The final of a wonderfully contested T10 league concluded recently with tournament’s most consistent side, the Northern Warriors lifting the trophy at the end of it. Their flamboyant skipper, Nicholas Pooran led from the front, blasting the bowlers to different sides of the Sheikh Zayed Stadium at Abu Dhabi. It is his inspirational show which got the best out of his team, who performed exceptionally well, be it while defending or chasing a total. While we were familiar with plenty of players at the league, there were some we hadn’t heard of and did fantastically well for their respective sides.
A few of them showcased their prowess in all the 3 departments i.e. batting, bowling and fielding and lived up to the tag of a three-dimensional cricketer. In the below piece, we look at 5 lesser-known players at the league, who left their stellar impact behind:
1. Sohail Akhtar
This right-handed batsman from Pakistan played a crucial role for his side Qalandars at the league. He smashed 248 runs from 8 games at an average of 62 and an excellent strike rate of 187.87.
His best score came against the Deccan Gladiators during the 12th game of the league, as a part of the Group B fixtures. The Gladiators, who won the toss, invited the Qalandars for batting, who went onto post 118-3 in their 10 overs. Akhtar was the showstopper with the bat in hand, hammering 71(31).
As it turned out, the Gladiators could only manage 85-8 in return, losing the contest by 33 runs. Jordan was impressive with the ball, scalping 3-8 from his 2 overs.
2. Tom Kohler-Cadmore
A talented batsman from England, who opened the innings for the Pune Devils, Cadmore was indeed the find of the league. He struck 206 runs from 6 games at an average of 41.20 and strike rate of 206.
His highest score came against Team Abu Dhabi during the 10th game of the league, as a part of the Group B fixtures. Put in to bat first, the Devils posted a total of 129-4 in their 10 overs on the back of an aggressive innings of 61(25) by Cadmore. Windies quick, McCoy was the pick of the bowler with figures of 2-9.
Team Abu Dhabi is inspired by what their opposition did, chased it down by 5 wickets and 9 balls to spare, owing to Overton’s brisk cameo of 38(11) and Clarke’s 29(9). Viljoen led the bowling attack for the Devils with figures of 3-36.
3. Zahoor Khan
A right-arm medium pacer from UAE, Khan stole the limelight playing for the Deccan Gladiators at the T10 league. He had scalped 6 wickets from 6 games at an average of 15.16 and economy rate of 8.27.
His best bowling figures came against Team Abu Dhabi during the 6th game of the league, as a part of the Group B fixtures. Gladiators while bowling first, restricted Team Abu Dhabi for a score of 95-9 in their 10 overs on the back of a wonderful spell of bowling by Khan, who picked 3-13.
Given the nature of the format and conduciveness for batting, the Gladiators chased the total down by 6 wickets and 2 balls to spare, owing to a well-made 40(24) by Delport. Overton was magical with the ball for Abu Dhabi, finishing with figures of 3-18.
4. Karim Janat
A medium pacer from Afghanistan, Janat was very effective in the 2 overs that he bowled for the Bangla Tigers. He had picked 6 wickets from 6 games at an average of 19.33 and economy rate of 11.60 at the T10 league.
His best spell was produced against the Northern Warriors during the 11th game of the league, as a part of the Group A fixtures. Warriors, who were put in to bat first, piled up plenty of runs on the board, ending their innings at 162-4 on the back of a whirlwind knock of 89(26) by Pooran. Janat, however, stood out for the bowling side, picking up 2-18 in his 2 overs.
The target was an imposing one and inspite of the Bangla Tigers giving it their best shot, fell short by 30 runs, who could reach their owing to efforts from Fletcher and Suri, who smacked 53(28) and 42(16) respectively.
5. Joe Clarke
A middle-order batsman from England, Clarke did the bulk of the scoring for Team Abu Dhabi at the T10 league. He plundered 177 runs from 8 games at an average of 29.50 and strike rate of 194.50.
His best knock was mustered against Northern Warriors during the 14th game, as a part of the Super League fixtures. Abu Dhabi, who batted first, posted 123-3 in their 10 overs on the back of a gritty innings by Clarke, who scored 50(24) and Duckett who managed 31(17).
Considering their batting might in the tournament, the Warriors achieved the target by 8 wickets, playing out the entire quota of 10 overs in the process. Muhammad was the star with the bat in hand, slamming 76(34) to take them through while Overton, yet again, hogged the limelight with figures of 2-25.
