https://arab.news/rrg5j
- Maheesh Theekshana takes 4 for 20 in facile victory
- Win puts Warriors just 2 points behind league leaders MI Emirates
LONDON: Sharjah Warriors hammered the Dubai Capitals by nine wickets in a one-sided affair in the International League T20 on Monday.
The Capitals were always going to struggle after being skittled out for just 104 runs and the Warriors took just 13.1 overs to reach 105 for the loss of a single wicket.
Maheesh Theekshana, who took four wickets for 20 runs, and Daniel Sams, who finished with three for 28, did most of the damage with the ball for the Warriors.
After a good start from opener Niroshan Dickwella, who hit 37 off 30 balls before being caught by Sam Billings off the bowling of Haider Ali, the Warriors’ Johnson Charles (43) and Joe Denly (23) were never troubled in reaching their target off 49 balls.
Warriors captain Tom Kohler Cadmore said it was a team effort to get the win, but praised in particular his bowlers, who he said “made the job easier.”
Theekshana, who was named player of the match, was grateful to his teammates for the high-pressure bowling that restricted the Capitals to 104.
“We’ve got experienced players, like (Chris) Woakes and Sams, so we are performing as a team and our performances have been good collectively,” he said.
The win puts the Warriors on six points in the league table, hot on the heels of leaders MI Emirates, whom they face in their next match.
For the Capitals, it will be back to the drawing board ahead of their next game against Desert Vipers.
“We weren’t good enough with the bat again, and the wicket played little bit different to what we thought,” captain David Warner said.
“You’ve got to give credit to how they bowled, they executed very well, but we have got to be better with the bat. Our shot selection was not good enough, we know the Dubai surface better.
“We were little bit conservative and (while) they are allowed to bowl good balls, I think we lacked intent.”