The Knights clashed against the MI Emirates in the Abu Dhabi Derby at the Zayed Cricket Stadium. After a nearly-perfect victory last evening against the Vipers, ADKR were looking to replicate a similar result against MIE. The Knights looked to continue the winning momentum and clinch yet another victory. The fans were excited to cheer on as their favorite knights looked to bag the win for their side.
ADKR were put into bat first and made a positive and aggressive start to the innings. Pepper and Clarke came out with positive intent and scored some great shots. Alishan Sharafu carried his form from yesterday and scored a quick-fire innings to put ADKR on the road to a big total. Every batter in the top 4, batted at a high tempo & strike-rate, to contribute towards getting a big score. Andre Russell stole the show with his brilliant ball-striking as he carried his form from yesterday, smashing 6 sixes. Dre-Russ stayed till the end with 46 not out of just 17 balls as his grandstand finish, powered ADKR to a big total of 188.
While defending the total, the Knights bowlers looked to maintain consistency in lines and lengths and bowl accurately to their plans. The pitch kept getting better to bat on, as ADKR bowlers found it difficult to contain the batters. The Knights pushed hard and tried versatile options and plans to make a difference. After much effort, Willey picked up a crucial wicket as the Knights looked to force their way back into the game. However, MI Emirates chased the target down and ADKR faced a loss by 8 wickets. The Knights will now have a couple of days off to reassess their plans and make a strong comeback. They will look to pick out the positives from this game and get back to winning ways.
