Desert Vipers survived a late wobble to register a five-wicket victory over Sharjah Warriorz at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Friday, officially knocking the Warriorz out of playoff contention. The win made the Vipers the first side in World ILT20 history to notch up eight group-stage victories.With this result, one of Abu Dhabi Knight Riders or Gulf Giants will claim the final playoff spot when they meet on Sunday, 28 December. Meanwhile, Saturday’s clash between MI Emirates and Dubai Capitals will decide a top-two finish.
Naseem Shah led the bowling effort with three wickets as the Warriorz were restricted to 140/7. Max Holden then anchored the chase with an unbeaten 66 off 46 balls, striking nine fours and a six. Despite Harmeet Singh’s three-wicket burst creating brief pressure, Holden found support from Sam Curran (25 off 28) and Hasan Nawaz (25 not out off 14), with the latter sealing the chase alongside Holden in an unbroken 47-run stand.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Sharjah made early inroads with Sikandar Raza and Richard Ngarava reducing the Vipers to 28/2 inside the powerplay. Curran and Holden steadied the innings with a cautious 64-run partnership before Harmeet struck again in the middle overs. However, the Warriorz could not sustain the pressure as the Vipers crossed the line comfortably.
Qais Ahmad of Desert Vipers
Earlier, the Warriorz innings never fully recovered after slipping to 6/2. Johnson Charles top-scored with 43, while Tom Kohler-Cadmore added 20. Naseem Shah struck at crucial moments, supported by Qais Ahmad’s double blow, as Sharjah failed to push beyond a below-par total.Desert Vipers captain Sam Curran said, “It was great to get a win going into the Qualifier. We read the conditions well and adapted accordingly. Max played an outstanding knock, and Hasan finished things off with some powerful hits at the end. It was also encouraging to see a few batters spend time in the middle. Overall, it’s been a terrific season for us, winning eight of our ten matches.”
Johnson Charles of Sharjah Warriorz
Sharjah Warriorz skipper Sikandar Raza reflected, “Almost everything that could have gone wrong for us this season did. If we had handled some key moments better in a few games, we would already be through. On these pitches, 150 was a competitive score and we seldom managed to reach it, which hurts the most. The positives lie with our bowling — Harmeet has been excellent since coming in, Adil has bowled very well, and as a unit the bowlers kept us in games consistently.”
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What was the key factor in Desert Vipers’ victory over Sharjah Warriorz?
Brief Scores Sharjah Warriorz: 140/7 in 20 overs (Johnson Charles 43, James Rew 22, Ryan Burl 21 not out; Naseem Shah 3/35, Qais Ahmad 2/30)Desert Vipers: 144/5 in 19.3 overs (Max Holden 66 not out, Hasan Nawaz 25 not out, Sam Curran 25; Harmeet Singh 3/29, Sikandar Raza 1/27)