bearman 20th and last, albeit only a tenth slower than Kevin Magnussen in the other Haas.

Lewis Hamilton has denied seeking a blockbuster move to Red Bull – and claimed it was instead Christian Horner who approached him.

Hamilton accused Horner of being “lonely” and “stirring” the pot, following the Red Bull team principal’s claim ahead of this weekend’s season finale in Abu Dhabi that the British driver’s camp inquired about a seat alongside Max Verstappen at the grid’s all-conquering team.

A front-footed Hamilton, who signed a two-year contract extension to remain at Mercedes until the end of 2025 in August, also said Verstappen would not want him as a team-mate.

Asked if he approached Red Bull about joining them, Hamilton, 38, replied: “No. I did not.

“I have checked with everyone in my team and nobody has spoken to them. However, he (Horner) did reach out to me earlier on in the year about meeting up.

“I picked up my old phone which I found at home. It has my old number. I switched it on, and hundreds of messages came through, and one was from Christian to get together and have a catch-up at the end of the season.

“He didn’t say (it was about driving for them). He just said about having a catch-up.

“I replied to him (Horner) on my new phone. It was quite late on that I found his message. It was from earlier on in the year, and it was months later (that I replied).

“I just said, ‘congratulations on the amazing season and I hope we are able to compete with you soon’, and he replied repeating the same thing.

“If you really think about it, there are a lot of people here that like to drop my name in conversations because they know it will make waves and if you are a little bit lonely, and are not getting much attention, that is the perfect thing to do, just to mention my name. He is stirring things.”

Hamilton is set to bring the curtain down on a second winless season. Verstappen has won the last three world championships and heads into the final round with a remarkable 18 wins from 21. Hamilton has described the Dutchman’s machine as the fastest ever seen in Formula One.

“I would be more than happy to race against Max in the same car,” added Hamilton. “That would be wonderful. But I don’t think he wants me to be his team-mate.”

Hamilton has been with Mercedes since 2013, and has said on numerous occasions that he could not envisage being at another team.

He continued: “I have so much respect for (team principal) Toto (Wolff).

“We have a great relationship. And I spoke to him when the story broke. I wanted my team to know because if people think those things (about leaving) it is never positive. Hopefully signing with them has shown my commitment to the team.

“Let’s be realistic, every single driver here dreams of being in a winning car. In my younger days, when I had not had a lot of success, joining Red Bull would have been more attractive to me.

“We have had two really difficult years, and if we were able to beat that Red Bull, that would be a way better feeling than just stepping into the best car.

“That wouldn’t do much for me – stepping into a car that has been the most dominant of all time – but working with my team to beat them. That would be better for my legacy.”

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said he is fuelled by a personal anger and drive to help Lewis Hamilton win the record eighth world championship he was denied in Abu Dhabi.

In an interview with the PA news agency ahead of this weekend’s blockbuster Las Vegas Grand Prix,  team principal Wolff also revealed his own succession plan at Mercedes – in which he plans to skip as many as 10 races each season – and claimed Hamilton, 38, could compete in Formula One for at least another five years.

Wolff has arrived in Sin City for the inaugural night race on the Las Vegas strip following Mercedes’ abysmal performance last time out in Brazil – one he described as the worst of his career.

Hamilton finished 63 seconds behind winner Max Verstappen, and gloomily predicted he will not be a championship contender for the next two years.

Next month will mark two years since the seven-time world champion last won a race, and that ill-fated evening in Abu Dhabi where race referee Michael Masi’s failure to imply the correct rules left him at the mercy of Verstappen. The Dutchman took the championship in the desert before quickly racking up another two titles in his all-conquering Red Bull.

“We are living in a hamster wheel where time passes so quickly that it doesn’t feel like it has been two years,” said Wolff.

“You can see how quickly the pecking order changes. We won eight constructors’ championships in a row, and it has been two years since Red Bull have been taking the trophy home. But we have to look forward, learn from the past, and the push now is to make Lewis win quickly again.

“I have a personal anger, and drive to make him win the eighth title because he should have had it.

“As a team principal, it is important to be fair and open with both drivers. But there is a big part of us that will always want to be a part of that story in undoing and overcoming 2021.”

Hamilton will start a new two-year deal with the Silver Arrows next season, worth an estimated £100million. He will be nearly 41 at the conclusion of the contract, but Wolff does not believe it will be his last with Mercedes.

“We are living from contract-to-contract, and it is important that we are doing what we think is right and what we feel is right, and at the moment I personally feel he can go longer,” added the Austrian.

And could he carry on for another five years?

“He is 39 in January, and Fernando (Alonso – 42) is still going strong,” replied Wolff. “As long as you look after yourself, you do the best preparation, physically and mentally, and develop different areas to when you are 25, then yes.

“We just need to give him a car that is quick enough. And, as a driver, I have no doubt about him. You have seen in the last races that his performance, speed and race craft are all there. But, if he doesn’t have the car underneath him, he cannot win.”

