Tim Seifert’s stellar cameo did the trick for the Sharjah Warriorz as they sealed a stunning six-wicket win against defending champions MI Emirates in their winner-takes-it-all, DP World ILT20 Season 3 Eliminator clash at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium on Thursday evening. Seifert’s 40 off 20, coupled with Tim Southee’s two-wicket haul takes Sharjah Warriorz a step closer to the title as they will next face the Desert Vipers in Qualifier 2 on Friday for a spot in the final.
By virtue of MI Emirates’ elimination, a new champion will be crowned in Season 3 of the DP World ILT20 as both former champions have been knocked out of the competition. This is also a historic campaign for the Sharjah Warriorz as this is the first time they have reached this stage of the tournament.
Chasing a modest total of 147, the Sharjah Warriorz were off the blocks in a jiffy as Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Johnson Charles struck five fours in the opening two overs to put up 23/0. Charles went after Alzarri Joseph in the third over as he cut it away for a boundary and then launched a massive six as the Sharjah Warriorz motored on.
Charles was in sublime form as he slashed away on a ball that was outside the sixth stump for another boundary and put up 27 runs off just 12 deliveries. The Saint Lucian batter didn’t spare any bowler as he next went after Muhammad Rohid and hit him for back-to-back boundaries. The young UAE bowler, though, made a fine comeback as he undid Charles with a short-pitched delivery. He departed for a well-made 36 off 20 and Jason Roy was the next man to come in.
The Sharjah Warriorz looked well-poised to chase down the target as they amassed 58/1 at the end of the powerplay with Kohler-Cadmore in fine form. Kohler-Cadmore and Roy strung together a fine partnership as they took their side to 87/1 at the halfway mark and they needed exactly 60 runs off 60 deliveries.
The MI Emirates needed a couple of quick wickets to work their way back into the contest and found their big breakthrough in the 13th over. Rohid was brought back in the attack and turned the tide in the MI Emirates’ favour as he dismantled Roy’s stumps to give his side some breathing room. It only got better for the local lad as he struck again two balls later when Will Jacks took a catch at cover to dismiss Matthew Wade. Rohid, thus picked up two massive wickets in the over and gave the MI Emirates a route back into the game.
The momentum, though, was still with the Sharjah Warriorz as they were at 101/3 and needed 46 runs from the final seven overs with as many wickets in hand. Tim Seifert played a gem of an innings as he ensured he scored a boundary in each of the next three overs to take his team closer to the target. Kohler-Cadmore’s patient innings was snapped by Fazalhaq Farooqi, the tournament’s leading wicket-taker, after the Englishman played it onto his stumps for 40 off 40.
His dismissal served as a scare among the Sharjah Warriorz faithful, but Seifert took control of the chase and got the job done. He clobbered 16 runs in the 19th over to finish with 40 runs from 20 balls and lead the Sharjah Warriorz to Qualifier 2. This was the first time the Sharjah Warriors had reached this stage of the tournament.
Earlier, the MI Emirates innings didn’t get off on the best note as Andre Fletcher fell to Adam Milne in the first over. Tom Banton and Will Jacks combined to put up 34 for the second wicket before an inspired bowling change earned the Sharjah Warriorz their second wicket. Ashton Agar was brought on in the sixth over and he repaid his captain’s faith right away as he got Jacks with a quicker one that skidded off the surface. However, Nicholas Pooran came out all guns blazing as he hit 4,4,6 to get things underway and lead the MI Emirates to 48/2 at the end of the powerplay.
Banton and Pooran looked in sound form and the Englishman kept the scoreboard ticking and overtook Shai Hope to soar ahead in the race for the Green Belt. Banton’s stay came to an end in the 10th over as Rohan Mustafa took a stunning catch to dismiss him for 29. Mustafa bowled a flighted delivery and showed great reflexes to stick his right hand out and grab onto a sharp catch. At the halfway mark, the MI Emirates had 75/3 on the board.
Pooran spearheaded his side’s scoring duties as he dealt only in boundaries to 42 runs off just 19 deliveries. He played the perfect captain’s innings and became only the third batter to score 1000 runs in the tournament but was undone in the 13th over by Dilshan Madushanka. The Sri Lankan hit the deck hard with a short ball and Pooran was beaten for pace. Bevon Jacobs fell in the next over after failing to dispatch a full toss and the MI Emirates found themselves at 101/5 with six overs to go. Interestingly, the MI Emirates had not lost a single wicket to spin in the six matches they played in Abu Dhabi this season but they lost three wickets in the evening.
The Sharjah Warriorz swapped spin for pace in the 17th over as Southee came on and struck right away. Kusal Perera hit a six off the first ball but holed out the next delivery as Southee dismissed him for 18 off 12. It went downhill thereon for the Sharjah Warriorz as Romario Shepherd, who was dropped twice, trudged back to the pavilion for seven runs in the 19th over. The Sharjah Warriorz’ brilliant bowling display saw them restrict the MI Emirates to 146/8 in 20 overs.
Nicholas Pooran, captain of the MI Emirates said: “We were below par, we put ourselves in a hole. It was difficult to defend on this surface where there wasn’t much assistance for the bowlers. Our bowlers tried very hard, credit must be given to them. They (Warriorz) took their chances. We didn’t have an answer for them. Congrats to them. You get what you deserve, we haven’t been consistent. Looking forward to next year.”
Player of the match, Tim Seifert said: “Always nice to get to that winning position. Our bowlers did a great job. Those first four balls Pooran faced put pressure on us. The bowlers have been unbelievable. The way they use the new ball is outstanding. Big semi-final coming up, hopefully, we can make it to the final.”
Brief Scores:
Sharjah Warriorz beat MI Emirates by six wickets
MI Emirates 146/8 in 20 overs (Nicholas Pooran 42, Tom Banton 29, Kusal Perera 18, Tim Southee 2 for 24)
Sharjah Warriorz 149/4 in 18.5 overs (Tim Seifert 40 not out, Tom Kohler-Cadmore 40, Johnson Charles 36, Muhammad Rohid 3 for 32)
Player of the match: Tim Seifert
