United Tigers closed the opening day with a 51-run win over Arabian Aces, and a Pakistan fast bowler had a hand in both halves of it.
Abu Dhabi, : Abbas Afridi needed six balls to change the shape of the United Tigers innings. Then he came back with the ball and knocked over Liam Livingstone.
The Pakistan quick struck three sixes in a six-ball 20 at the death to push the Tigers to 140 for six on Saturday night. Livingstone, bowled for 27 off 11 balls, was one of his two wickets in a return of two for 27, and the Aces were held to 89 for nine.
Afridi said the late surge with the bat came out of a conversation in the middle. “Our run rate had slowed down a little,” he said. “When I went out there with Omarzai, we talked to each other and got a good partnership going. In T10 and T20 you have to play fast and keep your strike rate up.” Azmatullah Omarzai, unbeaten on 29 off nine balls and with two for 17, was named player of the match.
Afridi arrived ready for the tempo. “I played the Hong Kong Sixes before this, so it was very easy for me,” he said. Asked whether he sees himself as Pakistan’s premier fast bowler, he would not take the bait. “No, I don’t think I am that good,” he said. “If I work hard and get better, it will be good for the team and for me too.”
The Tigers carry a strong Pakistan core, with Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed and Faheem Ashraf in the side as well as head coach Yasir Arafat and bowling coach Umar Gul, both former Pakistan internationals, and Afridi said the dressing room felt familiar. “Just like we used to play together in Pakistan, we have the same kind of environment here as well. It’s a lot of fun.” Spinner Usman Tariq, who took two for 10, has been a source of advice. “Usman Tariq is a very good bowler. He plays in all the leagues and he shares his experience with us.”
Livingstone had little argument with the result. “They probably got 20 too many, and we had to go a little bit harder than we would have wanted to,” the England all-rounder said.
Arabian Aces are another of the season’s new franchises, with Lance Klusener as coach and Moeen Ali, Andre Russell and Alzarri Joseph in the squad. “Whenever you have a new squad, it takes time to gel as a team,” Livingstone said. “New coaching staff, players from all around the world. Sometimes it can take a couple of games to get used to each other and the rhythm of the game. It’s up to us to figure that out as quickly as possible and come back and try again.” The English contingent should help. “They know the lads they’re playing with and they’ve already got relationships, more so off the field. It should make it easier to gel.”
He batted in the powerplay on Saturday and would like to stay there. “I’ve always said the higher up the order I play, the better I am,” he said. “Hopefully this tournament I’ll get a chance to bat higher up.”
Livingstone is a regular in this event and plainly enjoys ‘cricket’s fastest format’. “It’s quite a nice build-up into the winter of cricket that I’ve got coming up. It’s a tournament I love playing, it’s great fun and it’s a great place to play. I love coming to Abu Dhabi.”
His week had already brought big news. On Thursday he was traded from Sunrisers Hyderabad to Chennai Super Kings ahead of IPL 2027. “Very excited. Obviously it’s a huge franchise and they’ve been very successful over the last 17 or 18 years of the IPL,” he said. “I’ve played cricket there before, so I know how incredible the atmosphere is. The ground is a special place to play. I’m looking forward to pulling the famous yellow shirt on and hopefully putting in some performances for the CSK fans.”
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