Deccan Gladiators' hopes of a hat-trick of Abu Dhabi T10 titles were dashed by New York Strikers, who put in a fantastic bowling display led by Sunil Narine in the final to romp home by seven wickets with four balls in hand on Saturday.

Big scores had gone down as the tournament wore on, but Gladiators' 91 for 5 after being sent in appeared insufficient for the big occasion. It proved to be exactly that, despite Strikers being 7 for 2 in 1.1 overs, with openers Muhammad Waseem and Rahmanullah Gurbaz dismissed cheaply.

Niroshan Dickwella and Asif Ali, the Player of the Match, put the innings back on track, before Dickwella was sent back by Andre Russell for a 12-ball 14. From there on, it was all about Asif and captain Kieron Pollard, who put up 56 runs together without much scoreboard pressure to weigh them down.

Asif scored 48 not out in 25 balls with two fours and four sixes, and Pollard chipped in with 22 not out in 13, with a four and six, as Strikers won the title.

The win was set up by the bowlers, though. Gladiators had a decent opening stand of 28 with Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Nicholas Pooran, the No. 1 and No. 3 on the tournament run-scorers' list, but Narine broke through in the third over with Kohler-Cadmore's wicket for a seven-ball 13. Pooran fell to George Scrimshaw two balls later, and Gladiators were suddenly 28 for 2, which became 36 for 3, 41 for 4, and 57 for 5 after 7.1 overs, with Narine returning 2 for 6 from his two overs without conceding a single boundary.

Russell, who finished with an unbeaten 30 from 18 balls with two fours and two sixes, and David Wiese, 20 not out from 11, with a four and two sixes, completed the innings with some momentum, but it was too few for Gladiators to defend on the night.

In a sensational display of power-hitting prowess, Nicholas Pooran led the Deccan Gladiators to a resounding 10-wicket triumph over the Bangla Tigers in a thrilling eliminator match of the Abu Dhabi T10 league on Friday.

Facing the formidable target of 112-6 set by the Tigers, courtesy of Gulbadin Naib's gritty 52, the Gladiators wasted no time in their pursuit. Pooran's explosive innings, a blitzkrieg of 70 runs from a mere 25 balls, propelled the Gladiators to an astonishing 114-0 in just 6.4 overs.

The Trinidadian dynamo, reaching his half-century in a mere 16 balls, fittingly sealed the victory by dispatching Dominic Drakes' delivery over short third man for his eighth four. Pooran's innings included an impressive five sixes, showcasing his dominance in the Gladiators' unbroken opening stand with Tom Kohler-Cadmore. Kohler-Cadmore contributed a notable 43 from 16 balls, embellished with four fours and three sixes.

Earlier in the match, Andre Russell emerged as a key figure for the Gladiators, taking two crucial wickets to stifle the Tigers' innings and limit them to a challenging total. Russell dismissed Tom Abell early on for a mere five runs, as the Tigers found themselves struggling at 20-3 in the third over. Despite a brief recovery led by Pathum Nissanka's 25, Russell struck again, removing Nissanka from the equation.

Gulbadin Naib, however, staged a commendable comeback for the Tigers with an unbeaten half-century (52 from 26 balls), guiding his team past the 100-run mark. Benny Howell chipped in with 11 from six balls to set a competitive target.

Russell concluded with impressive figures of 2-21, setting the stage for the Gladiators' dominant performance. The Gladiators' opening pair, once again, proved unstoppable, dismantling the Tigers' bowling attack and securing a convincing victory with a remarkable 20 balls to spare.

Deccan Gladiators, the defending champions, are set to face Samp Army in Eliminator 2 later on Friday.

Andre Fletcher showcased his explosive form, scoring an impressive 52 runs for the Deccan Gladiators on Wednesday. However, despite his heroic efforts, the Gladiators couldn't secure a victory, succumbing to Samp Army by six wickets in the Abu Dhabi T10 on Wednesday.

