ILT20 2023 | Hasaranga, Wood flattens Warriors as Vipers maintain top spot
Vipers players celebrate a wicket (Source: Twitter/ILT20)
The Desert Vipers returned to their winning ways after sustaining a huge 157-run defeat to MI Emirates earlier this week. The Colin Munro-led side, already on top of the ILT20 2023 points table, further consolidated their number one status by overcoming Sharjah Warriors by 22 runs.
Benny Howell steers Vipers to 148
Earlier, the Desert Vipers skipper Colin Munro won the toss and opted to bat first. His opener Alex Hales returned with a rare failure in an otherwise prolific season, while his partner Rohan Mustafa washed up 33 deliveries to score just 31.
Warriors’ Muhammad Jawadullah and Noor Ahmad claimed two wickets each, with the latter even strangling the Vipers’ run-flow to an extent. However, all-rounder Benny Howell combated the two, scored a crucial 34* and steered the Vipers to a respectable 148-6.
Hasaranga, Luke Wood restrict Warriors to 126
Desert Vipers’ star imports Wanindu Hasaranga and Luke Wood conceded just 33 runs from their combined eight overs. The two collected three wickets apiece and broke Warriors’ response from the outset.
Apart from Paul Walter’s measly 27 and Noor Ahmad’s sluggish 23, none of the Warriors’ batters managed to go past 20 as they fell 22 runs short of their task.
Gus Atkinson was the only other wicket-taker of the innings, sending Rahmanullah Gurbaz back to the pavilion off his opening over.
Brief scores:
Desert Vipers: 148-6 (20)
Benny Howell 34* (23), Rohan Mustafa 31 (33)
Noor Ahmad 2-27, Muhammad Jawadullah 2-36
Sharjah Warriors: 126-8 (20)
Paul Walter 27 (23), Noor Ahmad 23 (19)
Wanindu Hasaranga 3-13, Luke Wood 3-20
Desert Vipers won by 22 runs
Also Read: Ruthless MI Emirates annihilates Desert Vipers registering a 157 runs victory
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