Theekshana and Sams bowl out Dubai Capitals for 104 and lift Sharjah Warriors to nine-wicket win

A happy Sharjah Warriors skipper Tom Kohler-Cadmore said on Monday after beating Dubai Capitals by nine wickets in their ILT20 match that his team played brilliantly.

“The guys were brilliant in the first innings and made our job easier. This isn’t the easiest place to play spin, and to have someone (Maheesh Theekshana) who can bowl three overs in the powerplay is brilliant. Everyone’s chipping in, just about finding consistency.”

Sharjah Warriors’ Johnson Charles received the green belt for the highest run getter of the tournament so far with 200 runs from five matches whereas Theekshana received the white belt for most wickets (11).

Theekshana weaved magic with the ball producing unplayable deliveries to bag four wickets for 20 runs.

His guile and artistry with the ball resulted in Dubai Capitals being bowled out for 104 runs in 18.2 overs.

Theekshana was well-backed by Daniel Sams, who bagged 3 for 28 with his accurate left-arm medium pace. Together they helped Warriors register an emphatic nine-wicket win in the 14th match of the DP World ILT20 season 2 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

Chasing the moderate target, Warriors raced to victory in 13.1 overs.

Warriors won the match with 41 balls to spare.

Capitals had come into this match after a defeat to defending champions Gulf Giants and surprised everyone by opting to bat first after winning the toss, unlike all other teams that had elected to bowl.

On the other hand, Warriors, fresh from a win over Desert Vipers the day before this match, carried the momentum and have now shot up the points table to the second slot from the fifth position while Capitals slipped to the fourth slot.

Speaking after the match, Capitals captain Warner admitted that his team did play poorly: “We weren’t good enough with the bat. We are all accountable for that. The wicket played a bit different than we expected, and we need to give credit to them for the way they bowled. Our shot selection wasn’t good enough.

“We need to go back to the drawing board and be brave. We are being a bit too conservative, need to show more intent. We’ll be back in Dubai where we are a bit more confident about the conditions,” he said.

Talking about his spell, Player of the Match, Theekshana said: “The surface was a bit slower than yesterday and it got better for me. We have got experienced players, and we are performing well as a team. In Abu Dhabi (next match), I have bowled in the T10 and the 2021 World Cup as well. I know the wickets there, so hopefully I can get better out there too.”

Tuesday’s match

Tuesday, January 30, will see Desert Vipers take on MI Emirates at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

The match will start at 7pm and will be broadcast live on Ariana Television.

Fans across Afghanistan can however tune in at 6:30 pm to watch the pre-match show.