The Desert Vipers pulled off their fourth-straight win of DP World ILT20 Season 4, scraping past MI Emirates by one run in a nerve-shredding finish at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Tuesday. Defending 159, the Vipers held their nerve in the final over to stay top of the table with eight points.
Payne’s 19th-Over Burst Turns The Game
MI Emirates were in control for much of the chase, but David Payne’s superb 19th over, where he removed Romario Shepherd, Kieron Pollard and Chris Woakes, flipped the match on its head. Payne finished with 4 for 29, while UAE seamer Khuzaima Tanveer backed him with 2 for 34.
Earlier, Tanveer had also dismissed Jonny Bairstow early in the chase, before Muhammad Waseem (24) and Tom Banton (34) guided MI Emirates to 49/1 in the powerplay. Banton and Nicholas Pooran (31) added another steady stand, but regular wickets kept the visitors in check.
A brief charge from Tajinder Singh (17 off 7) shifted momentum again with two sixes off Sam Curran, but Lockie Ferguson ended his cameo before Payne’s decisive burst left MI Emirates needing 16 off the final over. Rashid Khan’s late blows (13* off 8) weren’t enough, and two runs off the last ball proved elusive.
Vipers Start Brightly Before Slowdown
Fakhar Zaman (35) and Andries Gous (21) gave the Vipers a fluent start, reaching 51/0 inside the powerplay. After Gous retired hurt, Zaman and Max Holden (42) stitched a 51-run partnership, but the innings lost momentum once Allah Ghazanfar removed Zaman and tightened the screws in the middle overs.
Shimron Hetmyer (15) and Sam Curran (19) tried to lift the tempo before Holden retired out, but the Vipers were restricted to 159/4. Dan Lawrence chipped in with an unbeaten 15 off 8 at the end.
Payne: ‘We Were Hanging On, Waiting To Break Through’
It felt as though we were hanging on towards the end, waiting for the moment to break through. When that happened, we managed to take a few crucial wickets. We kept the plans simple – hitting the pitch with good line and length. Simplicity worked well today.
Pollard: ‘Momentum shifted and we lost from a winning position’
MI Emirates captain Kieron Pollard admitted his side let the game slip: “In our last game, we snuck over the line when we probably shouldn’t have won, and this time it turned around on us. The Vipers bowled brilliantly. We didn’t finish the innings well. It shows again that if you stay in the fight long enough, momentum can shift and you can lose from a winning position – and that’s what happened tonight.”
Brief Scores: Desert Vipers 159/4 in 20 overs (Max Holden 42, Fakhar Zaman 35; Allah Ghazanfar 2/32, Fazalhaq Farooqi 1/27) MI Emirates 158/9 in 20 overs (Tom Banton 34, Nicholas Pooran 31, Kieron Pollard 23; David Payne 4/29, Khuzaima Tanveer 2/34).
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