Samp Army, led by captain Moeen Ali, clinched their fifth consecutive win with a stellar performance in the chase of 116 runs set by the Gladiators. The Army faced an early setback, losing three wickets for just 21 runs in the fourth over. Nevertheless, the middle order displayed resilience, securing the win with six wickets in hand and four deliveries to spare.

Moeen Ali played a captain's knock, smashing an unbeaten 39 runs off just 15 balls. He formed crucial partnerships, first contributing 49 runs with Ibrahim Zadran in 19 deliveries for the fourth wicket and then adding 46 runs with Karim Janat in 17 balls.

Zadran and Janat also contributed significantly to the chase, scoring at a rapid pace.

Zadran hit 26 runs with a strike rate of 173, while Janat clubbed 27 runs at an impressive strike rate of 300. The win was set up by Samp Army's pace bowler Salman Irshad and legspinner Qais Ahmad. Irshad's quick strikes, removing Andre Russell and Imad Wasim in three deliveries, triggered a middle-order collapse for the Gladiators.

Despite the Gladiators losing wickets in quick succession, Andre Fletcher stood firm, smashing an unbeaten 52 runs in a 27-ball innings that included five sixes. Fabian Allen's quick cameo of 14 runs off six balls further boosted the Gladiators' total to 115, with some assistance from 15 extras.

In the end, Moeen Ali and his batting colleagues ensured a comfortable victory for Samp Army, highlighting their dominance in the tournament with a fifth consecutive win.

Deccan Gladiators raced to an impressive 10-wicket victory over Chennai Braves in the Abu Dhabi T10 on Sunday.

Propelled by some lusty hitting by Nicholas Pooran and Tom Kohler-Cadmore, who shared in an unbroken opening partnership of 85 in just 6.1 overs that took Deccan Gladiators past the 83-8 posted by the Chennai Braves.

Pooran began slowly but eventually got going smashing three sixes and three fours in his unbeaten knock of 35 off 19 balls. Kohler-Cadmore was even more ruthless clubbing five fours and three sixes in his score of 44 also from 19 balls to propel the Deccan Gladiators to their third win in five games and first after back-to-back losses.

Despite the powerful hitting from their batters, it was the bowling of Andre Russell, that earned him the Player of the Match award. Russell took 2-12 from his two overs dismissing openers Jason Roy for 15 and Kobe Herft for four.

Both batters were caught by Nuwan Thusara, who was also among the wickets with 2-26.

Stephen Eskinazi, who was the best of the was run out by Andre Fletcher for with 25 from 14 balls with three fours.

In a thrilling encounter at the Abu Dhabi T20 League on Thursday, the Bangla Tigers emerged victorious with a 20-run win over the Deccan Gladiators, despite notable performances from Fabian Allen and Nicholas Pooran.

Chasing the Tigers' formidable score of 143-4 in 10 overs, the Deccan Gladiators, led by Pooran, fell short, managing 123-3 in their allotted overs. The Tigers owed their match-winning total to an exceptional innings from Jordan Cox, who scored an unbeaten 90 runs from just 36 balls, featuring eight fours and six sixes.

Cox's explosive knock was particularly impressive as it steered the Tigers from a precarious position of 34-4 within the first four overs. Openers Chris Lynn, David Miller, and Daniel Sams failed to contribute to the scoreboard, but Cox, along with Dasun Shanaka (25 runs from 11 balls), shared an unbroken partnership of 110 runs, propelling their team to a challenging total.

Kusal Mendis chipped in with 19 runs, being the only other batter to score for the Tigers. Andre Russell, supported by Nuwan Thushara (2-22), took 1-5 in his one over, contributing to the Gladiators' bowling effort.

In pursuit of a challenging target, the Deccan Gladiators found themselves at 71-3 after 5.1 overs, with Pooran leading the charge, scoring 41 runs from just 17 balls, including three fours and four sixes. However, the usually explosive Andre Russell struggled, managing only 11 not out from 17 balls, hindering the Gladiators' chase.

