Leg-spinner Adil Rashid’s spell of 4 for 12 provided the cornerstone for Sharjah Warrios resounding seven-wicket victory over Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the 25th match of the DP World ILT20 season 2 at the Zayed Cricket Stadium.
Rashid guile and artistry restricted the Knight Riders to a total of 94 runs in 17.1 overs, a target that the Warriors successfully chased down with 37 balls to spare and for the loss of just three wicket.
The leggie’s mesmerizing bowling ended Warriors’ three-match losing streak and also brought to a halt Knight Riders’ three-match winning run. The win also helped them remain in contention to reach the qualifiers after rising from the bottom of the table to the fourth position.
Chasing the moderate target, Liam Livingstone’s breezy knock of 30 off 13 balls and Niroshan Dickwella’s run-a-ball 30 runs saw them combine for a 52-run partnership in 26 balls for the second wicket which would prove decisive in the end.
The tale of Knight Riders’ dismal show began soon after bottom placed Warriors won the toss and elected to bowl against their second placed opponents.
Opener Joe Clarke was bowled for a duck to the third ball of the first over from Chris Woakes that scythed through bat and pad to rattle his stumps. Woakes’ first over was a wicket-maiden, a feat that was matched by Daniel Sams in the fourth over.
Alishan Sharafu hit two boundaries and a six off Sams in the sixth over to take 14 runs of it. Michael Pepper too began to open out and the pair put on 61 runs off 48 balls for the second wicket when Sharafu, going for a sweep off Rashid, top edged the ball to wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella.
Pepper fell in the last ball of the same over when Rashid beat the bat to rattle his stumps. He score 32.
At the half way mark, Knight Riders were 68 for 3 with Imad Wasim and Sam Hain struggling to get runs. To make matters difficult for Knight Riders, Livingstone trapped Wasim leg-before for four. Half the side was back in the dug-out for 79 when Rashid bagged his third wicket having Hain caught by Joe Denly at long-off for eight with the first ball of the 13th over.
He also had Ravi Bopara out with the next ball, the batsmen being caught by Kohler-Cadmore at slip.
Laurie Evans was run out for 13 to a direct hit by Livingstone as the Knight Riders lost their last four wickets for just four runs. Denly’s two quick strikes saw him return with figures of 2 for 0.
The chase began with Warriors losing their skipper Kohler-Cadmore early, the batsman playing on to a ball from Joshua Little. Livingstone began with a six and a boundary off successive balls off Little. Dickwella played second fiddle to Livingstone who turned more aggressive.
In the fourth over, Livingstone smashed Little for two sixes and two boundaries to take 21 runs off that over. However, he was stumped by wicketkeeper Pepper off Imad Wasim for 30. His 13-ball knock had three boundaries and three sixes.
With 39 needed from 87 balls, Martin Guptill joined Dickwella and took the score to 72 when Dickwella was stumped by Pepper off Wasim. The remaining 23 runs for their victory were scored between the unbeaten Guptill (13) and Denly (18).
After bagging the Player of the Match award, Rashid said: “The seamers set it up, kept it tight and allowed me and the others to come into our own. I tried to vary it at times, bowl a bit slower and somedays it works. Fortunate for myself on how it went today.”
A happy Warriors’ skipper Kohler Cadmore added “It’s nice to bounce back and finish relatively comfortably. Everytime I have played here, it has been a belter. But when Rash (Adil Rashid) come in to bowl, we knew spin was the way to go. We’ve got so many spin options, it was great to get it right with the ball.”
Knight Riders skipper Sunil Narine said: “We lost wickets in the first 6-8 overs, and then in the middle overs as well.
“We didn’t get a total we could defend. It surprised us how much it spun today, but we should have adjusted better to these conditions.”
Brief scores:
Sharjah Warriors bt Abu Dhabi Knight Riders by 7 wkts.
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders 94 in 17.1 overs (Michael Pepper 32, Alishan Sharafu 26, Adil Rashid 4 for 12, Joe Denly 2 for 0) Sharjah Warriors 95 for 3 in 13.5 overs (Niroshan Dickwella 30, Liam Livingstone 30, Imad Wasim 2 for 20)
Player of the Match: Adil Rashid