The Desert Vipers have become the first team in four seasons of the DP World ILT20 to achieve eight wins during the regular season.
This milestone was achieved after they beat Sharjah Warriorz by five wickets with three balls in hand in their final league game at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
After winning the toss, the Vipers chose the field first and had a great start with the ball, reducing the Warriorz to 6-2 at one stage. But Johnson Charles was a steadying force for Sharjah as he scored 43 off 37 deliveries, an innings that helped propel the home team to 140/7 in 20 overs. Naseem Shah finished with 3 wickets, while Qais Ahmad finished with two, his wickets coming in successive deliveries, including Warriorz captain Sikandar Raza first ball.
The Vipers’ run chase was held together by Player of the Match Max Holden, who came in at number three and stayed to the end. Holden remained unbeaten on 66 and shared an important 64-run partnership with Sam Curran. In the final stages of the match, Holden partnered with Pakistan’s Hassan Nawaz, who hit three sixes as the pair added an unbroken 45 for the sixth wicket to get the Vipers across the line.
Match Scores:
Toss: Desert Vipers
Sharjah Warriorz: 140/7 (20 overs)
Top scorer: Johnson Charles 43 (37 deliveries)
Wicket takers: Naseem Shah 3-25, Qais Ahmad 2-30
Desert Vipers: 144/5 (19.3 overs)
Top scorers: Max Holden 66 not out
Match Result: Desert Vipers won by 5 wickets
Player of the Match: Max Holden
Here are some quotes from the Vipers Voices post-match vodcast and podcast featuring Desert Vipers’ bowling coach Azhar Mahmood:
On winning the match against Sharjah and becoming the first team across four seasons of the DP World ILT20 to win eight games in the regular season:
“I am glad we won this game and we have eight wins out of ten which is really important for us and we are top of the table so we could not ask for more.
“Yes, everyone is aware of that statistic and in the huddle today, (Head Coach) James Foster mentioned that as well. So no other team has done this and we are the first ones to achieve this, so yes, it is really a confidence booster for us moving forward.
“We keep finding ways to win tight games which is really important I think, and different people step up at crucial times and win the game for us. So it is not about two or three players who can win the game for you; it is about everybody chipping in at the right time.”
On the team’s bowling performance:
“I think we bowled well in the power play. (There was) one massive over in the power play (that) took Sharjah to 45-2 after Naseem went for 18 runs in an over. Then he got a wicket in his next over (Tom Kohler-Cadmore) and bowled a maiden over and that changed the whole scenario of the game.
“And the momentum shifted again when Qais Ahmad got two wickets in two balls. So it was all about shifting momentum. They had the momentum and then we pulled it back and in the end the way we bowled in the last five overs, (going for) 39 (runs) for three (wickets) in that particular period was really good.
“I thought Sam Curran also bowled really well in the power play and went for just 16 in four overs, which was really pleasing.”
On Max Holden’s Player of the Match knock of 66 not out which included his first six of this season:
“I think he has been playing really well throughout this tournament; he has been holding the batting together for us in different games. He is the top run-scorer for this tournament as well and today I think he played very sensibly. When the need was to rotate strike he did that and when a boundary was needed he was aggressive as well.
“I am also glad he hit his first six of his tournament as well which is a really good sign.”
On Hassan Nawaz’s partnership with Max Holden, and his big-hitting prowess that took the team across the line:
“I think Hassan Nawaz played really well, and looking back (at the wicket of ) Jason Roy, who went in after Dan Lawrence, it was clear that on these pitches it was not going to be easy to get 10 runs an over. So it was a very tricky situation when Hassan went in. I think they (Max Holden and Hassan Nawaz) complement each other really well.
“When the pressure was on, they kept hitting the boundaries and kept rotating the strike and they were really calm and collected towards the end. They understood which bowler to attack and they did that really brilliantly.”
The Desert Vipers next play Qualifier 1 on December 30, at the Abu Dhabi Cricket Stadium, starting at 6:30pm.
