Desert Vipers clinched their second win over Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in a matter of days.
Unbeaten Desert Vipers performed exceedingly well with both bat and ball to win their third match in a row by claiming a 111-run victory against Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the ILT20 on Friday.
Alex Hales notched up the first hundred of the tournament and skipper Colin Munro played a good supporting role with his 56 off 41 in the first innings, while Sheldon Cottrell brought out one celebration after the other courtesy his three-wicket haul, to beat Abu Dhabi Knight Riders again after their last encounter two days ago.
After being asked to bat first, Vipers began the innings with a bang as Rohan Mustafa smacked two fours in the first over, but Andre Russell had the last laugh as he dismissed the opener for eight runs after five balls.
The Knight Riders held their heads in despair as Brandon King missed a catch to dismiss Munro in the third over. A misfield by Andre Russell soon after cost them another two runs.
Skipper Colin Munro and Alex Hales did most of the job for Vipers in the first innings as the duo comfortably hit boundaries enroute 150-plus partnership at the start of the 16th over.
Hales soon brought up his century with a single, while skipper Munro brought it up with a sensational six to wrap up the over. The English star brought up his 100 in 52 balls and it was the first ton in the tournament.
The partnership came to an end as Munro departed in the 17th over for 56 off 41. Sherfane Rutherford came in next to smack two sixes and a four off Matiullah Khan. However, Rutherford’s innings came to an unfortunate end in the next over as Dhananjaya de Silva caught him off Lahiru Kumara.
Hales was dismissed on the last ball of the innings as he got run out and the innings ended on 219/ 4.
In response, the Knight Riders seemed to be under pressure as they lost Brandon King and Kennar Lewis in the first and third overs respectively. To make things worse, Colin Ingram walked back at the end of the fourth over and Charith Asalanka in the fifth. Sheldon Cottrell soon got his third wicket as Dhananjaya de Silva departed with 12 off 12.
Wanindu Hasaranga sent back Zawar Farid and opposition skipper Sunil Narine. Their misery got worse as Benny Howell contributed to dismiss Akeal Hosein in the 14th over. However, one person that attempted to hold the fort in the middle of all this disruption was power-hitter Andre Russell, who displayed a brave face and tried to change the complexion of the contest.
That said, Shiraz Ahmed brought out the shooting arrow celebration in the 15th over as Russell was sent back for 57 off 29. Howell ended the innings early for the Knight Riders with an lbw on Matiullah Khan.
The Vipers defeated the Knight Riders by 111 runs to clinch their third victory in the tournament and climb to the top of the table with six points after three wins. Brief Scores: Desert Vipers 219/4 in 20 overs (A Hales 110, C Munro 56; L Kumara 2/31) defeated Abu Dhabi Knight Riders 108 in 15.1 overs (A Russell 57, Dhananjaya de Silva 12; S Cottrell 3/14)
