Desert Vipers storm into ILT20 final with commanding win over Sharjah Warriorz
SHARJAH: Desert Vipers delivered a dominant all-round performance to cruise past Sharjah Warriorz by seven wickets in Qualifier 2 of the DP World ILT20 on Friday, setting up a final clash against Dubai Capitals.
For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport
Chasing 163 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, the Vipers made light work of the target, reaching it with 20 balls to spare. Openers Max Holden (48) and Alex Hales (47) set the tone with aggressive stroke play before captain Sam Curran finished the chase in style with a blistering 15-ball 34.
Having finished as runners-up in the tournament's inaugural season, the Vipers will now be determined to go all the way when they meet Dubai Capitals in the final on Sunday.
Sharjah Warriorz got off to a dream start when Adam Milne bowled Rahmanullah Gurbaz for just three in the opening over with a superb inswinging delivery. However, Hales responded with a flurry of boundaries, including four consecutive fours off Dilshan Madushanka in the fourth over, as the Vipers raced to 54 for one by the end of the powerplay.
Hales continued his assault, smashing Karim Janat for three successive boundaries before Madushanka finally got his revenge, dismissing the Englishman for a rapid 47 off 29 balls. Despite that breakthrough, Holden kept the momentum going with clean hitting, ensuring the Vipers remained in control at 92 for two after 10 overs.
Just when Holden looked set to steer his side home, Milne struck again, dismissing him for a well-compiled 48. However, with just 46 runs required from the final seven overs, Curran took charge, the Vipers' skipper unleashing a brutal display of hitting, striking two fours and two sixes, including a massive shot over midwicket, to seal victory in emphatic fashion.
Earlier, Sharjah Warriorz struggled for early momentum after losing Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Johnson Charles within the first three overs. Charles briefly threatened with a six and a four off Mohammad Amir but fell soon after for 16.
Jason Roy provided some stability, striking a series of boundaries and forming a crucial 43-run partnership with Tim Seifert. However, the Vipers' bowlers continued to chip away, with Nathan Sowter deceiving Seifert (15) with a slower delivery and later removing Matthew Wade (6) with a brilliant leg-break.
Roy fought valiantly, bringing up his half-century in 34 balls, but his departure in the final over — coupled with a stunning cameo from Janat, who smashed four sixes in the last two overs — meant the Warriorz could only muster 162 for seven.
Reflecting on the defeat, Tim Southee, skipper of Sharjah Warriorz, admitted his side fell short with the ball.
He said: 'It was a tough one. We knew the wicket would skid on later, but we needed to bowl better. The Vipers changed their pace well and executed their plans perfectly. Jason (Roy) played exceptionally well, but overall it was disappointing not to defend our total.'
Meanwhile, Player of the Match Hales was delighted with his contribution, saying: 'It feels great. The pitch was playing well, and I'm happy I could time the chase perfectly. We kept it simple, watched the ball until the last moment, and played to our strengths. Now we're fully focused on the final.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
14-05-2025
- Arab News
DP World International League T20 4th season to start on UAE National Day
DUBAI: Season four of the DP World International League T20 tournament will start on Dec. 2 — UAE National Day — it has been announced. For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport The six-team, 34-match tournament will conclude just over a month later, with the final taking place on Jan. 4, 2026. The biggest T20 league in the Gulf region has moved out of its traditional January-February window as the ICC Men's T20 World Cup is scheduled for February-March 2026. ILT20 chairman ILT20 and Emirates Cricket Board vice chairman, Khalid Al-Zarooni, said: 'We are delighted to confirm that the DP World International League T20 season four will commence on the UAE National Day — Eid-Al-Etihad — which is one of the most important days on the UAE calendar. 'The UAE National Day is the day where we celebrate the United Arab Emirates, which is home to people from around the world including millions of diehard cricket fans. It is a real honor for us to join the nation in the UAE National Day 2025 celebrations with the launch of the region's biggest T20 league on the same day.' DP World ILT20 CEO David White added: 'The ICC Men's T20 World Cup begins in early February; hence it was important for us to start and finish season four well before the tournament as it will allow the players playing both the DP World ILT20 and the T20 World Cup to prepare for national duty. In addition, we feel the December-January window will provide the teams the best opportunity to access a bigger pool of players. 'Season three was a big success with outstanding broadcast and digital numbers as the fans enjoyed a step up in the quality of cricket. The teams gave their absolute all across the hugely competitive 34 tournament matches, which concluded with a nail-biting final. We are now fully focused on making an even bigger impact as we turn our attention to Season 4.' Season three featured major T20 stars including Nicholas Pooran, Sam Curran (player of the tournament — red belt winner), Shai Hope (most runs in the tournament — green belt winner), Fazalhaq Farooqi (highest wicket-taker — white belt winner), Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Jason Holder, Alex Hales, Fakhar Zaman, Lockie Ferguson, David Warner, Rovman Powell, Dasun Shanaka, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, James Vince, Shimron Hetmyer, Tom Banton, Romario Shepherd, Tim Southee, Tim Seifert, Matthew Wade, Jason Roy, Adil Rashid and Adam Zampa. The Dubai Capitals won the trophy, edging out the Desert Vipers in a thrilling final which was played in front of a full house at the Dubai International Stadium.
