Dominic Drakes haul helps Delhi Bulls tame Bangla Tigers in Abu Dhabi T10 League

Drakes took 4-9 for Delhi Bulls.
Drakes took 4-9 for Delhi Bulls.

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates,  CMC – Delhi Bulls’ Dominic Drakes led a bowling attack that led to the collapse of the Bangla Tigers’ batting order yesterday, as his side secured a 12-run victory as the Abu Dhabi T10 League continued.

The Barbadian ended with figures of 4-9 in what was the last of the day’s three contests.

Bangla Tigers captain Faf du Plessis had sent Dwayne Bravo’s Delhi Bulls in to bat after winning the coin toss. The Tigers bowlers backed up their captain’s decision with conviction, picking up wickets at regular intervals and restricting the Delhi Bulls to a modest 100/7.

Mohammad Amir, James Faulkner and Luke Fletcher earned two scalps each, while Luke Wood registered the remaining wicket. Only Eoin Morgan put on some resistance from the Bulls’ batting line-up, scoring 35 off 19 deliveries.

But captain Bravo led the way in defending the score, dismissing the dangerous Hazratullah Zazai (8 off 6 balls) and Johnson Charles (3 off 3 balls) in the second over of the innings.

Adil Rashid raced in to support his skipper in the very next over, picking out Will Jacks and Karim Janat cheaply.

With his team struggling at 25/4, Du Plessis came to the crease and arrested the collapse, albeit briefly. The South African scored 26 off 16 deliveries before being caught off Drakes.

Another collapse followed as Drakes picked up James Faulkner, Luke Wood and Vishnu Sukumaran cheaply to end the Bangla Tigers innings at 88/9 in the 10 overs.

Delhi Bulls and Bangla Tigers ended the day tied on 10 points but Tigers are third in the standings because of a superior net run rate. Both teams are among the four that have now qualified for the playoffs.