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Tom Kohler-Cadmore’s blistering knock of 69 off just 19 balls studded with a shower of eight sixes and four boundaries, and Nuwan Thushara’s deadly four-wicket spell blew away Northern Warriors by eight wickets in the 21st match of the Abu Dhabi T10 at the Zayed Cricket Stadium.
It was another spectacle from Kohler-Cadmore, who had also scored an unbeaten 44 against Chennai Braves in 19 balls with three sixes and five boundaries to ensure his team a ten-wicket win in 6.1 overs. This knock against Northern Warriors was a master class from this England wicket-keeper batsman on how to hit sixes with ease. Each of his eight sixes was hit with immaculate timing and power.
Northern Warriors who were asked to bat first could muster only 100 for 6 due to Thushara’s spell of four wickets for just 12 runs. This win helped Deccan Gladiators unseat Samp Army from the top of the table in just a few minutes after the first match of the day.
Brief scores:
Deccan Gladiators bt Northern Warriors by 8 wkts. Northern Warriors 100 for 6 in 10 overs (James Neesham 31, Angelo Mathews 29, Nuwan Thushara 4 for 12) Deccan Gladiators 104 for 2 in 6.1 overs (Tom Kohler-Cadmore 69n.o)
Player of the Match: Nuwan Thushara
Thushara’s deadly four-wicket spell
Deccan Gladiators won the toss and followed the trend of electing to bowl. Northern Warriors’s opener Kennar Lewis began promisingly by hitting Imad Wasim’s second ball of the first over for a six. Unfortunately, he fell to the second ball of the second over from Nuwan Thushara for 7.
Thushara also went on to clean bowl the dangerous Hazratullah Zazai with the fourth ball through a brilliant yorker for 3. To make matters worse, one-drop Josh Cobb got run out for 1 while going for a second run. James Neeshan hit Trent Boult’s last delivery of the third over for a six over square leg. Luke Wood bowled a tight fourth over giving away only five runs. Zahoor Khan too made it tougher yielding only seven runs and at the halfway stage, Northern Warriors was 33 for 3.
Skipper Angelo Mathews hit Luke Wood for a six-over fine leg. He also hit Zahoor Khan for another six over long-off and a boundary. Those hits steered Northern Warriors past the 50-run mark.
Thushara was re-introduced for the eighth over and he had Mathews caught by Russell at long-on for 29. His knock off 18 balls had one boundary and two sixes. Strangely, after taking Mathews’ wicket, Thushara bowled three continuous wide deliveries but got Azmatullah Omarzai’s lift straight to Russell at long on for 1. Thushara returned with figures of 4 for 12 from his two overs.
UAE’s wicketkeeper-batter Rahul Chopra picked two boundaries and a six off Trent Boult to push the score to 85 for 5 with one over to go. In the last over, Neesham cover drove Russell’s second delivery for a boundary and also hit a six off the third ball over mid-wicket. He was then run out for 31 through a direct hit by Andre Fletcher while attempting a bye. His knock off 23 balls had two boundaries and two sixes. UAE’s Rameez Shahzad, by taking a double to long-on off the last ball, helped his team reach the 100-run mark. Chopra remained unbeaten on 14.
Shower of sixes from Kohler-Cadmore
Tom Kohler-Cadmore displayed his aggressive trait from the first ball of the innings hitting Mathews for a six over mid-wicket. He then went on to hit three more sixes off the last three deliveries. The first six was hit to long-on, the second one went over square leg, and the third to mid-wicket. Twenty-six runs were scored off the first over.
Azmatullah Omarzai kept the aggressive Nicholas Pooran quiet for the first three deliveries of the second over. Kohler-Cadmore got the strike for the fourth ball and hit Omarzai for three consecutive boundaries. The first was to long-off, second hit past backward point and third through the covers.
Pooran hit UAE’s left-arm spinner Sultan Ahmed’s third delivery for a six over extra cover but fell to the fourth delivery hitting to Mathews at extra cover for 7. Andre Fletcher walked in with his team needing 56 more runs to win. Tabraiz Shamsi, who was introduced for the fourth over, saw Kohler-Cadmore hit his second delivery for a boundary to long on and his third delivery sail over long-on for a six.
Kohler-Cadmore also hit his fourth delivery for a six over square leg to reach his half century in 13 balls. He celebrated his half century with another six over square leg and took 25 runs off that over. Fletcher too chipped in with two consecutive boundaries off Sultan Ahmed. By thehalfwayy mark, Deccan Gladiators needed only 18 runs.
Kohler-Cadmore, like his unbeaten 44 against Chennai Braves in his last match, seemed to be in a hurry to win the match. Fletcher hit Shamsi for a six off the first ball of the sixth over but fell to the next, caught by Mathews at mid-off for 18. Kohler-Cadmore hit his eighth six of the innings off Shamsi’s last delivery of the sixth over. For a change, Russell hit a six off Neesham’s first ball of the seventh over, and won the match with 23 balls to spare.
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