Sharjah Warriorz survive low-scoring thriller to beat Abu Dhabi Knight Riders

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders vs Sharjah Warriorz (Image Source: Google)

Sharjah Warriorz held their nerve to clinch a dramatic four-wicket win over Abu Dhabi Knight Riders at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Monday. They moved to six points, and with two games to spare, have set up a tight race for the remaining playoff spots in DP World ILT20 Season 4.

The Warriorz’ Taskin Ahmed and Wasim Akram reduced the Knight Riders to 10/4, with Adil Rashid's three wickets later restricting them to 134/9 despite Sherfane Rutherford's 44 off 36. Then, James Rew’s unbeaten 42 off 29 balls with four fours and a six, coupled with Raza’s 28 off 25 took them to the victory on the final ball.

In the second innings, Jason Holder got the early wicket of Johnson Charles (0 off 6) in the second over, and Monank Patel (7 off 8) soon followed in the third over, bowled by Ajay Kumar. Tom Kohler-Cadmore (30 off 35) then hit three boundaries in a single over. Charles, along with Tom Abell (13 off 13), guided the Warriorz to 38/2 by the end of the power play.

Olly Stone delivered a breakthrough for the Knight Riders by removing Tom Abell, while Sunil Narine kept Kohler-Cadmore and Sikandar Raza in check. The Warriorz eventually reached 58/3 at the halfway stage of the chase.

Sunil Narine finally broke the resistance by trapping Kohler-Cadmore LBW. His 35-run stand off 32 balls with Raza kept the Warriorz in the chase. James Rew then struck a pair of boundaries off Andre Russell in the 14th over and continued to rotate the strike alongside Raza as the Warriorz reached 91/4 after 15 overs.

Raza and Rew kept the scoreboard ticking to complete a 57-run partnership off 35 balls. He was then dismissed in the 18th over for Ajay Kumar’s second scalp, after which skipper Holder bowled a superb penultimate over to leave 12 required off the final six balls. However, Rew and Adil Rashid saw out the final over to seal an important win.

Earlier, Taskin Ahmed and Wasim Akram ripped through the top order as the Knight Riders suffered an early collapse. Taskin struck in the opening over to remove Phil Salt (4 off 6), before Wasim trapped Brandon McMullen (0 off 3) LBW in the second. Taskin then added Alex Hales (5 off 5) to his tally in the third over.

Wasim followed it up with a historic wicket maiden in the fourth over — the first maiden by a UAE player in league history — to remove Liam Livingstone for a duck. This left the Knight Riders reeling at 10/4, before Alishan Sharafu (19 off 25) and Sherfane Rutherford took them to 28/4 at the end of the powerplay.

The Knight Riders continued to struggle in the middle overs after spin was added to the bowling equation. Sikandar Raza broke the Sharafu–Rutherford stand of 38 runs in 33 balls when he dismissed the UAE batter. Despite a brief counterattack from Rutherford, the Knight Riders limped to 51/5 at the end of 10 overs.

Unmukt Chand (24 off 22) then joined Rutherford in the middle and stitched together a much-needed stand of 52 runs in 45 balls to steady the Knight Riders. Rutherford shifted gears in the 15th over with a six and two boundaries off Nathan Sowter. The pair added vital runs through the middle, taking the total to 95/5, before the momentum was checked in the 17th over when Dwaine Pretorius removed the set Rutherford.

Adil Rashid sent Unmukt Chand packing in the 18th over, but Andre Russell and Jason Holder provided a late surge with a couple of sixes each, hammering 25 runs off Taskin in the 19th over. Rashid returned in the final over to dismiss Holder (14 off 6) and Russell (18 off 12), finishing with a decisive three-wicket haul as the Knight Riders were restricted to 134/9.

Match Summary

Sharjah Warriorz beat Abu Dhabi Knight Riders by four wickets

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders 134/9 in 20 overs (Sherfane Rutherford 44, Unmukt Chand 24, Adil Rashid 3 for 18, Wasim Akram 2 for 12, Taskin Ahmed 2 for 41)

Sharjah Warriorz 135/6 in 20 overs (James Rew 42 not out, Tom Kohler-Cadmore 30, Sikandar Raza 28, Ajay Kumar 2 for 29, Jason Holder 2 for 25)

Player of the match: Adil Rashid