Sherfane Rutherford was the best performer for the Desert Vipers with 50 off 23 balls
A clinical performance once more from Desert Vipers in the ongoing ILT20 2023 awarded them an important win against Dubai Capitals on Thursday in Dubai. Batters Sam Billings and Sherfane Rutherford’s fifties helped the Vipers get a 180-plus score.
The Capitals kept losing wickets from the beginning in their chase and eventually fell 22 runs short of the target.
Chasing 183 at the Dubai International Stadium, Dubai Capitals sent out their openers, Robin Uthappa and George Munsey, at the crease. Caribbean pacer Sheldon Cottrell delivered an early blow to the Capitals by removing Munsey for a duck in the second over.
Zimbabwe all-rounder Sikandar Raza joined hands with Uthappa at the crease. Both batters accumulated quick runs before Uthappa departed for 30 runs in the fifth over. The Capitals managed to pile up 45 runs for a couple of wickets at the end of the powerplay.
The asking rate kept on rising from there on, with the Capitals struggling to find momentum. After 10 overs, Raza (41) and Dasun Shanaka (11) could only manage to drag the Capitals to 77 runs with eight wickets still in hand.
Both all-rounders had departed by the end of the 13th over, leaving the finish to skipper Rovman Powell and Yusuf Pathan. The Vipers' bowling attack though made sure they picked up regular wickets.
After the quick departures of Pathan (5) and Chamika Karunaratne (10), the onus was totally on Powell. The Capitals' skipper smashed two boundaries and just as many sixes before falling prey to pacer Luke Wood in the 19th over. Powell walked back to the dugout after scoring 33 off 25 balls, as the Capitals' hope to qualify for the playoffs ended.
Desert Vipers reduced the Capitals to 160 for seven at the end of 20 overs and grabbed another win by 22 runs.
Early in the evening, the Capitals opted to bowl first after winning the toss in a must-win game for them. The Vipers' opening duo of Alex Hales and Rohan Mustafa walked out to bat on a used pitch, with Fred Klaassen taking the new ball for the Capitals.
Hales got dismissed in the first over for just one, making way for skipper Colin Munro at the crease. Mustafa smacked Hazrat Luqman for a couple of aerial hits in the second over before Munro (1) departed in the third over.
The Vipers then raced to 45 for three in six overs but also lost Mustafa. The UAE batter's cameo of 31 runs off 21 balls, which comprised three boundaries and a couple of sixes, helped the Vipers get off to a decent start.
The Capitals had restricted the Vipers to 76 for four in 10.3 overs, with Sam Billings batting at one end. Caribbean hard-hitter Sherfane Rutherford joined forces with Billings in helping the Vipers get a move on.
Both batters unleashed against the Capitals' bowling attack, as the runs started to flow. The ruthless Rutherford smashed Yusuf Pathan for five consecutive sixes in the 16th over, taking the score to 143 for four.
Billings (54) and Rutherford (50) brought up their fifties before getting dismissed, as all-rounder Tom Curran's 17-run brief stay made sure the Vipers ended their innings with 182 for seven on the board.
A victory for the Vipers means they have guaranteed themselves a top-two finish.
Brief Scores: Desert Vipers 182/7 in 20 overs (S Billings 54, S Rutherford 50; F Klaassen 3/34) defeated Dubai Capitals 160/7 in 20 overs (S Raza 41, R Powell 33; S Cottrell 2/36)
