DUBAI: Nicholas Pooran’s swashbuckling half-century, followed by a combined bowling effort led MI Emirates to win the International League (ILT20) 2024 with a comfortable 45-run victory over Dubai Capitals in the final.
Put into bat first, MI Emirates registered a mammoth total of 208/3 on the board, courtesy of Andre Fletcher and Pooran’s fifties.
Earlier, openers Muhammad Waseem and Kusal Perera scripted a decent start to the innings, putting up a 77-run stand.
Waseem, who was the core aggressor of the partnership, perished in the seventh over after 24-ball 43 which featured three boundaries and as many sixes.
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Perera was then joined by Fletcher in the middle for a brief 25-run partnership which lasted with the former’s departure in the 12th over. He scored 38 off 26 deliveries, hitting six boundaries.
Captain Pooran then joined forces with compatriot Fletcher and bolstered MI Emirates’ total with belligerent hitting.
The duo added 56 runs for the third wicket before Fletcher walked back after a brilliant knock. He smashed three boundaries and four sixes on his way to a 37-ball 53.
But Pooran kept going and carried his bat all the way through and made sure to take MI Emirates to a dominant total.
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He scored an unbeaten 57 off 27 deliveries with the help of two boundaries and six sixes.
In return, Dubai Capitals could amass 163/7 in the allotted 20 overs and thus succumbed to a big defeat in the ILT20 final.
The home side missed big knocks from their batters with their skipper Sam Billings leading the charts with a cautious 40, followed by Tom Banton (35) and Jason Holder (24).
Vijayakanth Viyaskanth and Trent Boult bagged two wickets each for MI Emirates while Waqar Salamkheil, Muhammad Rohid and Akeal Hosein made one scalp each.
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