WATCH: Joe Root smashes his first six against Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in ILT20 and that is a beauty

Dubai Capitals easily defeated Abu Dhabi Knight Riders by a margin of 73 runs on Friday, January 13, in the opening match of the International League T20 2023 (ILT20). Rovman Powell, the Capitals’ skipper, and former Indian batter Robin Uthappa contributed to their team’s score of 187/6. After that, Powell and Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who also got two wickets each for just 15 runs, managed to restrict the Knight Riders to just 114/9.

Sunil Narine, the skipper of the Knight Riders, made the decision to bowl first at Dubai International Cricket Stadium. His decision proved expensive, though, as openers Joe Root and Robin Uthappa combined for 35 runs, giving the Capitals a good start. Root hit a significant run of 26 off 21 balls in the sixth over before being caught off an Ali Khan delivery.

On the fourth ball of the fourth over of the innings, Joe Root slammed his first six of ILT20. He smashed the six to the West Indies left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein, which was a short ball. It was a proper cricketing short, he didn’t try to overhit. Just timed it sweetly to clear the mid-wicket.

Watch it here:

The first six in International League T20 history goes to Joe Root! 👏

BT Sport 1 | @ILT20Official pic.twitter.com/EHRpiTJz6q

— Cricket on BT Sport (@btsportcricket) January 13, 2023

Joe Root grabbed four sixes in a match

In the ninth over, Andre Russell dismissed Bhanuka Rajapaksa. But, Uthappa continued to score runs from the other end, amassing 43 runs off just 33 deliveries before being bowled by Narine. However, Powell (48 off 29) and Sikandar Raza (26 off 17) kept the Capitals on their toes by launching hard shots. It enabled them to tally a considerable amount. Although they were both pricey, Ravi Rampaul and Ali Khan each grabbed two wickets for the Knight Riders.

The Knight Riders failed in their attempt to score a hard target. In the opening over, Colin Ingram was bowled by Isuru Udana for one run, and he never seemed to be in control. Paul Stirling kept the Knight Riders alive despite not getting any assistance from the higher level. Stirling was removed by Powell in the 12th over after scoring 54 runs off of 38.

Akif Raja, Powell, and Mujeeb all took two wickets as Dubai’s bowlers showed off their overall domination. Root took four catches in the interim as he made his return to T20 franchise cricket.