Vipers seal top-two finish after Payne's incisive new-ball spell

Desert Vipers consolidated their position at the top of the table with a four-wicket win in a low-scoring game against Sharjah Warriorz in Sharjah. After bowling them out for 90, Vipers chased the target down in 13.5 overs. David Payne's incisive new-ball spell laid the foundation for a dominant bowling performance before Sam Curran's composed knock ensured there were no major hiccups in the chase. The result confirmed a top-two finish for the Vipers, while Sharjah Warriorz slipped further behind in the race for the playoffs, with only two wins in seven outings.

The decision to bat first backfired badly for Sharjah Warriorz as they were bundled out below 100, never once finding any rhythm against a disciplined Vipers attack. Payne set the tone up front with a superb new-ball spell, removing both openers inside the first five overs and finishing with excellent figures of 3 for 14 from four overs. Tom Abell was the lone batter to show resistance, batting deep for his 35 off 36, while Ethan D'Souza chipped in with a measured 18. However, scoring was consistently difficult on a surface that offered early swing and later grip, and the Warriorz limped to 60 for 3 at the halfway stage.

Any hopes of a late recovery were dashed by a brutal collapse through the middle and lower order. Once Noor Ahmad broke the Abell-D'Souza stand with a sharp stumping, wickets fell in clusters, with Sikandar Raza, Dinesh Karthik and Dwaine Pretorius all dismissed in the space of 11 balls. Noor picked up 2 for 18 while Khuzaima Tanveer and Sam Curran applied the squeeze to leave the batting side in disarray. Naseem Shah wrapped things up efficiently at the death as the Warriorz lost their last seven wickets for just 28 runs, failing to bat out their full quota.

Chasing a modest score, Desert Vipers were made to work harder than expected as early wickets kept the contest alive longer than it should have. Taskin Ahmed produced an excellent opening spell, removing Fakhar Zaman and Hasan Nawaz inside the first four overs to put the Vipers on the back foot. Further strikes from Dwaine Pretorius and Harmeet Singh meant the chase never quite settled despite the low asking rate. On a surface that continued to grip and offer turn, Sharjah Warriorz at least managed to apply some pressure, even if the target was always within reach.

The calm in the chase came through Sam Curran, who scored 37 off 31 balls, striking five fours and absorbing the bulk of the pressure through the middle overs. His dismissal briefly opened the door again, but a late burst from Tom Bruce, including a six and a four off Harmeet Singh, ensured there were no late twists as the Vipers got home with 37 balls to spare.

Brief scores: Sharjah Warriorz 90 in 17.5 overs (Tom Abell 35; David Payne 3-14, Naseem Shah 2-12, Noor Ahmad 2-18) lost to Desert Vipers 91/6 in 13.5 overs (Sam Curran 37, Taskin Ahmed 2-20) by 4 wickets.