Arab News
05-04-2025
- Arab News
Patrick Reed leads by two, DeChambeau's Crushers GC show way in team race at LIV Golf Miami
MIAMI: Despite a double bogey on his closing hole, Patrick Reed shot a 5-under par 67 and grabbed the first-round lead at LIV Golf Miami on Friday at Trump National Doral. Reed began his round on the 10th hole and put seven birdies on his card, reaching 7 under with a tap-in at the par-5 eighth. But at the par-3 ninth, he missed the green wide left and compounded the mistake by putting his second shot into a bunker. Reed came back to the pack a bit, but he still held a two-shot lead over Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson (3-under 69). 'I mean, the first 17 were great,' Reed said. 'No, as a whole I played solid. I hit the ball pretty well off the tee, hit some quality iron shots and made some putts, and I think that's what you have to do around this place. .'.. Yeah, for the back tee with this kind of wind direction here on 9, I don't know what to do. I don't have a club for it that I feel like I can hit a straight shot, and it's hard to start it over the water and get it turning back. It was just an unfortunate finish, but at the end of the day, it's still a solid round of golf.' In LIV Golf's first US event of 2025, it was fitting that the top four players are all past major champions, three of them with at least one green jacket to their name with the Masters a week away. Reed won the Masters in 2018, Mickelson has captured three green jackets and Dustin Johnson won the 2020 edition that was delayed to November. 'Obviously I was playing really good at the end of 2020,' Johnson said Friday. 'But the game I feel like it's getting pretty close to that. Obviously it's a really fine line to being that good or just a little bit off, but yeah, I've got a lot of confidence in my game right now.' Johnson had a three-birdie run at Nos. 14-16 late in his round to get to 3 under, while DeChambeau was steady with four birdies and just one bogey. DeChambeau's team, Crushers GC, also holds a narrow two-shot lead in the team competition through one round. The four-man team of DeChambeau, Charles Howell III, Englishman Paul Casey and India's Anirban Lahiri combined to go 2 under par, with Johnson's 4Aces GC sitting second at even par. 'There's a reason we won here (at the LIV Team Championship) in 2023,' DeChambeau said. 'They like this golf course. They like a tough, challenging golf course where you can strategically play and let everybody kind of mess up on their own, and we just plot along and make a couple birdies where we can and move along when it's a really brutal hole.'
Arab News
30-03-2025
- Arab News
Sports travel agency transforms experiences for fans in the region
Dubai: When the Dubai World Cup takes place on April 6 at Meydan Racecourse, a fair few of the attendees will have Allan Holt to thank for their experience. For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport The 58-year-old Englishman has spent the past 34 years in the travel industry, and the past two decades connecting sports fans with events in the UAE and around the globe through his travel agency, recently rebranded as ES Sport. With offices in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, his business has taken major strides in the sports tourism industry in recent times. Recently, ES Sport expanded its executive team, which includes group managing director Holt and group financial director Paul McSorley, by welcoming new chairman Sheikh Mohamed bin Saif Al-Nahyan to lead the agency in a new strategic direction, leveraging his Emirati perspective and a deeper understanding of the Abu Dhabi market. Holt has come a long way since he cut his teeth in the travel industry in his native UK before moving to the UAE, where he initially set up a travel agency that would eventually become Expat Sport, focused on sports tourism. 'When I moved to the region 18 years ago, I continued that business, which is travel and tourism,' Holt told Arab News. 'But we always had a strong focus on sport because I'm passionate about it.' As the digital age transformed the travel industry, Holt realized the need for differentiation in a market increasingly dominated by online bookings. 'We were looking for something unique that could add value,' he said. 'So when I moved to the UAE, I continued the business here. I saw an opportunity because the service levels at that point weren't at the standard of what our business provided in the UK.' This gap in service quality motivated him to create a travel agency that catered to the needs of British expats living in the UAE, ensuring they received the same level of service and trust they were accustomed to in the UK. With time, Holt recognized the increasing demand for sporting events. 'We started doing more and more sport as we realized the opportunities available here were far greater than in the UK, which was saturated.' Holt said that sport has always been in his DNA. 'So we always had a strong focus on sport,' he said 'Even in 2009, we did a tour to South Africa for the (British & Irish Lions) Science Alliance tour. And on that trip, we met some huge corporates, CEOs, because they're all passionate (about sports).' His agency began organizing tours for high-profile events, including, after specific requests, the Hong Kong Sevens and the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which led to a shift in focus from general travel to sports tourism. As the agency evolved and business grew, Holt made a pivotal decision to rebrand. 'We said this is what we love doing, this is where we can really make a difference,' Holt said. 'We're not going to be a travel business that does a bit of sport, we're going to be a sports business. 'We wanted to make sure we were identified as a sports business, not just a travel agency that does a bit of sport,' he said. 