Muscat: A historic moment for Oman as the Elite Sports Club, in collaboration with the Skating Association of Oman, hosted the country’s inaugural International Skating Championship at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Stadium.

The event saw impressive performances, particularly from Rithu Vinu (7), Ishaan Krishna (9), Jia Jijesh (14), and Abhinav Ratheesh (12)—all from the UAE. Under the guidance of coach Jude (Senior category), these young skaters dominated the competition, clinching gold medals in all three categories: 100 meters, 400 meters, and 1 kilometer.

The championship featured fierce competition, with skaters from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, the UAE, and Iran vying for top honors.

Sharjah Warriorz completed a sensational comeback in the tournament as they became the third team to seal a spot in the playoffs at the DP World ILT20 Season 3. Buoyed by a stellar knock from Tom Kohler-Cadmore, the Warriorz defeated the MI Emirates by eight wickets in a must-win match, here at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi. The result also knocks the Gulf Giants out of the race for a playoff berth, while the Dubai Capitals and Abu Dhabi Knight Riders are in contention for the fourth spot. 

Tom Kohler-Cadmore stood out with 91 runs in 52 balls in an endeavour that saw seven fours and five sixes. Matthew Wade, playing his first game of the season, also made his presence felt with a breezy knock of 44 runs in 25 balls. The victory not only also placed Sharjah Warriorz into the playoffs for the first time in the history of the competition but also marked the team’s first win against the MI Emirates across three seasons. 

Earlier in the day, Tom Banton extended his purple patch to remain unbeaten on 84 runs and drove the MI Emirates to 173/5 despite Tim Southee’s frugal spell of 1 for 22 in four overs.

Though the Warriorz lost Johnson Charles early for only 14 runs, they had a lucrative powerplay with Jason Roy smoking 18 runs off Alzarri Joseph in the sixth over to finish the phase at 59/1 with Tom Kohler-Cadmore unbeaten on 24 runs at the other end. 

While Roy was run out soon after for 22 runs 15 balls, Opener Tom Kohler-Cadmore was in fine form, cracking boundaries at will. Kohler-Cadmore smashed Waqar Salamkheil for a six and four on his way to a 29-ball fifty that comprised four fours and three sixes, in the 10th over.  

Australia’s Matthew Wade joined Kohler-Cadmore in a 102-run stand that came in just 55 balls. Wade took the pressure of Kohler-Cadmore, taking up the onus of finding the boundaries.  At the 13 over mark, the Warriorz needed 52 runs in 42 balls and were firmly in the driver’s seat.  

The equation was further whittled down to 24 runs needed in 30 balls as Wade struck three sixes including two off Alzarri Joseph. The Warriorz eventually romped home in 17.2 overs. 

Batting first, MI Emirates lost both openers in the powerplay, up against an economical spell from Warriorz skipper Tim Southee. Muhammad Waseem got a start but couldn’t convert falling to Southee for 21 runs. Meanwhile Andre Fletcher was run out for 11 runs as they finished the powerplay at 45/2 

Tom Banton and Kusal Perera took the innings ahead with a crucial 75-run stand in 53 balls. The pair scored conservatively until they took Ashton Agar for 16 runs in the 12th. Banton followed it up with two consecutive sixes off Zampa in the next over to increase the run rate significantly.  

Perera looked dangerous but he holed out to deep square leg off Dilshan Madushanka in the 15th over, bringing the score to 120/3.  

The death overs were important for the Emirates, netting 47 runs as Banton cruised to his half century in 35 balls that included four boundaries and four sixes. MI Emirates captain, Nicholas Pooran was unable to replicate his exploits from the previous game as he was dismissed by Adam Milne for eight runs in the 18th over. Banton remained unbeaten on 84 runs in 51 balls, as the MI Emirates posted 173/5. 

Player of the Match, Tom Kohler-Cadmore said: “We’ve been playing for three years, and we haven’t been to the finals, that was the goal going into this season. Tim Southee bowled well and set it up today. I just want to put the pressure back on them, sometimes they’ll get the better of me, but I tend to do well if I get a start, and I had some luck as well. Wade played some fine shots and eased us home. We’ve had a great group; the boys have been together even when we lost heavily.” 

MI Emirates captain, Nicholas Pooran said: “I thought we were 10-15 runs short. We allowed them to get back into the game too many times, both with the ball and the bat. They batted well, and our fielding wasn’t great in terms of execution. We missed a few chances and were sloppy in the field. They also bowled well into the wicket and put us under pressure.” 

Brief Scores

Sharjah Warriorz beat MI Emirates by eight wickets

MI Emirates 173/5 in 20 overs (Tom Banton 84 not out, Kusal Perera 31, Muhammad Waseem 21, Tim Southee 1 for 22, Dilshan Madushanka 1 for 33, Adam Milne 1 for 40) 

Sharjah Warriorz 176/2 in 17.2 overs (Tom Kohler-Cadmore 91 not out, Matthew Wade 44 not out, Jason Roy 22, Fazalhaq Farooqi 1 for 22) 

Player of the Match: Tom Kohler-Cadmore

The Gulf Giants returned to winning ways as they coasted to a fantastic seven-wicket win over the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the DP World ILT20 clash at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabion Saturday. The win sees the Gulf Giants climb up the ladder to the third spot and does a world of good to their playoff chances. The result also means the MI Emirates join the Desert Vipers as the two teams to have qualified for the playoffs. 

