In an edge-of-the-seat contest that went down to the final delivery, the Sharjah Warriorz preserved their playoff aspirations with a dramatic four-wicket victory over the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders. The triumph was orchestrated by England spinner Adil Rashid, whose incisive 3 for 18 stifled the Knight Riders’ late-innings acceleration, and was capped by his calm strike for the winning run alongside an unbeaten 42 from James Rew, whose measured innings kept the chase alive.
The Warriorz began their innings in peril, losing openers cheaply as Ajay Kumar and Jason Holder struck early to reduce the side to 11 for 2. Stability arrived through Tom Kohler-Cadmore (30) and Sikandar Raza (28), who weathered Sunil Narine’s probing spin spell, which returned figures of 1 for 14. Rew then took centre stage, finding crucial boundaries at pivotal moments to maintain momentum and inch the target within reach.
The climax unfolded in a dramatic penultimate over bowled by Jason Holder, who both claimed a wicket and conceded only a single run, leaving the Warriorz requiring 12 off the final six balls. Andre Russell’s last over descended into chaos, featuring a wide and a costly front-foot no-ball. With the scores tied on the final delivery, Rashid drove a low full-toss towards cover; a slight misfield allowed the pair to scramble the winning run, leaving Russell and the Knight Riders to rue their lapse in composure.
Earlier, electing to bat, the Knight Riders suffered a disastrous start, tumbling to 10 for 4 inside four overs as Taskin Ahmed and Wasim Akram removed Phil Salt, Alex Hales, Brandon McMullen, and Liam Livingstone in swift succession. A stabilising partnership between Sherfane Rutherford (44 off 36) and Alishan Sharafu (19) rescued the innings temporarily. Rutherford struck four boundaries and a six, yet the momentum was curtailed once Rashid and Sikandar Raza applied the brakes. A late flurry from Andre Russell (18) and Holder (14) added 25 runs in the penultimate over, but it proved insufficient as Rashid wrapped up the innings with crucial wickets.
Despite the victory, the Warriorz remain anchored at the foot of the table; however, the two points keep their top-four ambitions alive.
Key Performances Table
| Team | Player | Runs | Balls | Fours | Sixes | Bowling Figures | Overs | Wickets | Runs Conceded |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abu Dhabi Knight Riders | Sherfane Rutherford | 44 | 36 | 4 | 1 | – | – | – | – |
| Abu Dhabi Knight Riders | Alishan Sharafu | 19 | 18 | 2 | 0 | – | – | – | – |
| Abu Dhabi Knight Riders | Andre Russell | 18 | 8 | 2 | 1 | – | – | – | – |
| Sharjah Warriorz | James Rew | 42* | 29 | 5 | 0 | – | – | – | – |
| Sharjah Warriorz | Tom Kohler-Cadmore | 30 | 25 | 3 | 0 | – | – | – | – |
| Abu Dhabi Knight Riders | Wasim Akram | – | – | – | – | 2 | 4 | 2 | 12 |
| Sharjah Warriorz | Adil Rashid | – | – | – | – | 3 | 4 | 3 | 18 |
| Sharjah Warriorz | Sikandar Raza | – | – | – | – | 1 | 4 | 1 | 24 |
| Abu Dhabi Knight Riders | Jason Holder | – | – | – | – | 2 | 4 | 2 | 25 |
Brief Scores:
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders 134/9 (20 overs) lost to Sharjah Warriorz 135/6 (20 overs) by 4 wickets.