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Wed, Jan 21, 2026 | Shaban 2, 1447 | Fajr 05:45 | DXB 
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Desert Vipers edge past Sharjah Warriorz with 4-wicket win
The win consolidated the Vipers’ position at the top of the standings, with 14 points from eight matches, guaranteeing a spot in the top two
The Desert Vipers continued their impressive form in DP World ILT20 Season 4, securing a comfortable four-wicket victory over Sharjah Warriorz at the Dubai International Stadium on Saturday (December 20). The win consolidated the Vipers’ position at the top of the standings, with 14 points from eight matches, guaranteeing a spot in the top two.
David Payne led a disciplined bowling attack, bundling the hosts out for a modest 90 runs. Except for Tom Abell’s unbeaten 35 off 36 balls, the Warriorz struggled to make an impact. Sam Curran anchored the Vipers’ chase with 37 off 31 balls, hitting five boundaries and steering his team to victory with 37 balls to spare.
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Chasing a small target, the Vipers got off to a steady start despite losing early wickets. Taskin Ahmed struck early, removing Fakhar Zaman (6) and Hasan Nawaz (10), but Sam Curran's boundaries kept the run rate under control. After Max Holden (8) fell to Dwaine Pretorius, the Vipers were 38/8 after six hours.
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Curran anchored the middle overs alongside Dan Lawrence (14), rotating the strike efficiently. Despite tidy spells from Taskin Ahmed, Adil Rashid, and Pretorius, the Warriorz could not build sustained pressure.
A few late wickets — Lawrence by Harmeet Singh and Curran by Sikandar Raza — came too late, as Tom Bruce (10)* and Vriitya Aravind (3)* guided the Vipers home for a comfortable win.
Earlier, Payne struck twice in the powerplay, removing Johnson Charles (3 off 9) and Tom Kohler-Cadmore (9 off 11), conceding just nine runs in three overs. With support from Khuzaima Tanveer and Naseem Shah, the Vipers kept the Warriorz in check, reducing them to 28/2 after six overs.
Payne struck again just after the powerplay to remove James Rew for a duck, completing a super spell of three for 14. Lawrence and Naseem Shah then conceded just 11 runs across overs 8 and 9, as boundaries dried up completely.
The Warriorz never found momentum through the middle overs as regular wickets kept falling. Noor Ahmad and Curran applied the pressure, with Noor removing Ethan D’Souza (18 off 21) via a sharp stumping and later trapping Harmeet Singh (4 off 6) LBW, while Curran got Sikandar Raza (1 off 3). Despite Tom Abell batting with composure, support around him was minimal.
The innings then unravelled rapidly at the death. Khuzaima Tanveer struck twice in the 15th over, removing Dinesh Karthik (3 off 5) and Dwaine Pretorius (1 off 3), before Naseem Shah finished things off with a decisive burst in the 18th, dismissing Adil Rashid (1 off 6) and Taskin Ahmed (2 off 4). The Warriorz slid from 76/7 to 90 all out in quick time, setting a meagre target for their opponents.
“My plans were slightly different to usual tonight. It was more about bowling across the bat and matching up against their strengths. We know where Johnson Charles likes to score, so the idea was to stay out of his arc, and thankfully it worked.
"Having such a strong bowling attack around me takes a lot of pressure off. There are so many world-class bowlers in this side, and our real strength lies in how well we communicate and work together," said David Payne, who was named Player of the Game.
Meanwhile, Sharjah Warriorz skipper Sikandar Raza said, “We’ve won our games when batting first, and while chasing we haven’t quite found the right combinations. The thought at the toss was to give our batters the freedom to set a total, because on this surface 140–145 can be very tough to chase. When your back is against the wall, character is revealed. For us, every game now is like a final, and if we can win three in a row, no team will be better prepared for the playoffs than us.”
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