Abu Dhabi T10 2021-22: Teamsheet goof-up forces Delhi Bulls to play Romario Shepherd against The Chennai Braves

Sunday’s T10 League match between Delhi Bulls and The Chennai Braves at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi was a witness to a rather bizarre incident. At the time of toss, Bulls’ skipper, Dwayne Bravo, also a former West Indies all-rounder, said that all-rounder Romario Shepherd was being rested and the left-handed Dominic Drakes was included in the playing eleven.

However, the team sheet had Shepherd’s name instead of Drakes. The Braves, led Dasun Shanaka, realised the error during the first over, but didn’t allow for the change to take place. Shepherd went on to bowl 1.4 overs where he conceded 16 runs and picked up the wicket of opener Mark Deyal. He came into the attack after Gulbadin Naib was barred from bowling following two beamers.

Delhi Bulls win three in a row

As far as the game was concerned, the Bulls won by five wickets. After electing to field first, their bowlers faltered a wee bit as the Braves racked up a formidable score of 124 for two in 10 overs. Bhanuka Rajapaksha’s unbeaten 31-ball 64 with six fours and four sixes put pressure on the Bulls’ bowlers. Deyal and Ravi Bopara didn’t flatter to deceive as they made handy contributions.

Shepherd and Shiraz Ahmed were the only wicket-takers for the Bulls. In the run-chase, the Bulls got off to a jittery start. Munaf Patel sent back Rilee Rossouw and Sherfane Rutherford in his very first over. However, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Mohammad Hafeez and Eoin Morgan played handy cameos.

But it was skipper Bravo, who came to the party and played the knock of substance for his team at a critical stage. The right-hander hit 43 runs off 17 balls with the help of six fours and two sixes. In the end, the Bulls chased the target of 125 down in 9.4 overs with two balls to spare.

The victory meant that the Bulls stayed unbeaten in the tournament. After defeating the Northern Warriors and Bangla Tigers, they brushed aside the Braves as well. As far as the Braves are concerned, they lost two games on the trot and are yet to open their account in the event.