Rovman Powell delivered one of the standout knocks of the season, an unbeaten 96 off 52 balls, as the Dubai Capitals crushed the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders by 83 runs, their second-biggest win in the tournament’s history.
Early stutters at 43/3 were erased through a superb 119-run stand between Powell and Jordan Cox (52). Powell later unleashed in the final over, hammering Andre Russell for two sixes and two fours.
We just didn’t want to get stagnant… Narine and Chawla are world-class, so it was important to fight them off and then let the fast bowling come naturally.
Abu Dhabi’s chase never left the runway. Willey and Mustafizur reduced them to 10/3, and despite Phil Salt’s 27 and brief hitting from Russell, Waqar Salamkheil’s 4 for 29 and Nabi’s control wrapped things up in 15.3 overs.
We didn’t play our best cricket… Powell and Cox’s partnership took the game away from us.
Shepherd’s Late Burst and Death-Over Calm Lift MI Emirates to Four-Run Thriller
In Sharjah, MI Emirates held their nerve to edge the Sharjah Warriorz by four runs, thanks to Romario Shepherd’s remarkable all-round display.
Shepherd first blasted 31 off 10 balls*, including four sixes, to lift MI to 185 after Adil Rashid’s triple-strike had threatened to derail the innings. Bairstow (37) and Waseem (39) kept the top order steady, while Tom Banton added a crucial 32.
The Warriorz chase swung dramatically. After early wickets, Tom Kohler-Cadmore (51) and Sikander Raza (64) built a 103-run partnership that had MI wobbling. But 17-year-old Allah Ghazanfar flipped the match with a brilliant two-wicket maiden, removing Raza and Pretorius in consecutive balls. Shepherd then defended 11 in the final over, closing out the match with ice-cold precision.
Before the final ball I told him, don’t change anything. His late surge gave us momentum, and Ghazanfar’s over was the turning point.
Warriorz captain Tim Southee praised his side’s fight: “Both teams were in it till the end… Our bowling improved, but ideally you want someone set at the end of a chase. Credit to MI for holding on.”
Brief Scores: Dubai Capitals beat Abu Dhabi Knight Riders by 83 runs. DC 186/4 (Powell 96*, Cox 52; Holder 2/30) ADKR 103 all out (Salt 27; Salamkheil 4/29, Willey 2/13) Player of the Match: Rovman Powell
MI Emirates beat Sharjah Warriorz by 4 runs. MI Emirates 185/8 (Waseem 39, Bairstow 37; Rashid 3/32) Sharjah Warriorz 181/7 (Raza 64, Kohler-Cadmore 51; Ghazanfar 2/21) Player of the Match: Romario Shepherd.
