Bangla Tigers 143 for 4 (Cox 90, Thushara 2-22) beat Deccan Gladiators 123 for 3 (Nicholas Pooran 41, Allen 40*, Haider Ali 1-11) by 20 runs
The Jordan Cox show put Bangla Tigers on the board and condemned Deccan Gladiators to their second defeat in three games in the final fixture of the Abu Dhabi T10 league on Thursday.
Cox, after Gladiators had asked Tigers to bat, smashed eight fours and six sixes in a rollicking 36-ball 90 not out that gave Tigers 143 for 4, the highest total in the tournament so far. It became the highest-scoring match of the tournament so far too, as Gladiators gave it a good thump in the chase, putting up 123 for 3 with quick 40s from Nicholas Pooran and Fabian Allen keeping them in the contest, if only just.
There were three ducks in the Tigers innings - Chris Lynn, David Miller and Daniel Sams totaling zero from seven balls between them - but with Cox in marauding form, they didn't have much to worry about. Contributions also came from Kusal Mendis (19 in eight balls) and Dasun Shanaka (25* in 11).
In reply, Gladiators' batting star of the previous two games, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, was dismissed cheaply, but Andre Fletcher (17 in five balls) and Pooran kept them going. After Pooran was dismissed for a 17-ball 41, with Gladiators 72 away with 4.5 overs left, it was game on. But Andre Russell's 11 not out took 17 balls, and despite Allen's 40 not out in 16 balls, Gladiators ended well short.
Shamsi and Zazai take Northern Warriors to the top of the table
Northern Warriors 106 for 0 (Zazai 52*, Lewis 46*) beat Team Abu Dhabi 103 for 7 (Banton 33, Shamsi 2-17) by 10 wickets
Tabraiz Shamsi's wristspin and some power-hitting from openers Kennar Lewis and Hazratullah Zazai lifted Northern Warriors to the top of the table with a thumping 10-wicket win against Team Abu Dhabi.
Abu Dhabi started off on the right note when their English openers Tom Banton and Alex Hales raced to 39 in under four overs but Shamsi truck to have Banton hole out off a slog sweep. Once Colin Ingram fell for 10 two overs later, Abu Dhabi struggled to get sizeable partnerships going as Shamsi removed Hales as well and only one of their next four batters dismissed reached double digits. Asif Khan scored a quick 19 off seven with two sixes to help Abu Dhabi reach 103 for 7.
Lewis and Zazai crossed that target with an over to spare, facing 27 balls each of which 10 reached the boundary rope and five went over. While Lewis remained not out on 46, Zazai reached his fifty with a winning six over long-on.
Janat, Moeen, Gous, du Plessis get Samp Army off the mark
Samp Army 99 for 3 (Gous 43, du Plessis 31) beat Chennai Braves 97 for 7 (Asalanka 31, Janat 2-15, Moeen 2-17) by seven wickets
Two wickets apiece from Karim Janat and Moeen Ali kept Chennai Braves to 97 for 7 before Samp Army's openers Andries Gous and Faf du Plessis put on a rapid fifty stand to script a seven-wicket win with one ball to spare.
Jason Holder and Janat first combined to reduce Braves to 6 for 2 in the second over before three wickets in the fifth over, including a run out, placed them on 27 for 6. Charith Asalanka, however, smoked a counter-attacking 31 off 13 before unbeaten cameos from Aayan Afzal Khan and Bhanuka Rajapaksa stretched them to a more respectable total, even as Holder finished with stunning figures of 2-0-8-1.
Gous and du Plessis scored at a good clip at the top and even though du Plessis and Moeen fell in successive overs, the quick start meant Samp Army needed 30 runs off the last three, which Najibullah Zadran ensured they scored by hitting a winning six on the penultimate ball of the game.