Wolff oversaw Mercedes’ crushing dominance which led to Hamilton winning six of his record-equalling seven world crowns.

But Wolff’s future as team principal is in the spotlight following Mercedes’ dramatic demise. And although he admitted he intends to stay on as team principal, the 51-year-old, who also holds a one-third shareholding in Mercedes, is plotting his succession plan.

“The clear aim is to build a structure for the future and that is my sheer responsibility for the team,” said Wolff, who was absent from the races in Japan and Qatar earlier this season following knee surgery.

“A stone could fall on my head and how does it look afterwards? That is why I would like to see myself in a few years maybe not going to 24 races, and just to 15.

“But that is many years away. I see myself in this role for a long time. I cannot imagine doing something else.

“I really struggled in 2020 to make a decision on whether I wanted to stay active in the sport or to be a shareholder and go back to my finance world. I was tired, mentally and physically, but then I came to the realisation that I wanted to continue.

“I feel I am contributing to the team in the crossover world of finance and motor racing, and I have a passion for both, and that is why I continue to do it.”

Over at Red Bull, Verstappen has won 17 of the 20 rounds so far – which included a record 10-in-a-row streak – in the most dominant season the sport has ever witnessed.

Wolff caused controversy when he poured scorn on Verstappen’s achievements, calling them “irrelevant” and “only for Wikipedia and nobody reads that anyway”.

“It was not an intelligent thing to say,” said Wolff.

“There were all these numbers about how many races we had won, and we used to joke that who cares about the numbers? It only goes on Wikipedia, and nobody reads that anyway. It was a joke, but it is much easier to joke about your own records than somebody else’s.

“His records are unbelievable and what he has been able to achieve clearly ranks him amongst the greatest drivers in the sport at that young age. I have clarified that with him.”

Unbeaten half-centuries from Alex Hales and Sherfane Rutherford led the Desert Vipers to a comfortable seven-wicket win over the MI Emirates in their DP World IL T20 fixture at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.

The Emirates’ innings got off to the worst possible start with openers Muhammad Wasim (5) and Vritiya Aravind (3) being removed within the first three overs after the Vipers won the toss and elected to field first.

Grenadian Andre Fletcher and former West Indies captain Nicholas Pooran then combined to put on 43 for the third wicket before Fletcher fell in the ninth over for 21 to leave them 53-3.

Captain Kieron Pollard then joined Pooran at the crease and the pair batted excellently, eventually bringing up their 100-run partnership in the 19^th over, the same over which saw Pooran bring up a well-compiled 50.

Pollard brought up his 50, his second in a row, in the previous over with a trademark straight six.

The partnership reached 116 when Pooran was finally dismissed, bowled by Tom Curran in the final over for 57.

In the end, the Emirates closed their innings 169-5 off 20 overs with Pollard not out on 67 from 39 balls including one boundary and six sixes.

The Vipers chase was rocked early when Trent Boult removed Rohan Mustafa for one in the first over to bring captain Collin Munro to the crease.

Hales and Munro put on a partnership before Munro was removed by a spectacular catch from Kieron Pollard for 41 in the eighth over.

One brought two for the Emirates as Samit Patel got his second wicket in the over, removing Sam Billings for just one to leave the Vipers 76-3 bringing Sherfane Rutherford to the crease.

At the halfway stage of the chase, the Vipers were 101-3 with Hales (34) and Rutherford (18) going smoothly.

The pair continued along and Hales brought up his fifth score of 50+ in a row in the 15^th over before a single in the 16^th over brought up Rutherford’s 50 off just 26 balls.

The match was ended in the 17^th over when Rutherford hit a boundary and then a single to lead the Vipers to their fourth win in five games.

Hales ended up unbeaten on 62 from 44 balls while Rutherford faced 29 balls for his 56. Hales’ knock included six fours and two sixes while Rutherford hit four fours and three sixes.

Scores: MI Emirates 169-5 from 20 overs, Desert Vipers 170-3 from 17.3 overs.

Rovman Powell hit a magnificent 97 from 41 balls to lead the Dubai Capitals to a thrilling 16-run victory over the MI Emirates in a high-scoring match in the ILT20 League in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.

Powell, the Player of the Match, hit four fours and 10 sixes while powering Dubai Capitals for 222-3 from their 20 overs. Powell featured in a second-wicket partnership of 121 from just 57 balls with former England captain Joe Root, who scored 82 from 54 balls.

Root and Robin Uthappa had laid the foundation with an opening stand of 78 from 53 balls before the latter was dismissed for 26.

Powell was eventually dismissed by Kieron Pollard from the last ball of the innings, but the damage was already done.

Chasing the highest score in the tournament so far, MI Emirates lost three wickets for 26 runs early including that of Nicholas Pooran for a duck in the sixth over.

His dismissal brought together Pollard and Andre Fletcher and together that made things interesting for Dubai that came into the game on the back of three consecutive losses.

