Abu Dhabi Knight Riders defeated by dominant MI Emirates in ILT20

LONDON: A barnstorming 46 runs off 17 balls from Abu Dhabi Knight Riders’ Andre Russell was not enough to prevent their defeat in the International League T20 on Sunday.

The Jamaican’s knock led his team to 188-5 against a high-flying MI Emirates side, who then produced a batting master class of their own to win the match by eight wickets.

Russell, who hit six sixes in his innings, was supported by Sam Hain (40), Matthew Pepper (38) and Alishan Sharafu (37), in the face of impressive bowling from Fazalhaq Farooqi, who took three wickets for 35 in four overs.

In response, MI Emirates approached the 189 target with aggression from the start, chasing it down with an over to spare and only two wickets down.

Kusal Perera led the charge, scoring 54 runs from 26 balls, and he was ably supported by Nicholas Pooran, who made 33 from 19.

But the standout performance for the MI Emirates was from Muhammad Waseem, who will feel unlucky not to have notched up a century, having to be content with 89 runs from 62 balls.

The comprehensive performance with both bat and ball means the Blue and Golds now have eight points and have extended their lead at the top of the ILT20 League. They hold a four-point lead over Dubai Capitals, Gulf Giants and the Knight Riders.