LONDON: The Dubai Capitals pulled off a blistering run-chase to beat the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the International League T20 in Dubai on Thursday.
The odds of the Capitals overhauling the Knight Riders’ 183-4 looked slim when captain David Warner was trapped leg-before-wicket by David Willey after just two balls.
But recovery knocks from Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who scored 21 off seven balls, and Jake Fraser-McGurk, who departed on 41 from 17 balls after being caught and bowled by Andre Russell, steadied the Capitals’ ship.
After the powerplay, Sam Billings and Sikandar Raza were in sparkling form to take up the mantle and guide the team to victory, the former notching up his second successive 50 in the ILT20 competition.
Although they impressed with the bat, it was a disappointing bowling performance from the Knight Riders, who never broke through after the powerplay. They now slump to the bottom of the table following a second straight defeat.
The victory for the Capitals puts the Dubai franchise level on points and joint first with MI Emirates.
“My first message (to the team) was to be brave, to express yourselves and not to second-guess, have a clear mind and that is when you get into a good frame of mind and build momentum,” Capitals skipper Warner said.
“The boys stayed calm, the way they came back outside of the powerplay was brilliant. With two set batters, we executed very well,” he said.
Knight Riders captain Sunil Narine bemoaned evening dew in the UAE for a lack of firepower in his team’s bowling attack.
“We batted well, it was a good total. Picking up early wickets would have been key. The batters had a chat, they stuck to their plans and it helped that we did not lose wickets in clusters,” he said.
“Bowling second, with the amount of dew, there is not a lot you can do, we still need to execute better. Had we done that, it would have been a different run-chase, hopefully we learn as quickly as possible,” he said.
For Zimbabwean Raza, doing some research on his teammates, some of whom he is playing with the for the first time, helps the batting unit perform.
Zimbabwean Sikandar Raza shared his thoughts on his teammates and what life is like under captain David Warner. (Supplied)
“I do my homework on all the players in the squad,” he said earlier on Thursday ahead of the game.
“Jake (Fraser-McGurk) has had a fantastic BBL, Max (Holden) has had a great County season as well, UAE wicketkeeper-batter Vrittya (Aravind) has hit back-to-back centuries against Nepal.
“So, as a senior, you show your support by approaching these players and giving them confidence, letting them know that you are tracking their progress,” he said.
Raza also shared his thoughts on how the ILT20 will benefit the UAE players.
“Having such domestic leagues will help the young players learn better and quicker. The UAE players have a real chance of building a good cricket team; it’s because of leagues like the ILT20 that they are getting to rub shoulders with some of the best cricketers in the world.”
The all-rounder also showered praise on the Capitals’ skipper Warner, and the way the Australian carries himself in the dressing room.
“It’s lovely to play in the same team as David Warner. Since he has joined the team, I have been trying to learn as much as I can from him, he has a great understanding of the game, and as a captain, he’s quite calm and very informative,” he said.
