In a gripping showdown during the ongoing US Masters T10 League match at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground in Lauderhill, Florida on Thursday (August 2), former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan exhibited his cricketing skills in the decisive final over. This exceptional display of talent led the California Knights to a hard-earned 5-run triumph over the Atlanta Riders.
The Knights, having won the toss, opted to bat first. However, their innings got off to a rocky start as Aaron Finch was dismissed for a paltry 2 runs by Amila Aponso. Nevertheless, Milind Kumar injected some much-needed vigor with a boundary and a six in the very same over. The iconic Jacques Kallis also joined the offensive, hammering three boundaries off Kamrul Islam in the third over.
Nonetheless, Milind fell to Mohammad Irfan after contributing a brisk 19 runs off 12 balls in the fifth over. This setback left the Knights at 42/2. Following this hiccup, Kallis and Ricardo Powell partnered to establish an unbroken alliance of 52 runs, pushing the Knights’ tally to 94/2 within their allocated 10 overs. Kallis delivered a commendable 38 runs off 27 balls, while Powell compiled 33 off 18 deliveries.
In response, the Riders, under the leadership of skipper Robin Uthappa, encountered an early setback as Uthappa was dismissed after scoring 16 runs off 9 balls in the second over. Lendl Simmons emerged as the leading run-scorer for the Riders with a well-crafted 37 runs off 21 balls. Hamilton Masakadza also made a noteworthy contribution, accumulating 20 runs off 11 balls. He elevated the scoring rate by plundering Ben Laughlin for 14 runs off three deliveries, reducing the required runs to nine off six balls.
Also READ: Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s 151-run masterclass against Pakistan in the 2nd ODI propels him past MS Dhoni and Babar Azam
Pathan’s death over brilliance seals the deal for knights
In a critical juncture of the fixture, with 9 runs required from the last 6 deliveries, the responsibility to bowl these pivotal balls fell on the experienced shoulders of former Indian all-rounder, Pathan.
His initial delivery drifted wide, then came a dot ball. The following two deliveries produced just one run each, and on the fourth ball, he secured the crucial dismissal of Masakadza. On the very next delivery, Pakistan’s Hammad Azam was run out, leaving Atlanta with the challenge of scoring 6 runs for a victory. But, Pathan bowled with exceptional precision to Dwayne Smith, finishing the over with a critical dot ball and securing a thrilling 5-run victory for his team.
Here’s the video:
Match-winning last over produced by Mr. Pathan! 😎⚡#USMastersT10 #CricketsFastestFormat #T10League #SunshineStarsSixes pic.twitter.com/PFir5VpWvW
— US Masters T10 (@USMastersT10) August 24, 2023
Also WATCH: Yusuf Pathan’s jaw-dropping one-handed six grabs the spotlight in US Masters T10 League
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