'Our name should reflect that. That's when we changed our name to Expat Sport.' Holt said the company has since gone from strength to strength, growing globally and developing an international network of tour operators and clients. With the rebranding came new opportunities. The agency became the exclusive hospitality agency in the UAE for the FIFA World Cup. 'So we're moving on now from only selling other people's events to having something that we either add exclusivity to, or we provide a meet and greet or some other added value,' Holt said. With the expansion to more and more inbound offering to the UAE, Holt said it made no sense to stick to an agency name that targeted a specific audience only. 'Expat Sport doesn't really mean anything to (inbound clients),' he said. 'When we were mainly focused on outbound from here, taking people outbound, then that made sense.' The eventual change to ES Sport, which stands for 'Experiences and Sponsorship Within Sport,' was a milestone in the agency's journey. 'This name reflects our commitment to creating unique experiences and engaging with sponsorships.' When discussing the most popular events that draw international visitors, Holt highlighted the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. 'It consistently attracts a significant percentage of international attendees,' he said, adding that recent events such as EuroLeague basketball and the UFC have also gained traction with international visitors in recent years, strengthening the UAE's status as a sporting hub in the region, and globally. Holt also emphasized the importance of collaboration with local authorities and sports organizations. 'Working closely with rights holders and tourism boards allows us to create a cohesive strategy that benefits the region,' he said. Holt believes this collaborative approach not only enhances the visitor experience but also promotes the UAE as a premier sports destination. In that sense, working directly with Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT) to identify opportunities has given Holt's agency an advantage over competitors. 'I'm astounded by how popular (EuroLeague) is,' he said. 'So whoever goes out and gets these events on behalf of DCT have obviously done their homework, because we've done our research when we were looking at our numbers in terms of what we could provide in support of DCT, because of course they wanted us to bring people from the international market over to Abu Dhabi. 'Our focus is on bringing people from outside the region to experience these events and explore the rich culture of the UAE,' he said, adding that almost all of ES Sports' general ticket sales come from international markets, with UAE offerings tending to be mostly for corporate clients. Holt also pointed out the trend of visitors to extend their stays to enjoy several events. 'People are increasingly looking to combine their trips — attending one event and then exploring others,' he explained. The idea of 'twin center holidays' is gaining traction, where travellers can enjoy various sporting events while immersing themselves in local culture. Holt's vision for the future of his agency includes creating packages that cater to diverse interests, ensuring that fans can experience a range of events on a single trip. 'The idea is to provide multisport experiences that allow travellers to immerse themselves in the excitement of various events, all while enjoying the beauty of the UAE,' he said. While in the past ES Sport has been primarily focused on bringing visitors to the UAE for events such as the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and other international sports tournaments, Holt highlighted the potential for more outbound travel to events such as 'Premier League football matches or Formula 1 races' and that his agency has long been involved in that as well. 'We've been doing outbound trips for 18 years,' he said, highlighting past successes such as taking thousands of fans to the FIFA World Cup in Qatar and organizing trips to major events such as Wimbledon and the ICC T20 World Cup in the US. The agency has also established itself as an official partner for Manchester City, offering ticketing solutions and unique experiences that allow fans to engage with the team in ways that go beyond just watching a match. This includes exclusive training sessions and meet-and-greet opportunities with players. While the recent partnership with the DCT in Abu Dhabi has shifted some of Holt's focus back to inbound travel, he remains committed to developing outbound services. 'We're careful about how we expand,' he said, indicating that while there is a desire to broaden their scope, the quality of service remains paramount. Holt's strategy involves not just selling tickets but also creating comprehensive travel packages that include experiences and hospitality. Looking ahead, Holt is enthusiastic about the potential for new events and sports to enter the regional market, highlighting Saudi Arabia's hosting of the AFC Asian Cup 2026 and, down the line, the FIFA World Cup 2034. Holt said that ES Sport is actively seeking to bring more international events to the UAE, including potential partnerships for Grand Prix races in Saudi Arabia and Singapore. He also emphasized the importance of tapping into Asian markets as sports tourism evolves, noting that the agency is already working with teams and fans from Japan and China, which will help to diversify the clientele that ES Sport serves. Holt said his commitment to enhancing the sports travel experience through ES Sport is as strong as ever. As he navigates the complexities of expanding the agency's services, he is poised to make a significant impact on sports tourism in the UAE and beyond.
