Team Abu Dhabi finally got their act together to win at the seventh attempt, ending their campaign in the Abu Dhabi T10 on a high at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Thursday.
The hosts' success was also a bitter pill for the losing team, Delhi Bulls, who missed out on a place in the play-offs, leaving Bangla Tigers to join New York Strikers, Morrisville Samp Army, and the defending champions Deccan Gladiators to battle it out for the seventh edition of the title.
The Bulls, electing to take first lease of the wicket, posted 97 for three, with Adam Lyth (39no off 24) and Rovman Powell (31 off 20) chipping in with useful scores.
In reply, Kyle Mayers and Tom Banton gave Abu Dhabi a flying start with a 52-run stand from 26 balls before the latter was forced to retire on 15 after being hit on the shoulder by Afghan quick Naveen ul Haq.
Mayers blasted away for a 30-ball 60 that included five mighty hits out of the ground and an equal number of fours. However, the left-handed opener fell to local lad Wasim Akram three runs short of the target.
With two deliveries left in that over, Alex Hales crossed over for a single and then Colin Ingram flicked a low full toss to the fine leg fence for the Abu Dhabi dugout to erupt in celebration.
“Obviously it was a relief to finally get a win. Prior to tonight, we were a good quality team with good players. I think we let ourselves down a bit, I just wanted to show we can actually play cricket,” Dwaine Pretorius, the Abu Dhabi captain, said.
“What I like and don’t like at the same time is how fast and quickly this format moves. There’s a lot of games on a lot of days.
“Unfortunately, we got on the wrong side of the fixtures this year, we had four games up front. If we had won that first game (against Chennai Braves) which we lost by three runs, then it might have been different.
“We just couldn’t change the momentum. That’s tough, but if you get on a roll, that’s what you want. The games come thick and fast. It’s awesome, fast-moving, 90 minutes, I really enjoy this format, it’s really, really cool.”
The Tigers, playing the first of the three games on the night, moved into the top four places with victory over the Braves.
They posted 126 for five with Robin Uthappa, playing his first game in the tournament, smashing three fours and a six for a 14 ball 20.
Kusal Mendis (32 off 15, two sixes and two fours) and Dasun Shanaka (34 off 15, two sixes and three fours) featured in a fine 55-run partnership for the fifth wicket for the Tigers to put a challenging score on the board.
The Tigers’ captain Benny Howell rounded off his team’s innings with a couple of sixes and a four in the three deliveries he faced.
The Braves, in reply, made 99 for eight with only Charith Asalanka showing any kind of response with a fighting 55. His 28-ball knock contained eight hits to the fence and two clearing the rope.
“We had to make sure we won the game first and foremost,” Howell said. “We got to 126 and it was a pretty good team performance with the two Sri Lankans in the middle to get a pretty good total on that wicket."
Meanwhile, in the late game, Samp Army beat the Strikers for their sixth win on the trot to finish top of the table. The two sides will now meet again in the first qualifier.
Samp Army dismissed the Strikers for 71 with Bas de Leede returning figures of 3-13, and then knocked off the runs in seven overs for the loss of four wickets.
Shubh Mangal Saavdhan
Directed by: RS Prasanna
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Bhumi Pednekar
The biog
Favourite food: Tabbouleh, greek salad and sushi
Favourite TV show: That 70s Show
Favourite animal: Ferrets, they are smart, sensitive, playful and loving
Favourite holiday destination: Seychelles, my resolution for 2020 is to visit as many spiritual retreats and animal shelters across the world as I can
Name of first pet: Eddy, a Persian cat that showed up at our home
Favourite dog breed: I love them all - if I had to pick Yorkshire terrier for small dogs and St Bernard's for big
DUBAI%20BLING%3A%20EPISODE%201
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Scoreline
Bournemouth 2
Wilson 70', Ibe 74'
Arsenal 1
Bellerin 52'
More on Quran memorisation:
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Jetour T1 specs
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Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
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The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 502hp at 7,600rpm
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Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
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The Kingfisher Secret
Anonymous, Penguin Books
Salah in numbers
€39 million: Liverpool agreed a fee, including add-ons, in the region of €39m (nearly Dh176m) to sign Salah from Roma last year. The exchange rate at the time meant that cost the Reds £34.3m - a bargain given his performances since.
13: The 25-year-old player was not a complete stranger to the Premier League when he arrived at Liverpool this summer. However, during his previous stint at Chelsea, he made just 13 Premier League appearances, seven of which were off the bench, and scored only twice.
57: It was in the 57th minute of his Liverpool bow when Salah opened his account for the Reds in the 3-3 draw with Watford back in August. The Egyptian prodded the ball over the line from close range after latching onto Roberto Firmino's attempted lob.
7: Salah's best scoring streak of the season occurred between an FA Cup tie against West Brom on January 27 and a Premier League win over Newcastle on March 3. He scored for seven games running in all competitions and struck twice against Tottenham.
3: This season Salah became the first player in Premier League history to win the player of the month award three times during a term. He was voted as the division's best player in November, February and March.
40: Salah joined Roger Hunt and Ian Rush as the only players in Liverpool's history to have scored 40 times in a single season when he headed home against Bournemouth at Anfield earlier this month.
30: The goal against Bournemouth ensured the Egyptian achieved another milestone in becoming the first African player to score 30 times across one Premier League campaign.
8: As well as his fine form in England, Salah has also scored eight times in the tournament phase of this season's Champions League. Only Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, with 15 to his credit, has found the net more often in the group stages and knockout rounds of Europe's premier club competition.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
