Moeen Ali-led Sharjah Warriors remained winless in the ongoing International League T20 as Desert Vipers emerged victorious in their second clash of the inaugural edition. While batting first, the Warriors posted 145/5 in 20 overs on the back of small contributions from, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (22 off 15), Joe Denly (36 off 33) and Mohammad Nabi (34 off 23).
After the Warriors' top-order faltered way too early, England batter Joe Denly stitched a crucial partnership with Nabi to post a competitive total on board. Denly was also involved in an incident from the match that has gone viral on the internet. The Warriors' batter got a wasted delivery which was a waist-high full toss outside off. Denly chased the ball and smashed it for a massive six over cover.
However, the on-field umpire declared the delivery dead-ball as it had slipped out of Tymal Mills'hands in the 14th over.
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Talking about the match, Alex Hales batted brilliantly in the second innings and got much-needed support from Sam Billings as the duo helped their side register a second straight win in the competition. With the help of three maximums and nine boundaries, Hales amassed 83 runs in 52 deliveries. Meanwhile, Sam Billings scored 49 runs in 38 balls. Hales was adjudged Player of the Match.
"Once we got ourselves in, it was a nice pitch. I try my best to get my feet moving. We (on his partnership with Sam Billings) were telling each other to stay busy, play good shots and let the bowlers make mistakes. We were lucky that there was not too much scoreboard pressure," Alex Hales said.