Together, Pollard and Fletcher went on the offensive smashing balls to all parts as they stitched together a stand of 118 with the Trinidadian scoring the bulk of those runs, 86 from 38 balls with eight fours and six sixes before he was dismissed by Powell in the 16^th over with his side still needing 79 from the last 24 balls.

Najibullah Zadran got them closer with a quickfire 30 from just nine balls but once he fell, yorked by Fred Klaasen in the 19^th over, the remaining runs proved elusive despite the best efforts of Fletcher, who remained unbeaten on 35 at the end with MI Emriates on 206-5.

Nicholas Pooran has bounced back nicely from the disappointment of the 2022 ICC World Cup, leading Deccan Gladiators to the title following a 37-run victory over New York Strikers in the final of the Abu Dhabi T10 on Sunday.

In the day/night fixture, Captain Pooran scored a 23-ball 40 as Gladiators scored 128-4 from their 10 overs. Pooran’s incredible form with the bat continued in the final, hitting five fours and a six as he and David Weise put on 74 runs in 30 balls after the side reached 54-3 after five overs.

Akeal Hosein had the champions in early trouble after dismissing Suresh Raina and Tom Kohler-Cadmore for seven and 11, respectively, and Wahab Riaz dismissed Andre Russell for nine in the first five overs.

Weise was even more brutal on the New York Strikers smashing two fours and four sixes in his 43 runs that came from just 18 balls. Pollard dismissed Pooran off the last ball of the innings to finish with figures of 1-16 in the only over he bowled.

However, Hosein was the best of the bowlers with 2-16 from his two overs.

Chasing 129 for victory, New York Strikers slumped to 29-4 midway the fourth over and were never able to recover. They suffered another blow when Pollard was forced to retire hurt after scoring 23 from 15 balls.

Jordan Thompson remained unbeaten on 22 while Azam Kkan contributed 16 and was the only other batter in double figures as Strikers could only muster 91-5 from their allotment of overs.

Josh Little, who claimed the wickets of Mohammad Waseem for a duck and Rashid Khan for eight, had the remarkable figures of 2-4 from his two overs. Meanwhile, Mohammad Hasnain took 2-12.

Weise was named Player of the Match for his exciting cameo and taking two catches.

Pooran, who has had scores of 77*, 80, 34, 50 and 38 prior to Sunday's final, amassed 345 runs during the tournament and was named Player of the Series.

Captain Nicholas Pooran and Tom Kohler-Cadmore combined to lead the Deccan Gladiators to a 10-wicket win over the Bangla Tigers in the Abu Dhabi T10 League at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.

The Tigers posted a respectable 108-7 from their 10 overs after winning the toss and batting first. Pakistani all-rounder Iftikhar Ahmed starred with a 21-ball 54 including three fours and five sixes against his countryman Mohammad Hasnain’s 2-12 from two overs and David Wiese’s 2-15, also from two overs.

Pooran ‘s Gladiators then absolutely sprinted to their target thanks to an unbeaten 109-run opening stand between himself and Englishman Tom Kohler-Cadmore.

The pair needed just 6.1 overs to reach their target as Pooran hammered an even 50, his third half-century so far, off just 16 balls including seven sixes. Kohler-Cadmore had the same score off 21 balls and hit five fours and four sixes.

The Gladiators now lead the eight-team table with eight points from six games.

Nicholas Pooran’s purple patch with the bat continued on Sunday as the Deccan Gladiators notched a close 18-run win over Delhi Gladiators in the Abu Dhabi T10.

Pooran, who came into the match with scores of 77 and 80, scored 34 from just 17 balls as Gladiators posted 140-2 from their 10 overs.

After losing Jason Roy for four in the first over, Pooran hit three fours and two sixes as he and opener Tom Kohler-Cadmore added 122 for the second wicket. Pooran was eventually dismissed in the ninth over by Waquas Maqsood, who took 1-21.

Meanwhile, Kohler-Cadmore blasted his way to an unbeaten 82 with eight fours and six sixes.

He and Andre Russell put on 12 in the final eight balls with the Jamaican scoring 10 that included a six over extra cover off Shimraz Ahmed, who conceded 11 in the over.

Imad Wasim had figures of 1-17.

Delhi Bulls made a good fist of it to score 122-4 from their 10 overs.

They owed their solid effort to a 24-ball 48 from Tim David and Rilee Rossouw, who scored 28 from 15. However, needing to score 14 an over proved too much for Delhi Bulls despite a gallant 14 not out from eight balls from Keemo Paul at the end.

David and Rossouw put on 79 for the third wicket after Tom Banton (12) and Rahkeem Cornwall (2) were back in the hutch in the third over with 26 runs on the board.

Russell got rid of the dangerous David in the ninth over effectively swinging the pendulum in Gladiators’ favour for the remaining 10 balls from which the Delhi Bulls could only muster 17 runs.

Russell’s two overs cost 26 runs but Josh Little proved much more effective with the wickets of Cornwall and Rossouw to return figures of 2-11.