Needing a win to stay alive in the competition, the Gulf Giants were brilliant with the ball as they stifled the Knight Riders for 123. In response, they rode on a superb 70-run partnership between Gerhard Erasmus and Tom Curran and some late pinch-hitting from Shimron Hetmyer to clinch the victory. 

The Gulf Giants got off the blocks well in what appeared to be a straightforward chase. However, David Willey worked his magic on the ball as he picked up two wickets in as many deliveries to put the opposition in a worrisome spot. James Vince played the ball onto his stumps to depart for seven and Willey trapped Jordan Cox LBW on the next ball to give his side a fighting chance.  The Giants scored 27/2 in the powerplay, just three runs more than how many their opponents managed at the same stage. A disciplined bowling effort from Willey and Sunil Narine curtailed the Giants’ batting as they were restricted to 50/2 at the halfway stage. 

But it was just a matter of time before Erasmus and Curran found their groove, and that happened in the 11th over. Curran let loose as he hit Andre Russell for a four, a six, and then a four to amass 17 much-needed runs. That big over gave the Giants the impetus they needed as they got 12 more runs off Terrance Hinds in the 13th over.  The Giants were on track at this point, at 82/2, and needed a run a ball from the remaining seven overs. Curran and Erasmus worked out an impressive 70-run partnership, but Jason Holder found the breakthrough in the 15th over when Erasmus was caught at mid-off. Shimron Hetmyer joined Curran and made his intentions clear early on with a superb boundary. Narine, uncharacteristically, gave away four runs in extras as the Giants inched closer to the target. 

Hetmyer displayed his big-hitting skills as he clobbered Irbar Ahmad for a maximum over deep midwicket and subsequently hit the winning runs to seal a remarkable seven-wicket victory for the Gulf Giants. 

Earlier, the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders made a poor start when they lost both their openers – Kyle Mayers and Andries Gous – inside the opening three overs. They each made one run as the Knight Riders limped to 4/2. Roston Chase offered them some hope as he struck a few boundaries to lead them to 24/2 at the end of the powerplay. 

He departed for 15 soon after to Blessing Muzarabani, and Willey entered the fray. The Englishman steadied the ship and teamed up with Joe Clarke to put up 29 runs for the fourth wicket. The runs, though, were hard to come by as the Knight Riders went through four overs without a boundary. They were precariously placed at 55/3 after 12 overs when Clarke fell to Chris Jordan.  

The Knight Riders made plenty of changes to their batting order as Russell came in next. His arrival seemed to swing the fortunes in his side’s favour as Willey launched two massive sixes before Russell hit a couple of boundaries. However, his stay at the crease was cut when Tom Curran dismissed him for 15. With five overs to go, the Knight Riders were at 80/5 and were in dire need of some quick runs to put up a competitive total. Willey shouldered the responsibility and hit Mark Adair for a six, but the Irishman struck back on the very next delivery. Willey’s resolute display came to an end after he made a crucial 41 off 29 deliveries. 

Alishan Sharafu, the local boy who has been among the Knight Riders’ better batsmen this season, was tasked with steering his side at the death overs. He got off the mark with a boundary, but the runs dried up thereon as the Knight Riders managed just three boundaries in the final four overs to put up a modest total of 123. 

Sunil Narine, captain of the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, said: “I think they bowled brilliantly and used the conditions to their advantage. We tried to take as many wickets as possible in the powerplay. We couldn’t take many wickets in the middle overs and it became easier for them. Jason Holder has been doing a fantastic job with the bat and the ball. He assessed the conditions as best as possible. We are on the backfoot, but we will be looking forward to that Mumbai-Sharjah game and are hoping for the best.” 

Player of the match, Dan Worrall, said: “Opening the bowling with Mark, we had to get us off to a good start. Our bowling group prides itself on diversity. Left arm, right arm, tall and short, we have a bit of everything. We’re glad that we’ve at least given ourselves a fighting chance. We’ll be crossing our fingers for the next couple of days.” 

Brief scores:

Gulf Giants beat Abu Dhabi Knight Riders by seven wickets 

Gulf Giants 124/3 in 17.5 overs (Gerhard Erasmus 47, Tom Curran 38 not out, Shimron Hetmyer 20 not out, David Willey 2 for 17, Jason Holder 1 for 17) 

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders 123-7 in 20 overs (David Willey 41, Alishan Sharafu 21 not out, Chris Jordan 2 for 20, Mark Adair 2 for 25, Dan Worrall 1 for 13)  

Player of the Match: Dan Worrall