Opener Andre Fletcher’s quick-fire knock went in vain as the Warriors bowlers delivered an excellent performance to beat the Pakhtoons by 22 runs in the final of the second edition of the T10 League at Sharjah on Sunday.
Chasing a target of 141 runs, all eyes were on skipper Shahid Afridi who had been in brilliant form throughout the tournament. However, the 38-year-old failed to make his presence felt, departing cheaply for just seventeen runs following an inch-perfect delivery by South African bowler Hardus Viljoen.
Fletcher attempted to set the stage for the Pakhtoons with an 18 ball 37 comprising of two boundaries and four sixes.
However, his dismissal proved costly with the remaining batsmen failing to put up much of a fight. Afridi and Colin Ingram departed cheaply for 17 runs and a duck respectively, making a Northern Warriors victory all the more certain.
Australian spinner Chris Green and Hardus Viljoen were the key bowlers, picking two wickets apiece at an economical rate. West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell further chipped in with a wicket despite proving expensive.
Earlier, Rovman Powell (61) and Andre Russell (38) made their presence felt with quality performances to ensure a formidable total of 140/3 within 10 overs.
Matchday Lineups:
Northern Warriors: Lendl Simmons, Nicholas Pooran, Rovman Powell, Andre Russell, Darren Sammy, Khary Pierre, Ravi Bopara, Hardus Viljoen, Imran Haider, Chris Green, Wahab Riaz
Pakhtoons: Andre Fletcher, Cameron Delport, Shafiqullah Shafiq, Colin Ingram, Muhammad Kaleem, Shahid Afridi, Liam Dawson, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Sohail Khan, RP Singh, Mohammad Irfan
Source: Zee News