Watch: England leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed bowled a beautiful googly to outwit Joe Root during the Gulf Giants’ ILT20 game against the Dubai Capitals on Thursday.

The youngster – who made history on his Test debut against Pakistan – was at his deceptive best in the shortest version of the game too. The Gulf Giants, in pursuit of of 182, were pegged back early, losing three wickets in the powerplay. Rehan then piled further misery on the Dubai Capitals by getting the better of Root. The leggie bowled the ball on a length just outside off stump. Root tried to swat it away but he was deceived in the air and did not get to the pitch of the ball. The googly then spun past his flailing bat and crashed into off stump, leaving the Dubai Capitals tottering at 39-4 inside seven overs.

The Dubai Capitals could not recover after Root’s dismissal. They were bowled out for 80 and lost the match to the Gulf Giants by 101 runs. The Dubai Capitals, after their opening day win against the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, have struggled for consistency and have been defeated in both games they have played since. On the other hand, the Gulf Giants are the only unbeaten side in the competition and currently top the table, having won each of their first three fixtures.

Watch Root’s dismissal by Rehan here:

The prodigy vs the maestro!
Rehan gets Root 👏👏👏pic.twitter.com/7DCw6AJso1

— International League T20 (@ILT20Official) January 19, 2023