INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The Desert Vipers got back to winning ways at the DP World ILT20 in the UAE on Wednesday in what can only be described as a scintillating
performance against Sharjah Warriorz.The Desert Vipers rode on Fakhar Zaman’s unbeaten 71 and Mohammad Amir’s four-wicket haul to cruise
to an emphatic 10-wicket win that consolidated their position atop the standings.The Desert Vipers wasted no time in their chase as Alex
Hales got them off to a flyer with a flurry of boundaries
He clobbered Tim Southee for three fours and then smashed Adam Milne for a maximum as the side raced to 20/0 inside the first two
overs.Zaman joined in on the action with some clean hitting as he went after Bangladeshi pacer Junaid Siddique in his first over
He went across the stump and cut him away for a boundary and then struck a beautiful pull shot for four more.Zaman was in his groove and
seemed to have a simple target – to not let the bowlers settle in. He went after Ashton Agar, hitting him for a massive six. The
Pakistani batter darted down the track for the next delivery and hit it straight past the bowler as the Desert Vipers put up 47 runs after
At the same stage in the first innings, the Sharjah Warriorz were 18/4.The gulf in batting was evident as the required run rate dipped below
three runs an over and the Desert Vipers’ batsmen made merry in the middle. Hales was happy to play the supporting role while Zaman fired
on all cylinders. He targeted Siddique again in the seventh over, using all his might to muscle the ball over long on and into the stands
Zaman brought up his half-century soon after, his second of the season, in 30 balls.It was a matter of time before the Desert Vipers chased
down the target and Zaman accelerated that process by executing a textbook slog-sweep to hit Agar for six and followed that up with a lovely
six over long-on to wrap up the contest in style. Zaman finished on an impressive 71 in 39 balls while the Desert Vipers clinched a
commanding 10-wicket victory.Earlier, the Desert Vipers won the toss and chose to bowl. Player of the match, Mohammad Amir said after the
game: “As a new-ball bowler, you try to swing the ball
I believe you have to bowl according to the wicket and hit the right areas
You need to adapt as quickly as you can to conditions, as a bowler
I saw the movie Pushpa 2 last week and the hero did that, so I was doing the same [on his celebration]
We have got a great bowling unit.”Sharjah Warriorz captain Tim Southee said: “It’s tough when you’re six for 30 odd, but the beauty
of this competition is we have got a couple of days off, dust ourselves off and again meet these guys
When you have got 90 on the board, you need to get early wickets but a couple of dangerous batters and you are as good as done after
that.”Thursday’s matchesDubai Capitals will take on Gulf Giants at the Dubai International Stadium on Thursday, January 23, at 7pm Kabul
time. A pre-match program will be broadcast on Ariana Television from 6.30pm
The pre-match show and the match will be broadcast live across Afghanistan on Ariana Television. The full broadcasting schedule is as
below. The post ILT20: Desert Vipers in 10 wicket triumph over Sharjah Warriorz first appeared on Ariana News.
