Abu Dhabi T10 League 2021: Top five performers of the tournament
The 4th edition of the Abu Dhabi T10 League came to a close on Saturday, with The Northern Warriors clinching the titular clash against the Delhi Bulls by 8 wickets. Throughout the slam-bang league, there were some sensational performances by various individuals, who proved crucial in their team’s success. Let us take a look at the five best performers from the fourth edition –
5. Sohail Akhtar – Qalandars
Leader of Qalandars and the ‘Batsman of the Tournament’, Sohail Akhtar amassed 248 runs in 8 fixtures, at a staggering average of 62 in the league to finish as the leading run-scorer. The right-handed batsmen showed his aggressive side quite a few times, and the 31-ball 71 blitz against the Deccan Gladiators was his most impactful performance. Akhtar slammed 27 fours in the tournament, the highest for any batsmen, whereas he stood 9th in the list of six-hitters with 11 sixes to his name.
4. Nicholas Pooran – Northern Warriors
The power-packed hitter from the Caribbean ended only 7 runs behind Sohail Akhtar’s tally of 248 runs, finishing the tournament with 241 runs, 2 catches, and a stumping in 9 fixtures. The leading six-hitter of the league (26), Pooran’s hitting prowess was on a wide display against the Bangla Tigers, when he smoked 89 from just 27, hitting an incredible 12 sixes in his knock.
All 12 sixes from Nicholas Pooran’s 26-ball 89 in the #AbuDhabiT10 ?
Beast mode ?pic.twitter.com/2FJWwFk6CZ
— Wisden India (@WisdenIndia) February 1, 2021
3. Waseem Muhammad – Northern Warriors
Adjudged as the ‘Player of the Tournament’ after finishing as the fourth-highest run-scorer (212 at 35.33), Waseem Muhammad hogged the limelight when he smoked a 12-ball half-century against the Pune Devils, smacking 7 sixes in the knock, which led his side to chase 98 in merely 4.3 overs. In another one-sided show, he single-handedly won his team a fixture against Team Abu Dhabi, when he whacked 76 from just 34 in a successful chase of 124.
2. Jamie Overton – Team Abu Dhabi
Plying his trade for Team Abu Dhabi, Jamie Overton finished on top of the wicket-taking charts with 12 scalps in 9 matches. His finest show came against the Bangla Tigers when he pushed them into submission by bagging 4 for 24- the third-best bowling figures in the 2021 edition of the tournament – after Team Abu Dhabi had posted 116/3. His controlled spell meant that the Tigers fell short by a fair margin of 21 runs.
Well done @JamieOverton 4-24 & 12* off 6 balls @TeamADCricket ??
Best of luck for the finals ??@surreycricket @mandhcricket pic.twitter.com/btipe6xCng— JATA Management (@jatamanagement) February 4, 2021
1. Fabien Allen – Northern Warriors
With 11 wickets in 9 games, Fabien Allen finished second to only Jamie Overton’s 12 tournament wickets. His Player of the Match spell of 4/13 – the best figures in the tournament this year – in the second Eliminator against Team Abu Dhabi proved crucial in the Warriors’ victory, which eventually led them into the finals. Allen’s bowling strike rate of 5.81 was second to none in the league, and his bowling average of 9.81 stood only behind Shoaib Malik (6).
