Abu Dhabi, UAE – Thursday 21 November 2019: Chris Lynn has delivered another knock-out blow, with a magnificent performance as his Maratha Arabians climbed up the Super League table into first place with his team’s win over the Delhi Bulls. Lynn’s thrilling innings, combined with disciplined bowling from the experienced trio of Lasith Malinga, Mitchell McClenaghan and Dwayne Bravo, consigned the Delhi Bulls to another defeat.
Lynn once again was hungry for runs, and carved out boundaries with effortless swings of his bat, punishing David Willey and Mohammad Nabi as he raced to 37 runs in 13 balls. Lynn took the 200th six of the match, reaching a half century in a short 18 balls with a heave toward deep square leg. After one of Hazratullah’s big swinging shots was caught, Adam Lyth joined Lynn, and the Arabians shot to 73 midway through their innings. Adil Rashid’s torrid time with the ball continued, and was given no reprieve by the rampant Lynn who smashed three consecutive sixes of some loose deliveries by the England spinner.
The wickets of Najibullah and Lyth fell, but crucially for Maratha Arabians, and much to the frustration of Delhi Bulls, those were not the wickets they desperately needed. However, they struck gold in the very next delivery, as Lynn was impressively caught by David Willey, agonisingly denying him the chance to become the first batsmen in T10 history to score a century as he closed on his destructive innings scoring 89 from 33. A cameo innings by Dasun Shanaka, which included two fours and six of the final three deliveries of the innings, ensured his team set 147 runs for Delhi Bulls to chase, the highest total of the tournament yet.
A quick start to the innings was imperative for the Bulls, as Kusal Perera and Paul Stirling looked to maximise boundaries through the Powerplay, as they managed to gain 16 runs from the first over. Perera took up the role of taking the game to the bowlers as he showed great fluency to pick up numerous boundaries, keeping the required run rate manageable for his team. Pressure from the Maratha Arabians’ bowlers finally led to the wicket of an out-of-sorts Paul Stirling, whose uneasy innings came to end as he gloved behind to Chadwick Walton.
A disciplined bowling attack tempered the advances of Rutherford and Perera and restricted them from runs as the required run rate began to spiral out of the reach of the chasing Bulls, reaching 20.00 as the batsman struggled at 10 runs per over. Despite a defiant knock from Rutherford, caught on 48, Eoin Morgan’s late arrival to the crease could not prevent his team from falling to another loss, leaving their chance to progress to the next round hanging by a thread as Maratha Arabians cruised to a crushing 30 run win.
Man of the Match Chris Lynn said: “Obviously, aggressive cricket is a brand that our team play. My philosophy is to keep my batting simple, and not over complicate things. That makes the team successful in T10, because we don’t divert from that.”
Speaking following his team’s defeat despite a spirited chase, Delhi Bulls’ Coach Stephen Fleming said: “I’m learning a lot in this new format. It’s a fantastic opportunity to unearth new and emerging talent, and also I’m optimistic about the future of T10. Like with every franchise league, it is going to take some time to develop strategies and formulas specific to the demands of the game, especially in the bowling department”.
The night’s action continues with Karnataka Tuskers battling against Team Qalandars at 17:45, followed by Shane Watson’s Deccan Gladiators entering the arena against Darren Sammy’s Northern Warriors.
About Abu Dhabi T10
Abu Dhabi T10 is a professional ten-over format cricket league launched by T10 Sports Management and licensed by the Emirates Cricket Board and approved by the International Cricket Council (ICC), the governing body of international cricket. It is the first ever internationally approved ten-over format league.
Matches have 10-over-a-side format and duration of 45 minutes a side, totalling 90 minutes of play. The tournament is played over ten days, with a round robin followed by semi-finals and the final. In August 2018, the International Cricket Council (ICC) officially sanctioned the league.
About Abu Dhabi Cricket
Abu Dhabi Cricket (ADC) is supported by Abu Dhabi Sports Council and operates under the patronage of His Excellency Sheikh Nahayan Bin Mubarak Al Nahayan.
ADC is ushering in an exciting new era of cricket in Abu Dhabi with significant investment in facilities and operational upgrades. In addition to the iconic Zayed Cricket Stadium the venue now boasts the following impressive facilities: 2 x floodlit nursery cricket ovals, international standard cricket nets facility, 4 x floodlit netball courts, 5-a-side “Soccer City”, 4 x multi-purpose floodlit AstroTurf pitches and 5 x FIFA approved grass, floodlit football pitches.
ADC was founded on 20th November 1996, with the impressive Zayed Cricket Stadium, considered among the world’s best, being completed in 2005. The Stadium’s inaugural international match was staged between India and Pakistan in April 2006 and was attended by 20,000 enthusiastic fans.
Zayed Cricket Stadium has hosted numerous domestic and international matches since that day. The electric atmosphere of the Pakistan vs. India match was rivalled when the Indian Premier League arrived in 2014.
2018 saw the stadium’s biggest season to date with over 75,000 fans flooding the stands throughout the 2018 ACC Asia Cup, Pakistan vs. Australia series, Pakistan vs. New Zealand series and of course the inaugural Abu Dhabi T20 – during which six of the world’s biggest T20 franchises descended upon the UAE capital to vie for championship honours.
Though cricket is at the core of operations, ADC also prides itself on the world-class facilities available, catering to sportsmen and women of all ages and abilities from elite international players to community sports enthusiasts.
In addition to the international cricket season that was, ADC has also welcomed and hosted the likes of the England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) England Lions for their 2018 tour of the UAE, New Zealand’s All Black 7s and Black Fern 7s rugby teams ahead of the Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby 7s (of which both teams emerged champions) and Japan, Oman, Syria, China, Yemen, Iran, Thailand, India and South Korea’s football training camps ahead of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.
The facility has also been used by several other international associations as a winter training destination, most notably many professional English County teams who return year after year for their pre-season camps.
The recent investments to develop the facility have truly ensured that ADC is known for more than cricket. Indeed, Abu Dhabi Cricket has become the home for a range of coaching academies, clubs, groups and schools for football, touch rugby, netball, basketball, squash and much more.
About Abu Dhabi Sports Council
Abu Dhabi Sports Council (ADSC) was established in 2006 by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.
ADSC is aligned with the emirate’s leadership vision to develop sport and youth activities. The Council promotes an effective, emirate-wide sports calendar that stimulates the desire to participate in quality sports among all Abu Dhabi residents and helps the talented and motivated reach their sporting potential.
The Council also hosts and supports the staging of international world-class sporting events. These include: the annual Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship presented by EGA; the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix; the ITU World Triathlon Series; the Gary Player Invitational; the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open on the Ladies European Tour, the Red Bull Air Race; the Mubadala World Tennis Championship; the 2017 and 2018 FIFA Club World Cups UAE; the 2019 AFC Asian Cup UAE and the UCI WorldTour event, The UAE Tour.
We at ADSC firmly believe that sporting events deliver a host of benefits for the emirate and its residents. These span improved health and wellness, the building of community spirit, the discovering of local talent and the delivery of international exposure of the emirate as a world-class sporting events hub.
