SHARJAH: The topsy-turvy nature of International League T20 in 2024 was once again illustrated in the clash between Sharjah Warriors and Abu Dhabi Knight Riders on Monday.
Ahead of the game, the Warriors paraded two new recruits from England, in the form of Adil Rashid and Liam Livingstone.
It looked like a scoop for the Sharjah side. Rashid is a seasoned cricketer who has played in 135 One Day Internationals for England and 104 Twenty20 Internationals, claiming more than 300 wickets across the formats. He has also played in 19 Tests, in which he took 60 wickets. Livingstone has played in 35 ODIs and 28 T20Is for England.
On the night, this counted for very little, except perhaps the performance of Knight Riders’ Irishman Josh Little, who claimed the wickets of Livingstone, Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Sean Williams for only 17 runs.
This left the Warriors on 46-for-six in the 10th over, after David Willey earlier dispatched both openers cheaply. They never recovered and ultimately were dismissed for 75 in 17 overs. The last four wickets fell to another English evergreen, Ravi Bopara, who took all four for 15 runs.
Warriors captain Kohkler-Cadmore was left to later bemoan the below-par starts early batters have been posting lately, after bright starts in their opening matches in the competition.
Given the low score they were forced to defend, it was a surprise that Rashid did not bowl early in the inning. Instead, he bowled the penultimate over, when the Knight Riders needed only 12 runs to win. Livingstone did not bowl at all but Mohammed Jawadullah did, claiming three wickets for 5 runs in two overs.
This was not nearly enough, however, and the Knight Riders easily reached their target in only 10 overs, building on a steady opening partnership of 54 by Englishmen Michael Pepper and Joe Clarke.
The left the Warriors as one of four teams on 6 points, but at the foot of the table because of their inferior run rate.
The Knight Riders are in second place on 10 points, behind MI Emirates on 12. Both teams will be looking to consolidate their positions, leaving the other four to battle it out to for the remaining spots in the top four.
