At the Dubai International Stadium, in the 14th match of the DP World ILT20 season 2, Desert Vipers defeated MI Emirates due to Mohammad Amir’s sensational bowling spell and Sherfane Rutherford‘s clean hitting in a thrilling two-wicket victory that came down to the final ball.
MI Emirates rallied back to make this chase difficult for the Vipers despite being limited to 149 for 9 in 20 overs. Up until the final over, the match’s fate shifted like a pendulum.
Pitch Report and Toss Update
At the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, the slower deliveries and off-cutters are powerful tools for the pacers, although the track is favored for the batters. With an average first innings score of 168, the batsmen are predicted to dominate the game.
Colin Munro, the Desert Vipers captain, won the toss and chose to bowl first due to the favorable batting conditions.
MI Emirates off to a sloppy start against Mohammad Amir and Luke Wood
Prior to this, Vipers, who had lost their previous three games, had won the toss and chosen to bowl against MI Emirates, who were the table toppers. Mohammad Amir’s second ball of the opening over caused opener Kusal Perera to edge to wicketkeeper Azam Khan for a duck.
After hitting Shaheen Afridi for two boundaries, Muhammad Waseem hit Mohammad Amir for six and two more boundaries, amassing 13 runs off the third over. Additionally, he struck a massive six off the opening ball of the fourth over from Luke Wood, but he was out for 19 when the fourth ball went straight to Afridi at mid-wicket.
After joining Andre Fletcher, captain Nicholas Pooran struck a boundary off the first ball he faced and then easily lifted Afridi for a straight six. Fletcher attempted a slog shot but was caught off guard by an inside edge, which caused Wood to clean bowl him for 18. They were 52/3 after the completion of the powerplay.
Rayudu-Hosein’s partnership and Tim David’s cameo reached the Emirates to a fighting total
Pooran, too, was wonderfully caught by a diving Ali Naseer at a gully off Matheesha Pathirana, scoring 17. After the quick four wickets, Ambati Rayudu and Akeal Hosein tried to steady the ship and started forming a partnership.
Ambati Rayudu and Akeal Hosein’s 49-run partnership in 45 deliveries for the fifth wicket, which came from knocks of 23 and 24 runs, respectively, helped to construct their total. Tim David’s 28-off-14-ball cameo gave the total some credibility.
In 15 overs, Ambati Rayudu and Akeal Hosein helped the score reach 107. The breakthrough came from Pathirana, who removed Hosein after he was caught and bowled for a run-a-ball score of 24. Rayudu was also removed by Wanindu Hasaranga, who was caught by Afridi at long-on for 23.
Tim David and Dwayne Bravo scored 37 runs before Mohammad Amir, who bowled the final over, removed David for 28 and Trent Boult off consecutive deliveries, preventing Emirates from reaching 150 runs. The tight bowling of Matheesha Pathirana (2 for 32), Mohammad Amir (3 for 26), and Luke Wood caused batting difficulties for MI Emirates.
The top order of the Vipers collapsed against Muhammad Rohid and Fazalhaq Farooqi
It looked like this would be an easy cake walk for the Vipers as they were chasing the target of a meager 150 runs, but the MI Emirates kept themselves in the game by taking early wickets.
Rohan Mustafa, the Vipers’ opener, started to chase the target by going for his shots and amassing 18 runs, including two boundaries and a six, before Fazalhaq Farooqi bowled him.
Left-arm bowler Muhammad Rohid of the United Arab Emirates struck twice in the fifth over to dismiss opener Alex Hales for three runs and beautifully collected Adam Hose at first slip for a duck by a leaping Dwayne Bravo. Farooqi took the priceless wicket of captain Colin Munro, who was caught behind by Nicholas Pooran, for four runs.
Azam Khan came in and struck two consecutive boundaries off the first two deliveries he faced off Farooqi, bringing the score to 28 for 4 in 5.3 overs. Before Rohid removed the aggressive Khan, who was caught by Boult at deep mid-wicket for 20, Wanindu Hasaranga also quickened the pace of the run flow, scoring 34 runs for the fifth wicket with Azam Khan. The Vipers needed 76 more runs at the halfway mark.
Sherfane Rutherford’s quick knock helped the Vipers clinch a last-over thriller
Emirates gained a firm hold on the contest after Hasaranga attacked Dwayne Bravo straight to Boult at deep extra cover for 26. Sherfane Rutherford of the Vipers dashed dreams of victory with a speedy 35 runs after taking 17 off Boult’s 17th over with two boundaries and a six.
Then Bravo had Sherfane Rutherford caught by Kusal Perera at mid-on with a slower delivery. In order to win off the final ball, Shaheen Afridi (17*) and Luke Wood (6*) accepted the task of hitting 17 runs from the final 12 balls and 10 off Trent Boult’s final over. In order to win off the final ball, they needed to score three runs.
Rohid Khan took three wickets for 21 runs in three overs for MI Emirates. Both Dwayne Bravo and Fazalhaq Farooqi claimed two wickets apiece as they managed to keep it close. Waqar Salamkheil secured a wicket as well.
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