Jason Roy produced a classy unbeaten 84 as Chennai Braves clinched a nervy four-run win over Team Abu Dhabi at the Abu Dhabi T10 on Wednesday.
The England international held his team together at the Zayed Cricket Stadium with a 39-ball knock that included six fours and seven sixes pushing them to 115-4, with only one other player reaching double figures.
Roy shared a 40-run stand for the opening wicket with Kobe Herft (14), who became the first of two victims for Abu Dhabi captain Dwaine Pretorius.
The opener would remain calm and composed as he dominated strike and smacked the Abu Dhabi bowlers around the ground.
In reply, Leus du Plooy (47 not out) and Colin Ingram (20 not out) kept Abu Dhabi in the hunt despite regularly losing wickets.
Openers Kyle Mayers and Alex Hales were out for 18 and 13, respectively, while Tom Banton (two) and Asif Khan (four) also fell cheaply.
Abu Dhabi were left needing 22 off the final over from West Indian pacer Obed McCoy and Du Plooy gave then hope cracking a four and two sixes but the South African could not supply the maximum needed off the last ball to win.
“It was a very good wicket and fast outfield and whatever runs you got on the board made all the difference, and of course the boys played really well for a first game,” said player of the match Roy.
“First up was a tough match with just two days together as a team. Hopefully we can take this form forward.”
Earlier, Delhi Bulls started their campaign with a win. They thrashed two-time champions Deccan Gladiators by nine wickets with nine balls to spare chasing down 120.
Quinton de Kock and Johnson Charles provided the Bulls' platform with a blazing 73 off 30 balls before their captain Rovman Powell gatecrashed the party with a quick-fire 12-ball 31 not out to ease their side over the line.
Player of the match De Kock smashed four sixes and three fours in a 26-ball unbeaten 50 while Charles hit 36 off 13, thumping five fours and a couple of sixes, including four fours and a six from five Zahoor Khan deliveries.
The Gladiators, electing to bat, posted 120-2 after a 64-run stand for the opening wicket between Tom Kohler-Cadmore (42 off 21) and Andre Fletcher (34 off 20).
In the late game, New York Strikers bounced back from their opening game loss to Deccan Gladiators by defeating Bangla Tigers by eight wickets.
Keiron Pollard’s side electing to field first, restricting the Tigers’ to 101-7 with Jordan Cox top scoring with 38 off 17 balls, while Sri Lankan all-rounder Chamika Karunaratne claimed 3-22.
The Strikers then knocked off the winning runs with 14 balls to spare. Kusal Perera struck a 20-ball unbeaten 50 and shared a 58-run stand for the second wicket with Muhammad Waseem, who belted 22 off 41.
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
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Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
Third Test
Result: India won by 203 runs
Series: England lead five-match series 2-1
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Results:
6.30pm: Handicap (Turf) | US$175,000 2,410m | Winner: Bin Battuta, Christophe Soumillon (jockey), Saeed bin Suroor (trainer)
7.05pm: UAE 1000 Guineas Trial Conditions (Dirt) | $100,000 | 1,400m | Winner: Al Hayette, Fabrice Veron, Ismail Mohammed
7.40pm: Handicap (T) | $145,000 | 1,000m | Winner: Faatinah, Jim Crowley, David Hayes
8.15pm: Dubawi Stakes Group 3 (D) | $200,000 | 1,200m | Winner: Raven’s Corner, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
8.50pm: Singspiel Stakes Group 3 (T) | $200,000 | 1,800m | Winner: Dream Castle, Christophe Soumillon, Saeed bin Suroor
9.25pm: Handicap (T) | $175,000 | 1,400m | Winner: Another Batt, Connor Beasley, George Scott
