Banton and Pooran lead MI Emirates to 26-run win over Dubai Capitals

Photo : Instagram / @dubaicapitals

MI Emirates won their first-ever match against Dubai Capitals in the DP World ILT20. The match ended with a 26-run win for MI Emirates, thanks to a brilliant century by Shai Hope. Hope scored 101 runs off 59 balls, but it wasn't enough to win the match. MI Emirates' Fazalhaq Farooqi helped turn the game around. He took two wickets in one over, giving away just three runs.

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The Dubai Capitals needed 188 runs to win. MI Emirates started with spin bowling. Akeal Hosein was the bowler who started the game for them. In the third over, Ben Dunk hit a ball high in the air, but Waqar Salamkheil dropped a catch. Hope continued to play well, scoring the majority of the runs.

Alzarri Joseph helped MI Emirates by taking Dunk’s wicket in the sixth over. Hope, though, kept going strong and reached 50 runs in 32 balls. Hope and McMullen made 61 runs together before McMullen was stumped by Nicholas Pooran. Hope continued to play confidently, hitting AM Ghazanfar for a four and six, bringing up his second T20 century. Hope became the first player from Dubai Capitals to score a century in this tournament.

However, Hope was out right after he reached his century. MI Emirates soon had more wickets. Farooqi took two wickets in a row, first getting rid of Sikandar Raza with a perfect yorker, then taking Dasun Shanaka’s wicket with another yorker. The Dubai Capitals were left with too much to do. Zahoor Khan bowled an excellent 19th over, giving away just one run.

In the final over, the Capitals needed 36 runs to win, but it was too hard for them. MI Emirates won by 26 runs.

Earlier in the game, MI Emirates had a rough start. Dushmantha Chameera bowled well and dismissed Kusala Perera early. Tom Banton and Muhammed Waseem helped MI Emirates get back on track with a 38-run partnership. Banton reached his half-century and Pooran added a quick 59 runs from 29 balls, including three sixes in a row off Olly Stone.

Stone got Banton out for 74 runs, which was the highest score for MI Emirates. In the final over, Gulbadin Naib took three wickets for the Capitals, but they still couldn't stop MI Emirates from finishing with 187/7.

Shai Hope said he was sad his century couldn’t win the match. He said, "A hundred always feels better when your team wins. It’s unfortunate I couldn’t take the team to victory, but we just couldn’t make enough runs in the end."

Tom Banton, who was named Player of the Match, said, "It was tough to start, but we knew someone had to stay and bat through the innings. I did my best to put pressure on the bowlers when I got the chance. It was my first year here, and I was with MI Cape Town last year. Every game, someone has to step up, and today it was me."

MI Emirates claimed their first victory over Dubai Capitals, making it a memorable match in the tournament's history.