Shakib, Banton power MI Emirates to second ILT20 final

MI Emirates marched into their second ILT20 final with a seven-wicket win in the Qualifier 2 match over Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, built on a clinical all-round performance. After AM Ghazanfar headlined a disciplined attack that restricted ADKR to 120 for 8, Shakib Al Hasan and Tom Banton stitched together an 82-run stand in the chase, ensuring the target was wrapped up in the 17th over. Asked to bat, the Knight Riders were undone by a steady stream of wickets throughout their innings. The slide began early with Michael Pepper run out in the first over before Muhammad Rohid Khan struck first ball to have Brandon McMullen out lbw. Rohid's second wicket was Liam Livingstone, leaving the opposition at 38/3 in the seventh over. Alex Hales and Alishan Sharafu attempted to steady the innings through the middle phase, negotiating a testing spell from the spinners and picking up the occasional boundary. The Knight Riders reached only 50 at the halfway stage and just when they were trying to get a move on, with Sharafu hitting a couple of sixes, Ghazanfar returned and had Hales caught at mid-on for a 36-ball 29. Any hopes of a late surge were further dented by Fazalhaq Farooqi and Ghazanfar at the death. Farooqi dismissed Andre Russell and Unmukt Chand with his change of pace, while Ghazanfar picked up the wickets of Jason Holder and Sunil Narine in an over. Rohid closed out the final over with tight yorkers to finish with 2 for 19 while Sharafu brought up his fifty off the final ball of the innings. MI's chase didn't begin too well as they lost Andre Fletcher in the second over and got only 26 in the powerplay. Muhammad Waseem struggled to impose himself despite a couple of boundaries and got a let-off when Sunil Narine spilled a straightforward chance, before the offspinner made amends by trapping him lbw in the seventh over. That dismissal brought Shakib Al Hasan to the crease, and the tone of the chase shifted decisively. With no pressure from the asking rate, Shakib showed intent from the outset, taking on the spinners with sweeps, reverse sweeps, late cuts and clean strikes down the ground. Banton, meanwhile, played the perfect foil, rotating strike, punishing loose deliveries and ensuring the innings never lost shape as the third-wicket stand steadily drained any hope of a Knight Riders comeback. Banton upped the tempo, getting four fours in an over off Holder as he brought up his half-century. Shakib fell late, attempting to finish matters in style, but Banton stayed till the end to close out the chase.