Taskin Ahmed delivered a sharp opening spell for Sharjah Warriors against Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, but an expensive final over denied the Bangladesh fast bowler a near-perfect outing. Sharjah, however, held their nerve to secure a last-ball victory in a clash between the bottom two sides of the ILT20 table.
Handed the new ball, Taskin struck early to put Abu Dhabi under pressure. He removed Phil Salt in his opening over, inducing a catch off the final delivery after conceding a boundary earlier in the over. In his second, he claimed Alex Hales, once again bouncing back immediately after being hit for four.
Taskin bowled another tight over inside the powerplay, completing his first three overs with excellent figures of two wickets for just 16 runs.
The pacer returned to bowl the 19th over and bore the brunt of a late onslaught. Andre Russell and Jason Holder struck two sixes apiece, taking 25 runs from the over. Abu Dhabi finished on 134 for nine, with Taskin ending on two for 41 from four overs. He now has eight wickets from five matches in the tournament.
Adil Rashid was Sharjah’s most effective bowler, picking up three wickets for 18 runs, while Wasim Akram supported well with two for 12 from three overs.
In reply, Sharjah lost both openers for just nine runs, slipping early in the chase. James Rew then anchored the innings with a composed, unbeaten 42.
Needing 12 from the final over, Rew eased the pressure with a boundary off the first ball before calmly rotating the strike. He guided Sharjah home off the final delivery against Russell, finishing with a 29-ball knock that included four fours and a six.
