Abu Dhabi, (PNP): Quetta Qavalry confirmed their place in Qualifier 1 with a dramatic Super Over victory against the Vista Riders, maintaining their position at the top of the 2025 Abu Dhabi T10 table. Muhammad Waseem’s explosive 41* off 14 and Liam Livingstone’s decisive six in the Super Over proved decisive, while Vista Riders were carried by Ben McDermott’s 44 off 27 in a contest that went down to the wire.
Quetta made a bright start through Andries Gous (23 off 16), who struck two fours and a six before falling to Dwaine Pretorius in the fifth over. Evin Lewis kept the innings moving with a couple of boundaries, lifting the Qavalry to 52/1 at the halfway stage before being dismissed by Andrew Tye. Waseem then seized control, smashing three fours and three sixes in a blistering finish, with brief support from Liam Livingstone, Khwaja Nafay and Fabian Allen. His late surge carried Quetta to a competitive 104/5.
In response, Faf du Plessis launched Ali Majid for six but was bowled shortly after. McDermott and Unmukt Chand rebuilt steadily, though Chand was removed by Abbas Afridi in the fourth over. McDermott’s fluent 44 off 27, decorated with four fours and two sixes, kept Riders well in touch at 46/2 after five overs. Sean Dickson (17 off 11) added pressure-shifting boundaries before retiring hurt, leaving the final push to McDermott and the lower order.
A turning point arrived when Livingstone pulled off a brilliant diving catch at the boundary to remove McDermott off Khuzaima Tanveer, soon followed by Pretorius edging behind. Needing 16 off the last over, Matthew Forde and CP Rizwan held their nerve, combining for a six and a four to force the match into the season’s first Super Over.
Vista Riders posted 12/0 through McDermott and du Plessis, with the former striking a boundary. Quetta’s reply began with a four from Waseem before Nafay fell going big, but Livingstone stepped up, launching a towering six over square leg to seal a thrilling finish and secure Quetta’s top-of-table progression.
Royal Champs fall 7 runs short in steady chase
In the second innings of the last match on Wednesday, Royal Champs mounted a steady but ultimately insufficient chase of 135, finishing at 127/2 in their 10 overs. The innings began with Jason Roy falling early, caught off Binura Fernando with the score at 18. Mohammad Shahzad provided the initial momentum, striking 39 off 22 balls with four fours and two sixes before retiring hurt.
Brandon McMullen held the chase together with an impressive unbeaten 59* off 28, featuring four fours and four sixes, keeping the Champs within touch of the required rate. Aaron Jones added 8 off 3 before he was bowled by Karim Janat at 119/2 in the last over, but the mounting pressure left little room for error. Chris Jordan chipped in with an unbeaten 8* off 3, including one boundary, yet the Champs were unable to find the acceleration needed, closing seven runs short of the target.
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