Abu Dhabi:MI Emirates displayed their all-round abilities to secure a commanding 35-run win over the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Saturday’s first match. The side successfully defended a target of 187/4, moving to second on the points table in the process.
Nicholas Pooran’s quickfire and unbeaten 40 off just 24 balls included two fours and two sixes. He complemented the MI Emirates’ top order led by Jonny Bairstow (38 off 16), Muhammad Waseem (37 off 36) and Tom Banton (38 off 28). With the ball, key overs in the middle from Zahoor Khan, who finished with three for 16, and Arab Gul, ensured that the Knight Riders could not settle in the second innings.
For the Knight Riders, McMullen’s unbeaten 64 off 49 balls and Hales’ 40 off 27 were the only bright spots.
The Knight Riders made a strong start to the chase, with McMullen and Hales firmly in control after Phil Salt (6 off 4) was bowled by Allah Ghazanfar in the second over. The pair found boundaries regularly, kept the required rate in check and guided ADKR to 59/1 at the end of the powerplay.
McMullen continued to anchor the innings, but Arab struck at a crucial moment to remove Hales in the 10th over, just as the 82-run partnership off 54 balls threatened to take the game away. Although ADKR reached the halfway mark well placed, needing 92 from the final 10 overs, the momentum began to swing.
The chase unravelled between overs 11 and 15 as MI Emirates tightened the screws through Zahoor and Arab. Zahoor’s decisive 13th over saw Sherfane Rutherford (5 off 9) and Liam Livingstone (1 off 3) dismissed, while Andre Russell (0 off 3) fell cheaply to Arab. With boundaries drying up, McMullen fought on to a gritty fifty, but the asking rate ballooned to 73 off the final five overs.
Any hopes of a late revival were extinguished when Zahoor claimed his third wicket, dismissing Sunil Narine (6 off 12). McMullen continued his lone resistance, while Alishan Sharafu’s unbeaten 15 off 10 offered only brief consolation as ADKR closed on 152/7.
Earlier, MI Emirates set the platform through a blistering start from Jonny Bairstow, who smashed 38 off 16 balls with five fours and two sixes. Muhammad Waseem provided stability, rotating strike effectively before Bairstow was trapped LBW by Ajay Kumar in the fifth over, leaving MI at 53/1 after the powerplay.
The innings was consolidated by Waseem and Tom Banton (38 off 28), who added 50 runs through the middle overs while maintaining a steady scoring rate. Piyush Chawla broke the stand in the 12th over, but Banton briefly upped the tempo before falling in the 15th.
MI Emirates then accelerated at the death, with Pooran and Kieron Pollard (28 off 16) powering a decisive 62-run partnership off 32 balls. Their assault yielded 44 runs in the final three overs, lifting MI Emirates to an imposing 187/4.
*Player of the match Zahoor Khan said,* “I’m extremely pleased with my performance. The support from the MI Emirates management has been outstanding and has played a big role in our success. Having spent a lot of time playing cricket in the UAE, I understand these conditions well, and it was satisfying to see that experience contribute to a match-winning performance.”
*Abu Dhabi Knight Riders skipper Jason Holder said,* “187 was a competitive but chaseable total on this surface, and at the halfway stage we felt we were in a strong position. However, losing wickets in clusters during the middle overs completely stalled our momentum. We came into this game with confidence after two wins and were cruising at one point, but a few errors cost us dearly.”
