Rovman Powell and Joe Root star in record score for Dubai Capitals in ILT20

MI Emirates fall at fourth hurdle, leaving Gulf Giants as only team with perfect record

Rovman Powell of Dubai Capitals hits out on his way to a score of 97 off 41 balls in his side's DP World International League T20 victory over MI Emirates at the Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi, on January 22, 2023. Photo by Vipin PawarShow less

Rovman Powell and Joe Root powered Dubai Capitals to a tournament highest 222 for three, a total that sent MI Emirates crashing to their first defeat in four games in the ILT20 at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.

Powell was in destructive mood, thumping 10 sixes and four fours in a blistering 41-ball 97 while Root struck eight fours and three maximums in a 54-ball 82.

Root played the anchor role sharing two valuable partnerships. He put on 78 in 53 balls with Robin Uthappa (26) for the opening wicket and put on 119 in 63 balls with Powell for the second wicket.

Root departed in the second last over to a catch at backward point by Fazalhaq Farooqi off Zahoor Khan.

Powell fell to the final delivery of the innings to fellow West Indian Kieron Pollard, going for a big one and ending up skying the ball for Will Smeed to run from deep cover to get under it.

Set with a record chase, the MI emirates were left struggling after three wickets tumbled for the addition of one run, and they eventually went down by 16 runs.

Fred Klaassen and Hazarat Luqman sent down two overs each as MI Emirates took their score to 25 before Chamika Karunaratne struck with his second delivery by removing Muhammad Waseem (10).

Luqman then provided a double blow in his third over. He had Smeed (13) caught behind by Uthappa and Nicholas Pooran (0) playing on his last delivery of that over for the local lad to return with 4-0-24-2.

Pollard made a valiant attempt to keep MI Emirates in the game by hammering a 38-ball 86 but his dismissal in the 16th over to fine catch from Karunaratne, who ran to his left along the boundary rope to get the big man off the pitch.

Pollard hit half a dozen sixes and eight fours, and dominated a fourth-wicket stand of 118 from 60 deliveries with Andre Fletcher (35 off 34).

Najibullah Zadran (30 off 9), who arrived at the crease after the fall of Pollard, dispatched Karunaratne for 29 that included four sixes. However, Klaassen got rid of the danger man with his second delivery in the penultimate over to put the Capitals back on track.

Meanwhile, Gulf Giants notched up their fourth win to maintain their perfect record in the tournament after a five-wicket triumph over Desert Vipers in the early game at the Dubai Stadium.

Chris Lynn (42-ball 71) and Shimron Hetmyer (35-ball 70) shared a brilliant 117-runs stand in 56 balls for the fourth wicket to take the Giants score past the Vipers' 195 for four with three deliveries to spare.

Lynn smashed eight fours and three sixes while Hetmyer blasted five sixes and an equal number of fours, before David Weise (19-ball 22) and Liam Dawson (nine-ball 16) completed the job for their side in the top-of-the-table clash.

Alex Hales had earlier thumped 99 off 57 balls for the Vipers to post a challenging score on the board but that excellent knock was overshadowed by the two knocks from Lynn and Hetmyer.