Abu Dhabi [UAE], November 29 : Aspin Stallions galloped into the final after a blistering 19-ball half-century from powered them to a seven-wicket victory against Quetta Qavalry at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Qualifier 1 of the 2025 Abu Dhabi T10.
Rutherford struck six fours and six sixes in his unbeaten 66 to hand the Qavalry a second consecutive loss and book the Stallions’ place in the title decider. The Qavalry will now face the winner of the fixture between UAE Bulls and Ajman Titans for a second shot at the finals, as per a release from Abu Dhabi T10.
Chasing 103 runs for a place in the final, the Stallions were wobbling precariously at 13/2 with Andre Fletcher and Avishka Fernando dismissed inside 2.3 overs.
The momentum shifted rapidly as Rahmanullah Gurbaz (19 off 22) provided stability at one end while Sherfane Rutherford (66* off 22) unleashed a devastating counterattack that turned the match on its head. Rutherford thumped three fours and a six off Abbas Afridi in the fifth over before following it up with two more maximums off Majid Ali to seize control of the chase.
Mohammad Amir (1/5) then broke the partnership with the wicket of Gurbaz in the eighth over. With 23 runs needed from 12 balls, Rutherford smashed three sixes and a four in the ninth over to seal the victory with seven balls to spare.
Batting first, the Qavalry lost Evin Lewis early, but Muhammad Waseem (17 off 11) and the in-form Andries Gous (26 off 16) ensured a swift recovery with a 31-run stand in 15 deliveries.
Waseem was then removed by Ashmead Nedd, while Gous was scalped by Karim Janat to leave the Qavalry at 61-3 in seven overs.
Skipper Liam Livingstone was also amongst the runs again. He combined with Khawaja Nafay to take Nedd for 22 runs in the eighth over, giving the run rate a much-needed boost.
Livingstone was Karim Janat’s second wicket of the night, while Nafay was run out in the final over as the Qavalry posted a competitive total of 102/6. Binura Fernando and Karim Janat proved to be the difference, with impactful figures of 2/14 and 2/9, respectively.