Abu Dhabi, UAE – Wednesday 20 November 2019: The Maratha Arabians opened their first game of the Super League Stage with Chris Lynn and Adam Lyth working to craft a magnificent partnership and posting a score of 130 to chase. However, the descent of rain onto Zayed Cricket Stadium led to the abandonment of the match, denying the Karnataka Tuskers a thrilling chase.
Lynn and Lyth continued their rich vein of form, and despite the loss of opener Hazratullah on the first delivery of the innings, the pair continued to survey the field, picking out gaps and expertly guiding a flurry of boundaries to the rope to keep the scoreboard progressing steadily in the first few overs.
As Hashim Amla tinkered with his fielding setup, the Arabians’ batsmen hit top gear as they overpowered the opposition bowlers, smashing an incredible five sixes in nine deliveries. A visibly frustrated Ahmad Raza was shown no mercy by Lyth, who plundered 23 runs from his over including three astronomical sixes that took him to his half century in only 19 deliveries. Zadran finally outsmarted Lyth, with a quicker delivery that bounced up sharply, forcing him to chip the ball to Nathan Rimmington at slip. He trundled off, disappointment etched on his face as he let an opportunity to score a big individual total slip away. Chris Lynn slammed his team into 120s with blistering aggression and speed that the Karnataka Tuskers had no reply for. In spite of the effort of both bowlers and batsmen, the two teams could not overcome the weather, and the covers were pulled on at the commencement of the innings’ break, denying Hashim Amla and his men the opportunity to chase down the total, on a pitch that is providing lots of dramatic and exciting cricketing action.
Karnataka Tuskers’ UAE paceman Ahmed Raza said after the game: “We would have liked another two points, but you can’t control the weather, so we have to walk away with one point. We’re not in a very bad position at this point, as we now end up on three points, and if you look at the tables, quite a few teams are on three, and just a couple at six. If we win our next two games, we’ll be through to the next round.”
Despite the lack of a result, Raza highlighted the importance of the Aldar Properties Abu Dhabi T10 for the development of cricket talent in the UAE saying: “This is a great opportunity for young players looking to break into the UAE national team, to play in front of millions of people with international stars like Dwayne Bravo. There is a massive potential for them to learn from the seniors in the team and develop their game alongside world-class players.”
With rain clearing up, action continues at Zayed Cricket Stadium, with the Northern Warriors meeting the Bangla Tigers, before Team Abu Dhabi clash with the Deccan Gladiators.
