Sikandar Raza’s last-ball six lifts Dubai Capitals to a thrilling five wicket win over Desert Vipers

By K.R. Nayar
Chief Content Writer, DPWorld ILT20

(Please click ILT20 official website www.ilt20.ae for official release of this report and more pictures and videos)

Dubai. A last-ball six by Sikandar Raza and his fighting unbeaten 60 off 45 balls with five boundaries and two sixes lifted Dubai Capitals to a nail-biting five-wicket win over Desert Vipers in the 27th match of the DP World ILT20 season 2 at the Dubai International Stadium. Raza orchestrated his team’s victory through a 79-run partnership in 54 balls for the fourth wicket with Sam Billings, who cracked 57 off 36 balls with five boundaries and two sixes, and a 40 runs partnership in 23 balls with Dasun Shanaka (10) for the fifth wicket. 

With 13 runs needed off the last over, UAE's 19-year-old medium pacer Ali Naseer bowled a brave over, but when six runs were needed off the last ball Raza hit him over long on.

Sikandar Raza receives the Player of the Match award

Vipers had posted a challenging 171 for 7  through Alex Hales 66 off 37 balls with four boundaries and six sixes, and his 66 runs opening partnership with Phil Salt (26).  Other than Michael Jones’s cameo of 20, all the rest struggled for runs.

Chasing a run-rate of 8.55, the opening partnership between Tom Banton and Max Holden lasted only 16 runs. Holden fell to a superb leaping catch by Adam Hose at covers off Sam Curran for 8. Ben Dunk too got clean bowled to a delivery that beat him to hit the top of his off stump for 1. When Banton pulled Ali Naseer to Daniel Lawrence at deep square leg for 15, Capitals were in trouble.

By the half-way mark, Capitals needed 111 more runs. Billings raced to his 50 in 29 balls. Raza provided him with excellent support. In the 15th over, Matheesha Pathirana trapped Billings leg before with a yorker to end the partnership that was swelling to dangerous proportion.

Alex Hales receives the biggest six award

Dasun Shanaka and Raza pushed the target closer with 29 runs needed off the last 18 balls. Raza reached his half century in 38 balls. Sam Curran ended the Raza-Shanaka partnership of 40 runs in 23 balls by clean bowling Shanaka for 10.

Earlier, bottom-placed Capitals won the toss and opted to bowl first against fifth placed Vipers. Openers Philip Salt and Alex Hales gave a positive start to the innings by going for their shots. Hales hit Richard Ngarava for three sixes and two boundaries in the second over to take 26 runs off that over. Their 50 runs partnership came in 3.1 overs with Hales scoring 40 of those runs. In the fifth over, Roelof van der Merwe broke the 66 runs partnership by getting Salt reverse sweep him to Ngarava at short third man for 26.

Alex Hales's  breezy start 

Hales reached his half century in 25 balls hitting his sixth six and  two boundaries. By the end of the eighth over, Vipers reached the 100 run mark. Dan Lawrence added 34 runs for the second wicket with Hales before becoming Van der Merwe’s second victim caught by Rahul Chopra at long-off for 15. Skipper Colin Munro departed quickly to an Olly Stone delivery that went through the bat-pad gap to hit the stumps for 6. Stone also struck to end Hales’s fine knock by making him play a pull shot but ended up gloving the ball to Ngarava at short fine leg.

The fall of quick wickets reduced the prospects of a huge score. Sikandar Raza trapped Adam Hose leg before for 7 and strangled the run flow too. Haider also trapped Sam Curran leg before.  No boundaries were scored for 38 balls. Michael Jones, who hit 20 runs, sliced Scott Kuggeleijn to Shanaka at point to give Vipers to a challenging total.

Raza, who has in the last one year, bagged 11 Player of the Match awards in T20s, the most by any player in the world, described his last-ball six by saying: “I said to myself, I don't think he will go short as I had hit one earlier out of the ground. I will hold my shape and try and hit it in the air and hit it as well as I can.”

Ali Naseer's brave effort 

About Ali Naseer, Raza said, “He bowled really well; these are things we have learnt all through our careers. For a 19-year-old to bowl the final over- fantastic, and he nearly won it for them. It could've gone either way; but sorry we needed that win tonight. The first thing that comes is the faith that keeps me going.”

The Friday crowd enjoying the action 

Sam Billings, after hailing Raza’s knock said: “Raza has shown his true character and skill. I told him that one shot can get him back. We just had to hang in there and the spinners did a fantastic job, and they changed the game. We needed to win tonight and we can deal with tomorrow. Very proud of the efforts.”

A disappointed Vipers’ skipper, Colin Munro, said: “They bowled exceptionally well, but we lost wickets in clumps which never helps. The top two played well but unfortunately we did not kick on. Credit to Ali Naseer, he bowled really well, he will be in those situations a lot of times in the future. Good for us for next year as well.”

Brief scores:
Dubai Capitals bt Desert Vipers by 5 wkts.  Desert Vipers 171 for 7 in 20 overs (Phil Salt 26, Alex Hales 66, Michael Jones 20, Olly Stone 2 for 31, Roelof van der Merwe 2 for 19) Dubai Capitals 172 for 5 in 20 overs (Sam Billings 57, Sikandar Raza 60n.o, Sam Curran 2 for 39)
Player of the Match: Sikandar Raza