In a decisive US Masters T10 League match on Friday, August 25, the Texas Chargers displayed their dominance by securing a notable victory, prevailing over the Atlanta Riders with a commanding lead of 22 runs. This triumph not only secured Chargers position in the playoffs but also led to the elimination of the Riders from the competition. Simultaneously, the New Jersey Tritons were the first team to face elimination from the tournament earlier on the same day.
Opting to bat first, the Chargers initiated their innings on a positive note, with Mukhtar Ahmed aggressively taking on the bowlers. He struck Kamrul Islam for a boundary and followed it up with two consecutive sixes. However, his innings was cut short as Harmeet Singh dismissed him for 17 runs in the second over. Following this, Mohammad Hafeez was sent packing after contributing only 2 runs.
Ben Dunk’s one-man show elevates riders to a respectable total
Nevertheless, the spotlight of the innings soon shifted to Ben Dunk. The captain led from the front, and although players like Thisara Perera (2) and Upul Tharanga (9) were dismissed cheaply while attempting to accelerate the score, Dunk stole the show. In the fourth over, he further accelerated, hammering Rayad Emrit for three fours and a six, amassing 24 runs in that over alone. Dunk raced to a fifty in just 20 balls. After Dunk’s departure, the duo of Darren Stevens and Phil Mustard contributed an additional 25 runs in the last two overs, guiding the Chargers to a final total of 124/5 at the end of their allocated 10 overs.
Imran Khan’s superb bowling spell unlocks the door to victory for chargers
In response, the Riders faced an early setback with Robin Uthappa departing for a duck off the first delivery. Consequently, Lendl Simmons and Nasir Hossain found themselves tasked with rebuilding the innings.
Nonetheless, in the second over, Imran Khan Jr. rattled the Riders’ top order with an impressive triple-wicket maiden. Imran’s delivery on the first ball was a short-pitched one that deceived Hossain, clipping the bails as it went through. This unexpected bounce caught Hossain off-guard, resulting in his dismissal. Imran struck again two balls later with a slower full ball-outside off that Hamilton Masakadza(0) attempted to hit towards deep mid-wicket but was caught by Tharanga in the deep. Imran’s final ball of the over was a low full toss drifting down the leg side. Zunaed Siddique (0) managed to flick it towards deep backward square leg, where Mukhtar Ahmed made a swift catch, tossing the ball up as he crossed the boundary ropes and then regaining control. By the end of the second over, Imran Khan had taken three wickets, without conceding any runs and asserted his dominance.
Here’s the video:
1-1-0-3. Not often do you see those figures.🙌
Take a bow, Imran Khan Jr. 🙇♂️🙇♀️#TXCvATR #CricketsFastestFormat #USMastersT10 #T10League #SunshineStarsSixes pic.twitter.com/F4Ul4XpcK8
— US Masters T10 (@USMastersT10) August 25, 2023
Although Simmons and Hammad Azam posed a threat to Texas after the early wicket losses, Pragyan Ojha‘s dismissal of Simmons in the fifth over halted the Riders’ momentum. The Riders lost their seventh wicket when Mukhtar Ali was dismissed by Mohammad Hafeez for just 2 runs. Moreover, they suffered their eighth loss at the beginning of the seventh over when Emrit was run out for 3 runs. Harmeet added 22 runs to the chase but became the ninth wicket to fall. Subsequently, Elias Sunny (20) and Kamrul (5) played out the remaining overs. Imran concluded his spell with an impressive figures of 2/4 in his two overs. Ultimately, the Chargers secured a convincing 22-run victory.