Despite the efforts of Allen, who remained unbeaten with a score of 40, featuring five sixes and a four, the Gladiators fell short of the required run rate.

 Haider Ali and Dominic Drakes played crucial roles in restricting the scoring, returning figures of 1-11 and 1-21, respectively. However, Daniel Sams proved expensive, conceding 35 runs in his two overs, although he managed to take two wickets.

West Indies wicketkeeper/batsman Devon Thomas has been charged by the ICC with seven counts under the Anti-Corruption codes.

The ICC has provisionally suspended Thomas with immediate effect after charging him under their Anti-Corruption codes on behalf of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) and the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

The charges involve "contriving or being party to an agreement to fix or attempt to fix, contrive or influence improperly the result, progress, conduct or other aspects of matches in the Lanka Premier League 2021," according to an ICC statement released on Tuesday.

He has also been charged under several other codes, including failing to disclose full details of an approach in the Lanka Premier League 2021, Abu Dhabi T10 2021 and CPL 2021.

The charges involved are:

Article 2.1.1 of the SLC Code - contriving or being party to an agreement to fix or attempt to fix, contrive or influence improperly the result, progress, conduct or other aspects of matches in the Lanka Premier League 2021.  

Article 2.4.4 of the SLC Code – failing to disclose to the Designated Anti-Corruption Official, without unnecessary delay, full details of an approach or invitations received to engage in Corrupt Conduct in the Lanka Premier League 2021.

Article 2.4.6 of the SLC Code - failing or refusing, without compelling justification, to cooperate with the Designated Anti-Corruption Official’s investigation by failing to provide accurately and completely any information and/or documentation requested by the Designated Anti-Corruption Official. 

Article 2.4.7 of the SLC Code – obstructing or delaying the Designated Anti-Corruption Official’s investigation into Corrupt Conduct, including (without limitation) concealing, tampering with or destroying any documentation or other information that may be relevant to that investigation and/or that may be evidence of or may lead to the discovery of evidence of Corrupt Conduct.

Article 2.4.4 of the ECB Code – failing to disclose to the Designated Anti-Corruption Official, without unnecessary delay, full details of an approach or invitations received to engage in Corrupt Conduct at the Abu Dhabi T10 2021.

Article 2.4.4 of the CPL Code – failing to disclose to the Designated Anti-Corruption Official, without unnecessary delay, full details of an approach or invitations received to engage in Corrupt Conduct in relation to the CPL 2021.

Article 2.4.2 of the CPL Code – failing to disclose to the Designated Anti-Corruption Official (without unnecessary delay) the receipt of any gift, payment, hospitality or benefit (a) that he knew or should have known was made in order to procure a breach of the CPL Code, or (b) could have brought the player or the game of cricket into disrepute.

The 33-year-old last played in December 2022 when he made his Test debut in Adelaide against Australia. Overall, he has played 21 ODIs, 12 T20Is and the one Test match.

Thomas has 14 days from 23 May 2023 to respond to the charges made against him.

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.

West Indies all-rounder, Rovman Powell, stole the show with a maiden T20 hundred in the team’s 20-run win over England in the third of their five-match Betway Series at Kensington Oval in Barbados on Wednesday.

Powell smashed a belligerent 107 off 53 balls, including five fours and 10 sixes, to help the home side amass a total of 224-5 off their 20 overs. In the field, Powell took two catches to help the Windies restrict the English to 204-9 and secure a 2-1 lead in the series but it was with his batting that he spoke loudest.

“It means a lot. The last six or seven months have been tough, not getting a lot of runs so it was good for me to get an opportunity tonight and I took it. I hope it’s a breakthrough international performance. It’s just for me now to go back to the drawing board, think about the stuff that I did right and hopefully I can replicate it come Saturday,” Powell said after the game.

