The new Emirates D10 tournament got off to an exciting start at the ICC Academy in Dubai on Friday.
The Emirates Cricket Board Blues were the favourites in their opening match against Dubai Pulse Secure (DPS) despite players just returning from the pandemic-enforced break. After all, their side was brimming with national team players.
But the unpredictability of the 10-over format came to the fore as the match ended in a tie. The Blues posted 126/3 thanks mainly to Vriitya Aravind's scintillating 83 not out from just 29 balls after openers Rohan Mustafa and Chirag Suri fell in the second over.
The Blues must have thought they had enough. But almost all DPS batsmen put pressure on ECB players, who showed signs of rust.
Seamer Mohammad Ayaz bowled the final over, defending 18 runs. He was hit for two boundaries off the first three balls, with the second ball a wide that leaked two extra runs.
The Blues could have secured victory with three needed from the final ball but a sloppy bit of fielding saw the keeper miss a run out chance and allow the opposition to complete two runs and secure a tie.
However, ECB Blues were declared winners on the boundary countback rule, having hit 19 compared to DPS' 15.
The tournament features five teams representing the country's respective cricket councils.
The Emirates D10 has 34 matches in total, running until Friday, August 7.
