Wanindu Hasaranga and Luke Wood bowl Desert Vipers to victory

Desert Vipers’ splendid bowling show led by their ace leg spinner Wanindu Hasaranga (3 for 13) and left-arm medium pacer Luke Wood (3 for 20) ensured them a 22-run win over Sharjah Warriors in the 23rd match of the ILT20 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Tuesday night.

This win has helped them qualify for the play-off and almost assured them a top two finish.

It was a splendid comeback show from Desert Vipers who had lost their last match to MI Emirates by 157 runs. Ultimately, they clinched the top slot in the points table with 12 points from eight matches.

They are trailed by Gulf Giants in the second position with 10 points, but from seven matches. Sharjah Warriors remain in the fourth slot with seven points from eight matches above Dubai Capitals, who also have seven points from eight matches.

MI Emirates is in the third slot with nine points from seven matches.

Though Desert Vipers could post only 148 for 6 in 20 overs through opener Rohan Mustafa’s knock of 31 runs and Benny Howell’s unbeaten 34, Sharjah Warriors were restricted to 126 for 8 in 20 overs.

Desert Vipers won the toss and bravely elected to bat.

Speaking after the match about their performance, Sharjah Warriors’ batting coach Matthew Maynard said: “We didn’t play enough strong shots for singles. We weren’t aggressive in our approach. We didn’t use our feet well against the spinners. That’s something we will work on before the next game.

“We want to achieve two wins and play with the intent we showed in our last few games,” he said.

Meanwhile, Desert Vipers’ head coach James Foster said: “It was a phenomenal win for the Desert Vipers. We thought 140 would be a defendable total and we were quite pleased with 148 on a difficult wicket.

“I felt our bowlers didn’t allow them to play their shots. I am delighted with the fight and character the team showed today,” he said.