Many fans and pundits were left bemused when Powell strode to the crease at number four ahead of Darren Bravo, who batted at that position in the second game, but Powell said that the move was tactical and that he was told of the possibility the night before by captain Kieron Pollard.

“It was to split up the two left-handers. We didn’t want Pooran and Bravo at the crease at the same time, so I was the right-hander that slotted between them. Last night (Tuesday) he told me it's a possibility that I would bat four so I started to think back to some of my good innings and started to come up with a game plan. I think that plan served me well today. When I walked out to bat, I was confident because for the last five months I’ve been working hard and stroking the ball well so that confidence transferred into the game,” he said.

That confidence also comes from a fantastic stint Powell had at the Abu Dhabi T10 League in late 2021 for the Northern Warriors where he scored 305 runs in nine innings at an average of 33.88 with 15 fours and a mammoth 27 sixes.

“I think I’m in very good form. I told the guys I’m sure that I’m one of the best in the world at the moment when it comes to hitting the ball and it started from the T10. When I went there, I just tried to express myself and catch back the eyes of the selectors and now everything is coming to fruition,” he added. West Indies fans are hoping that that form will carry over into the fourth T20I which takes place on Saturday. 

Jamaica’s Alia Atkinson advanced to the final of the Women’s 100m Breaststroke at the FINA World Short Course Swimming Championships in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.

Atkinson was the third fastest qualifier into the semi-finals after Atkinson swimming 1:04.88 in Heat 6 to advance.

She then lined up in semi-final 2 where she swam 1:04.26 to finish second and advance as the fourth fastest qualifier to the final.

The final is scheduled for Monday.

Atkinson is seeking to add to her four previous medals at World Short Course Championships, including three gold and one silver.

Andre Russell crowned himself 2021 Abu Dhabi T10 champion after he produced an electrifying Man-of-the-Match performance to lead the Deccan Gladiators to a 56-run win over the Delhi Bulls on Saturday.

Andre Russell and Odean Smith starred with both bat and ball as the Deccan Gladiators defeated Dwayne Bravos’s Delhi Bulls by 17 runs in the first qualifier of the Abu Dhabi T10 on Friday.

You know things aren’t going well when your team suffers a massive defeat to the worst team in your league.

Rovman Powell is sure to feel that things are definitely not going his way this season when the Northern Warriors lost by 10 wickets to Chennai Braves on Monday in the Abu Dhabi T10 league.

On a personal level, Powell is having a great season. His 294 runs lead the league and his 26 sixes are second only to Liam Livingstone’s 28, but for all his success, Northern Warriors seem incapable of capitalizing.

The Jamaican all-rounder scored 31 runs on Monday from just 13 balls from which he smashed four sixes in his side’s 108 all out in 9.5 overs. He got support from Upul Tharanga, who scored 32 from 14 and Moeen Ali, who got 25 from 15 but Warriors were never able to get on top of Chennai’s bowling led by Ravi Bopara who took 2-6.

Curtis Campher (2-16) and Dasun Shanaka (2-25) did their part to contain Warriors' batsmen.

Chennai’s batsmen took full advantage of the opportunity racing to 114-0 in just 8.3 overs to record their first win of the season.

Mohammad Shahzad raced to 54 from just 29 balls smashing nine fours and two sixes along the way. His opening partner Bhanuka Rajapaksa needed six fewer balls to score 55 that included six fours and four sixes.

Oshane Thomas’ two overs went for 27 while Rayad Emrit’s nine balls cost the Warriors 20 runs as their team lost their seventh match of the season.

Odean Smith’s 11-ball 32 proved instrumental to the Deccan Gladiators’ 19-run victory over Northern Warriors in the Abu Dhabi T10 League on Sunday.

Chris Gayle smashed 52 runs from just 23 balls but Team Abu Dhabi lost by 10 runs to Bangla Tigers in the Abu Dhabi T10 league on Friday.