Sharjah Warriors defeats Abu Dhabi Knight Riders by seven wickets

Leg spinner Adil Rashid produced a spell of 4 for 12 to bowl out Abu Dhabi Knight Riders for a paltry 94 runs in 17.1 overs in the 25th match of the DP World ILT20 season 2 at the Zayed Cricket Stadium.

His mesmerizing spell ended Warriors’ three-match losing streak to win the match by seven wickets and also snap Knight Riders’ three-match winning run. It has also helped them remain in contention to reach the qualifiers, rising from the bottom of the table to the fourth position.

Chasing the moderate target, Liam Livingstone’s breezy knock of 30 off 13 balls and Niroshan Dickwella’s run-a-ball 30 runs, and their 52 runs partnership in 26 balls for the second wicket, ensured their team a victory in 13.5 overs.

The tale of Knight Riders’ dismal show began soon after bottom placed Warriors won the toss and elected to bowl against second placed Knight Riders. 

Rashid, after bagging the Player of the Match award, said: “The seamers set it up, kept it tight and allowed me and the others to come into our own. I tried to vary it at times, bowl a bit slower and somedays it works. Fortunate for myself on how it went today.”

A happy Warriors’ skipper Kohler Cadmore said: “It’s nice to bounce back and finish relatively comfortably. Every time I have played here, it has been a belter. But when Rash (Adil Rashid) come in to bowl, we knew spin was the way to go. We've got so many spin options, it was great to get it right with the ball.”

Knight Riders skipper Sunil Narine said: “We lost wickets in the first 6-8 overs, and then in the middle overs as well. We didn't get a total we could defend. It surprised us how much it spun today, but we should have adjusted better to these conditions.”

FINAL SCORES
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders 94 in 17.1 overs (Michael Pepper 32, Alishan Sharafu 26, Adil Rashid 4 for 12, Joe Denly 2 for 0)
Sharjah Warriors 95 for 3 in 13.5 overs (Niroshan Dickwella 30, Liam Livingstone 30, Imad Wasim 2 for 20)