Desert Vipers’ captain Colin Munro led from the front with a brilliant knock but it was Abu Dhabi Knight Riders who came out on top with a six-wicket win in their International League T20 (ILT20) 2024 encounter at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, January 27.
The Vipers rode on Munro’s 50 off 44 balls to post 154/8 in their 20 overs. In reply, Alishan Sharafu’s unbeaten 47-ball 82 guided the Knight Riders to their second win in ILT20 2024.
Earlier, Knight Riders captain Sunil Narine won the toss and put the Vipers into bat.
Captain Colin Munro and his opening partner Alex Hales began proceedings for the Vipers.
However, the Vipers got off to a challenging start as they lost Hales (0) and Adam Hose (8) in the first five overs of the game.
Batting at number four, star all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga walked in and slammed a boundary followed by a six to get the innings moving. Scoring at a strike rate of 175, Hasaranga (14) later fell to Andre Russell.
At the other end, skipper Munro played sensibly to bring up the Vipers’ fifty in the eighth over.
The Vipers then suffered another huge blow as Azam Khan (9) perished to Narine.
Shadab Khan and Munro added 29 runs off 16 balls for the fifth wicket before the Pakistan all-rounder was dismissed in the 13th over.
Struggling at 90/5, Sherfane Rutherford joined Munro at the crease. The duo stitched an impressive partnership to put the pressure back on the bowlers.
Meanwhile, Munro continued his brilliant knock as he brought up his half-century in the 16th over before being dismissed by Ali Khan. The skipper’s knock included six fours and one six.
In the final few overs, the Vipers rode on crucial cameos from Rutherford (28) and Shaheen Afridi (15) to post 154/8 in their 20 overs.
Defending 154, the Vipers got an early wicket as Joe Clarke (2) departed after a run-out in the second over.
The Vipers continued to pick wickets in the powerplay as star pacer Mohammad Amir removed wicketkeeper-batter Andries Gous (10) while Hasaranga trapped Sam Hain (7) in front of the stumps.
Reeling at 34/3, Imad Wasim joined Alishan Sharafu at the crease. The duo went on to forge a fifty-run stand to put the Knight Riders in a great position.
In the 15th over, Hasaranga provided the much-needed breakthrough as he dismissed Wasim (25) to bring the Vipers back in the game.
However, Sharafu’s swashbuckling knock along with Russell’s quick-fire 24 helped the Knight Riders chase down the target in 17.2 overs.
Following the hard-fought loss, the Vipers are currently placed fifth in the ILT20 2024 standings with two points from three games.
The Vipers will aim to bounce back quickly when they square off against Sharjah Warriors in their upcoming ILT20 2024 encounter at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Sunday, January 28.
Brief Scores
Desert Vipers 154/8 in 20 overs (Colin Munro 50, Sherfane Rutherford 28, Imad Wasim 2/19) lost to Abu Dhabi Knight Riders 160/4 in 17.2 overs (Alishan Sharafu 82*, Imad Wasim 25, Wanindu Hasaranga 2/12) by six wickets
