NYS vs MSA

So that'll be all from the first of today's double-header but the action rolls on as The Chennai Braves go up against the Northern Warriors very shortly from now. Do hop over here to catch our coverage of the same right here on Sportskeeda. For the moment though, this is the duo of Arya Sekhar Chakraborty and Sooryanarayanan Sesha taking your leave and thanking you for joining us. Good night and see you around soon!

So Morrisville Samp Army finally know what it's like to end on the other side of the result. That's how the tournament and the nature of this format is though - not everything is rosy but Samp Army have no reason to feel let down. They have a couple of areas to tidy upon but remain in the upper echelons of the table. As do the New York Strikers of course, who, after a loss to kickstart their campaign, have gotten into a winning habit. Time will tell as to how long they can sustain the same.

Kieron Pollard (New York Strikers Captain): (How different is T10 with fitness?) You've got to be quick, you've got to be loose. Right now with my age, looseness is not on my side. We left 10-15 runs on the park but the way the bowlers bowled after having lost Wahab was fantastic. We just spoke about what we needed to improve from a bowling perspective and be smarter with the bat. I don't think we've seen our best with the bat yet but we've come out with the bat. But the bowlers have done their bit. The most we can do is rally around them. (On the plan against Moeen Ali in the last over) Moeen was going across his stumps. Sometimes you have to take a gamble and getting a wicket was more helpful at that stage. Hitting the stumps worked. (Plans tomorrow as the team has a rest day) The guys who haven't played will go and practice. The guys who have been playing will rest up and then watch some football in the night.

Paul Stirling is the Player of the Match for his superlative all-round display. Here's what he has to say: (What has changed after the first game?) I think we were just getting into the competition. We're always scratchy in your first game, I most certainly was. Glad to get a wicket and knock over two men. That's the nature of the T10 cricket. You have to go big and hope you come off. (What makes the perfect T10 batter?) I'm not really sure (grins). You have to go really hard.

Shimron Hetmyer: Yeah I think if one of us were in the middle we would have won it. The guys are doing a wonderful job (players coming ahead of him) I am heartbroken of not finishing the game off today. Its a really good franchise. Really nice environment. Not having to do much that is good  (laughs). We did lose our first game but that won't bother us. The bowlers did really well to keep them to 110 after they had threatened to score around 130. 

Match summary: New York Strikers beat Morrisville Samp Army by 12 runs.

Azam Khan 47 (21) | Ravi Rampaul 2/25 (2)
Moeen Ali 42 (25) | Karim Janat 3/9 (2)

It wasn't a lot to play with but the Strikers had no choice but to make the most of 110. And didn't they put on a clinic to that end! Brilliance in the field, immaculate bowling and some extremely shrewd captaincy by Kieron Pollard highlighted that defense after Azam Khan powered them earlier with the bat.

Moeen Ali and Johnson Charles were off the blocks in a trice and looked determined to make mincemeat of the target in front of them. When Wahab Riaz hobbled off the field, the ordeal got even more daunting for the Strikers but skipper Pollard had a trick up his sleeve. He brought himself on to prize out Charles before wisely using the off-spin of Paul Stirling against the left-handed duo of Ali and David Miller.

The contest sprung to life once the latter holed out swiping across the line. Shimron Hetmyer looked nowhere close to his fluent best while Ali was given a let-off owing to a dropped catch. It was a difficult one though and with the Strikers flinging themselves all around the park, they saved runs aplenty to assist their bowlers - a case in point being a tremendous save by Muhammad Waseem that was so nearly converted into a screamer of a relay catch by Pollard.

Moeen and Hetmyer cleared the fence at the right time to keep the game in the balance but once Jordan Thompson stormed back to escalate the asking rate in the last over, it got out of hand for Morrisville. Moeen tried hard despite not firing at his absolute best and a superlative final over from Ravi Rampaul saw the Strikers make it three wins out of three, consigning Morrisville to their first defeat in the process.

Ah an anticlimactic finish but even Rampaul sees the light side of it. Why wouldn't he, after sending down a fantastic final over. It's been a clinical defense by the New York Strikers as they snap Morrisville Samp Army's winning run by 12 runs.

9.6 Ravi Rampaul to Chamika Karunaratne, that was a slower delivery on a length just a tad outside off. Karunaratne swings across the line only to get a top edge. The fielder runs in from covers and juggles twice before grasping it but it won't matter. A win for the New York Strikers. 

9.5 Ravi Rampaul to Dwaine Pretorius, WICKET!!!! Pretorius has been cleaned up here. A hint of reverse swing for Rampaul. On a fuller-length around middle, Pretorius swings across the line and ends up getting a faint inside edge straight onto his sfumps. 

Oh how good is this man! Outstanding from Kieron Pollard and he has all but saved a couple of crucial runs that now sees Morrisville need an extra or two to keep them relevant.

9.4 Ravi Rampaul to Dwaine Pretorius, that is an incredible effort by Keiron Pollard at the widish long-on boundary. Was a slower delivery on a fuller-length and Pretorius swings across the line. All along the carpet and exceptional work by Pollard in the deep to keep it to a couple. He has won the game for his team. That is quite clearly not a boundary. Match winning bit of fielding by Pollard. 

That could be the killer blow that seals the fate of this contest. Brilliant from Rampaul - he knew Ali was looking to shuffle across and so attacked the stumps to knock the castle over!

9.3 Ravi Rampaul to Moeen Ali, WICKET!!!! Moeen Ali steps across the off-stump and Rampaul bowls a length delivery on the stumps. Moeen Ali walks across and tries to help this over the fine leg region. Doesn't make any connection as the stumps are rattled. That has to be the final nail in the coffin for Samp Army. 

9.2 Ravi Rampaul to Moeen Ali, that was a full toss a shade outside off. Moeen Ali swings across the line and gets it from the inside half of the bat down towards the deep square leg region. Scampers hard and comes back for a brace.