Sharjah Warriorz held their nerve to pull off a thrilling four-wicket victory over Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in a last-ball finish, keeping their ILT20 playoff hopes alive. The win lifted the Warriorz to six points on the table, with two crucial league matches still to play.

Earlier in the night, a devastating spell from Taskin Ahmed and Wasim Akram triggered a dramatic collapse, reducing the Knight Riders to 10 for 4. Although Sherfane Rutherford’s fighting 44 off 36 balls and a late three-wicket burst from Adil Rashid helped them recover to 134 for 9, the total always looked vulnerable.

Rew holds his nerve as Warriorz survive late scare

Chasing 135, Sharjah suffered early jolts when Jason Holder removed Johnson Charles for a duck in the second over, before Ajay Kumar struck in the next to dismiss Monank Patel. Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Tom Abell steadied the innings, guiding the Warriorz to 38 for 2 at the end of the powerplay, with Kohler-Cadmore finding the boundary regularly.

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The Knight Riders tightened the screws through Olly Stone and Sunil Narine, who dismissed Abell and kept both Kohler-Cadmore and Sikandar Raza under pressure. At the halfway mark, Sharjah were 58 for 3, still needing a measured approach.

Narine eventually broke the stand by trapping Kohler-Cadmore LBW, but his 35-run partnership with Raza kept the chase alive. James Rew then shifted momentum with a pair of boundaries off Andre Russell in the 14th over, rotating strike efficiently with Raza as the Warriorz reached 91 for 4 after 15 overs.

Rew and Raza stitched together a vital 57-run stand off just 35 balls, edging Sharjah closer to the target. Raza’s dismissal in the 18th over, Ajay Kumar’s second wicket, brought fresh tension into the contest. A superb penultimate over from Holder left the Warriorz needing 12 from the final six deliveries.

However, Rew, who remained unbeaten on 42 off 29 balls, calmly guided the chase alongside Adil Rashid, seeing Sharjah home off the final ball to seal a crucial win.

(By PTI Inputs)