Rashid, Rew keep Warriorz alive with last-ball win

In a thrilling encounter that went down to the very last ball, the Sharjah Warriorz kept their playoff hopes alive with a four-wicket victory over the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders. The win was set up by Adil Rashid, whose clinical spell of 3-18 restricted the Knight Riders' late-inning charge, keeping them to 134 for 9 before the England spinner also hit the winning run in the company of James Rew, whose unbeaten 42 off 29 powered the chase. Despite the result, the Warriorz remained at the bottom of the table, but the two points earned have kept them in the race for the top four.

The innings began precariously as Ajay Kumar and Jason Holder struck early to remove the openers, leaving the Warriorz reeling at 11 for 2. However, Tom Kohler-Cadmore (30) and Sikandar Raza (28) stabilized the innings in the middle overs, navigating a restrictive spell from Sunil Narine, who finished with figures of 1 for 14. The momentum shifted thanks to Rew, who found the boundary at crucial moments to keep the target within reach.

The drama intensified in the penultimate over when Jason Holder conceded just one run and took a wicket, leaving the Warriorz needing 12 runs off the final six deliveries. The final over, bowled by Andre Russell, was a chaotic affair involving a wide and a costly front-foot no-ball. With the scores level going into the final delivery, Rashid drove a low full-toss toward cover. A slight misfield allowed the batters to scramble the winning run, sealing the contest as Russell and his side were left to rue their late-game indiscipline.

Earlier, opting to bat, the Knight Riders endured a nightmarish start to their innings, collapsing to 10 for 4 within the first four overs. Taskin Ahmed and Wasim Akram exploited the new ball brilliantly, removing Phil Salt, Alex Hales, Brandon McMullen, and Liam Livingstone in quick succession. A stabilizing partnership between Sherfane Rutherford (44 off 36) and Alishan Sharafu (19) eventually dragged the score toward respectability. Rutherford struck four boundaries and a six, providing the much-needed resistance before the spin of Rashid and Sikandar Raza tightened the screws again.

After a mid-innings lull, the Knight Riders picked up pace thanks to Rutherford and Unmukt Chand (24 off 22). But Rutherford's departure in the 17th over left the Knight Riders at 101 for 6, needing a late surge to post a competitive total. The innings ended in a flurry of activity as Andre Russell (18) and Jason Holder (14) launched a brief assault on Taskin, taking 25 runs off the 19th over. However, Rashid had the final say in a superb 20th over. The leg-spinner removed both Holder and Russell to finish with superb figures, restricting the Knight Riders.

Brief scores: Abu Dhabi Knight Riders 134/9 in 20 overs (Sherfane Rutherford 44; Adil Rashid 3-18, Wasim Akram 2-12) lost to Sharjah Warriorz 135/6 in 20 overs (James Rew 42, Tom Kohler-Cadmore 30; Jason Holder 2-25) by 4 wickets.