Abu Dhabi, Nov 28: Northern Warriors all-rounder Moeen Ali smashed the fastest fifty of this edition of the Abu Dhabi T10 at the Zayed Cricket Stadium. The Englishman blasted his half-century in just 16 balls (77 runs from 23 balls) and shared an unbeaten 146 runs record opening partnership with Kennar Lewis (65 runs from 32 balls) to thrash Team Abu Dhabi by 10 wickets.

"It was one of those innings. Our partnership really kept going," Ali said about the highest partnership in T10 history.

His sensational innings comes just a day after he said the T10 format is best suited for batsmen who are big and strong. After hitting nine sixes and three boundaries, the 34-year-old left-hand batsman said timing the ball is also an important aspect. Abu Dhabi T10: Deccan Gladiators Go Top of the Table After Big Win Over Delhi Bulls.

"That is the beauty about T10. I guess it just shows that you don't have to be big and strong. It is great for my confidence going forward."

At the start of the innings, Ali got going with a couple of sixes, including a top-edge, which he said are sometimes good to ease the pressure of scoring quick runs.

"Sometimes those top-edges are good. It gets you going. And you don't have to worry about your own strike rate."

Retiring from Test cricket has helped him concentrate on the white ball cricket, Ali added.

"I know what I need to work on. Previously you were switching from format to format. It's good and great but over time it weighs you down. I am really happy to just focus on white ball and try to improve and see what I can do out there."

The Warriors are now fifth on the points table with two wins from seven matches. Ali said they have got a chance to enter the qualifiers but need to win all their remaining matches.

"Yes, we have a sniff. It will be a difficult one but we have a chance. Sometimes it is better to pick up your form a little bit late in the competition. Probably a little bit too late for us but you never know. We will keep winning and see what happens."

In other matches, Deccan Gladiators beat Delhi Bulls by eight wickets to go top of the table. Bangla Tigers coasted to nine-wicket win over Chennai Braves to take the second spot. Team Abu Dhabi after suffering a second consecutive defeat are third.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 28, 2021 11:19 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).