*Abu Dhabi:* MI Emirates returned to winning ways after securing a seven-wicket win over Abu Dhabi Knight Riders at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Thursday. The win took the side to third on the points table with four points to their name, having won two of their four matches in the DP World ILT20 Season 4.
It was a comprehensive performance with both bat and ball by the MI Emirates, who rode of Fazalhaq Farooqi’s 4 for 14 and Kamindu Mendis’ three wickets in the first innings to bowl them out for 122. Chasing a meagre total, Muhammad Waseem’s quickfire 27 runs off 12 balls, and then Jonny Bairstow’s unbeaten 49 off 38 balls, including seven fours, was enough to take MI Emirates over the line.
Waseem opened the chase in style, smashing three sixes off Khary Pierre in the third over. He looked dangerous, but Ajay Kumar removed him with an edge to the wicketkeeper in the fourth over.
Nicholas Pooran (3 off 6) fell soon after, nicking to Brandon McMullen off Jason Holder, but Bairstow took control. He blasted Kumar for four fours in a 17-run over, and Tom Banton (29 off 20) added a 16-run surge off Olly Stone, including two fours and a six. Their onslaught reduced the target to just 34 runs needed from 66 balls by the ninth over.
Banton and Bairstow’s 64-run stand off 43 balls ended when Pierre had Banton caught by George Garton, but it was only a brief pause. Kamindu Mendis (10* off 7) finished the job with a six off Stone, sealing the win in 13.5 overs.
Sent in to bat first, Abu Dhabi Knight Riders started aggressively through Phil Salt (17 off 9) and Alex Hales (6 off 8), but the momentum faded quickly. Romario Shepherd removed Salt, Farooqi dismissed Hales, and ADKR slipped to 37/2 by the end of the Powerplay. McMullen (15 off 19) managed a lone six before being stumped, while Alishan Sharafu (38 off 34) tried to keep the innings steady amid the fall of wickets.
Mendis tightened the grip further, removing Liam Livingstone (2 off 6). Sherfane Rutherford (7 off 8) showed brief intent with a four off Mendis but edged behind to Pooran in the same over, piling on the pressure.
Sunil Narine (26 off 20) then provided a spark, adding a brisk 36-run stand off 22 balls with Sharafu to revive ADKR’s hopes. But just as momentum returned, Sharafu fell to Rashid Khan, and skipper Jason Holder (2 off 5) soon departed to Farooqi as well.
Narine kept fighting, but another attempted big shot off Zahoor Khan went straight to Mendis. Farooqi then delivered the final blows in the 20th over, removing Khary Pierre (1 off 2) and Ajay Kumar (0 off 2), as MI Emirates bowled out ADKR for 122 in 19.3 overs.
*MI Emirates skipper Kieron Pollard said,* “We needed those points. Of course, we didn’t expect 122, but restricting them to as little as possible was the aim. I thought the guys rebounded pretty well. Last game, we bowled well, too, but we didn’t bat well. Today was a professional effort from everyone. All these things count for nothing if you don’t play good cricket on the day. For us, it is about reminding the guys of what’s important, which is to play cricket consistently and play well.
*Abu Dhabi Knight Riders skipper Jason Holder said,* “We’re still trying to figure things out. 122 was never going to be enough, especially once the dew made batting easier. Many of our guys players got starts but didn’t carry on, and we never built a partnership. Execution has been our biggest issue — we’ve lacked consistency. We began the tournament well with a big score, but since then we haven’t adapted to conditions.”
*Player of the match:* Kamindu Mendis
