Sharjah Warriorz clinch ILT20 Development title in thrilling finale

Sharjah Warriorz Development held their nerve in a tense finish to be crowned champions of the third edition of the ILT20 Development Tournament, edging out Desert Vipers Development by four runs in the final at the ICC Academy in Dubai on Wednesday.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Defending a modest 134, the Warriorz bounced back with the ball to stun the Vipers, who appeared on course after a strong start but crumbled in the middle overs and eventually fell just short.Put into bat, the Warriorz struggled to build momentum as wickets fell at regular intervals. Yassir Kaleem (33 off 27) and Mohit Kalyan (30 off 23) were the only batters to make significant contributions before the side folded for 134 in 19.2 overs. The Vipers’ bowlers were clinical, with Sanjay Pahal (2/17), Khuzama Tanveer (2/20), Matiullah Khan (2/22), and Hafiz Almas Ayub (2/37) sharing the spoils.In response, the Vipers’ openers Mayank (27 off 15) and Tanisha Suri (29 off 22) gave their side the perfect platform, racing to 56/1 in the powerplay. But the innings derailed as the Warriorz attack tightened its grip. Abdul Ghaffar (3/26) proved decisive at the death, supported by Wasim Akram (2/19), Shahbaz Ali (2/26), and Umair Ali (2/30).Despite a fiery cameo from Pahal (22 off 7), the Vipers slumped from 56/1 to 120/8. They lost six wickets for just 64 runs between the 6th and 16th over. With 15 runs required off the final four overs, the chase went down to the wire. Taimoor Ali’s (28 off 40) dismissal in the penultimate over left the tail exposed, and Ghaffar struck twice in consecutive balls in the last over to bowl out the Vipers for 130 in 19.5 overs.Pahal was named Player of the Tournament for his all-round brilliance, scoring 157 runs at a strike rate of 215 and bagging 12 wickets. Gulf Giants’ Jonathan Figgy topped the batting charts with 273 runs, while Warriorz’s Haider Razzaq finished as leading wicket-taker with 16 scalps.The thrilling win marked Sharjah Warriorz Development’s maiden ILT20 Development Tournament title.Brief Scores: