Sharjah Warriorz finally notched up their first win this tournament with a close 6-run win over MI Emirates in Abu Dhabi. The match went down to the wire but Sharjah Warriorz played the big moments better to hold their nerves and notch up the win. Put into bat first, the Warriorz rode on a spectacular knock from Johnson Charles who made 77 off 53 balls and the finishing from captain Sikandar Raza and James Rew to get to a challenging 174/3 in 20 overs.
Defending the score wasn’t going to be easy as MI Emirates got off to a great start through Muhammad Waseem and Jonny Bairstow. But they lost wickets at regular intervals to Raza who bowled a great spell and the game went beyond MI before Nicholas Pooran who was not timing it initially got his mojo back and struck the big ones albeit a little late in the game as they left it late to lose the contest by 6 runs. Sharjah moves to 5th while MI Emirates are in 4th place.
Johnson Charles’ powerful 77 helps Sharjah Warriorz post 174/3
Put into bat first, Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Johnson Charles came out to open for Sharjah Warriorz while Fazalhaq Farooqi had ball in hand for MI Emirates. It was a sensational start for the Warriorz as both openers meant business. Charles was the aggressor of the two while Kohler-Cadmore played second fiddle and struggled for timing. But Charles made it up from one end as MI Emirates searched for their first breakthrough.
The duo did not get the team off to a roaring start but a steady start it was as they scored 48/0 in the first 6 overs. They then started playing through the middle phase and crossed the 50-run stand. Kohler-Cadmore was also hit on the hand by a throw but he was in pain but recovered to continue, but he anchored the innings and went at less than run a ball. Charles was a class apart as he dominated the partnership from the word go. He played shots all along the ground.
Soon, the 100-run stand came up as well with Charles being the main contributor. The duo put on 112 in 13.3 overs for the first wicket before the main aggressor Charles fell for 77 off 53 balls with 7 fours and 4 sixes to his name to Allah Ghazanfar. Captain Sikandar Raza came out to bat next at 3. The duo played through the rest of the middle phase and added 12 more to the score before the struggling Kohler-Cadmore fell for 30 off 32 balls with 2 fours to his name to Rashid Khan. The score was at that moment 124/2 in 15.1 overs when James Rew joined Raza in the middle.
The duo nailed the death overs perfectly with Rew being the main aggressor while Raza played second fiddle to the batter. The captain showed responsibility while the keeper batter showed his finishing prowess. The duo added 50 runs in exactly 4.5 overs before Raza fell for 29 off 22 balls to Zahoor Khan off the final ball of the innings where the batter hit 2 fours and a maximum. Tom Banton took the catch. Rew remained unbeaten on 24 off 14 balls with one four and one six to his name as Sharjah Warriorz finished with a competitive 174/3 in 20 overs. 14 extras given by the fielding side.
It was a mixed bag bowling performance from the MI Emirates bowlers. Rashid Khan was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 1/22 in 4 overs. Allah Ghazanfar bowled decently for his 1/27 in 4 overs. Zahoor Khan picked up 1/28 in 3 overs. Romario Shepherd bowled 4 overs and gave away 33 runs. Fazalhaq Farooqi bowled 4 overs for 43 runs. Kamindu Mendis bowled an over and gave away 15 runs. This meant that MI Emirates needed 175 runs to win to climb upwards in the points table.
Sikandar Raza’s inspirational 2/15 helps Sharjah Warriorz get their first win this season
Chasing 175 for the win, Muhammad Waseem and Impact Player Jonny Bairstow walked out to bat for MI Emirates while Taskin Ahmed had ball in hand for Sharjah Warriorz. The MI Emirates team were quickly off the blocks with both established openers complimenting each other really well. Waseem looked like the aggressor but Bairstow played his part and they kept the required rate under control.
Just like Sharjah, MI got a solid start from their openers as they passed the 50-run stand inside the powerplay. The powerplay score for MI Emirates was 54/0 which was 6 more than what Sharjah got and so the chasing side was ahead in the game as we entered the middle phase of the game. The duo started playing the middle phase and took the score to 68 for the first wicket before Sharjah got their first scalp dismissing Impact Player Jonny Bairstow for 31 off 23 balls with 4 fours and one six to his name with Sikandar Raza getting his man.
Nicholas Pooran came out to bat next. Waseem and Pooran added 13 more runs to the tally with Pooran struggling to get going while Waseem played his natural game. In the 10th over, Waseem fell for a well made 44 off 29 balls with 4 fours and 2 sixes to his name as the Emirates lost their second wicket in 9.4 overs with Sikandar Raza picking up another wicket. Tom Banton came out to bat to join Pooran in the middle.
The run rate dropped for MI Emirates as both the batters struggled to get going. Banton was labouring his way while Pooran hit an occasional boundary from time to time. The duo added 15 runs before Banton was dismissed for 11 off 14 balls with one four to his name. Captain Kieron Pollard came to the crease and did not last long either as he fell for 1 off 4 balls to Junaid Siddique to leave the Emirates at 98/4 in 14.1 overs. Romario Shepherd came out to bat next and he too fell for 2 off 3 balls as Siddique had two wickets in the over. All of a sudden, MI were on the back foot at 101/5 in 14.4 overs chasing 175.
Tajinder Singh came out to bat next and he energised the innings as we entered the last phase of the game. Pooran who had dropped anchor now upped the ante but Tajinder was brilliant with his stroke play as he hit 2 fours and a maximum in his brief knock to keep MI’s slim hopes alive. They added 47 runs in 25 balls to bring MI back in the game as Pooran was there at the other end. With the score reading 148, Tajinder was retired hurt on 24 off 13 balls with 2 fours and one six to his name. Rashid Khan came out to bat with 8 balls to go in the game but did not face a ball.
Pooran did hit 3 sixes in the last over bowled by Siddique including the last ball of the match, but it was a bridge too far as Junaid and Sharjah held their nerves to eke out a 6-run win. Pooran in the end remained unbeaten on 48 off 35 balls with 2 fours and 4 sixes to his name. Rashid Khan stayed at the other end.
Sikandar Raza was the pick of the bowlers for Sharjah Warriorz as the captain finished with 2/15 in 4 overs. Junaid Siddique finished with 2/35 in 4 overs. Matheesha Pathirana finished with 1/41 in 4 overs. Taskin Ahmed bowled 4 overs for 39 runs. Impact Player Maheesh Theekshana finished with 0/12 in 1 over. Adil Rashid finished with 0/26 in 3 overs. So, a win for Sharjah Warriorz by 6 runs. Sikandar Raza was awarded the Player of the Match.
What Lies Ahead
The bandwagon moves to Sharjah now after double header Sunday as we are back to having a single match on the day. It will be Sharjah Warriorz again up against Gulf Giants live from 8 PM IST onwards on 15th December, 2025. Can Sharjah win their second game in a row against second-placed Gulf Giants? Only time will tell.
Also Read: ILT20 2025: Shayan Jahangir’s 99 Helps Dubai Capitals Win Thriller And Climbs To 3rd In Points Table.