END OF OVER:20 | 6 Runs 1 Wkt | SW: 181/7 (5 runs required, RR: 9.05)
- Adil Rashid3 (3b)
- Tim Southee0 (1b)
- Romario Shepherd3-0-31-1
- Zahoor Khan3-0-36-1
6:05pm That will be that for this game. But don't go anywhere, there is more ILT20 action lined up, and you can follow each ball live here. Until next time, from Harshith and myself (Shashwat), it is goodbye!
Romario Shepherd, Player of the Match: (On his batting and what helps) For me, nice clarity. I knew what the deal was - to get momentum back. We just lost Polly and Bants, so they had momentum. I work on my shape. Because I know if I hold my shape, I can hit a six in any part of the ground, and that is something I pay attention to. (On his bowling) That (bowling yorkers) was what I was looking to do. It was reversing, I know it is tough to hit reverse-swing. Pollard said I could do whatever I wanted to do, and that is what I wanted to do. I knew exactly what I wanted to execute.
Kieron Pollard, MI Emirates captain: Very happy. But I should not be speaking as the winning captain right now. Cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties. If you fight till the end, anything can happen. Well played to the guys (for staying it in till the end). Lost wickets together and that tends to slow you down. Tried to rebuild but they bowled well. We got a good flourish in the end (through Shepherd) and that gave us momentum into the second half. (On what he said to Shepherd before the last ball of the match) I did not say anything. I said I don't want to change what you have been doing for the first five balls. The couple of wickets we took (in Ghazanfar over) was the turning point for us.
Tim Southee, Sharjah Warriorz captain: Both sides were in it throughout. That partnership (between Kohler-Cadmore and Raza) was brilliant. Fell short in the end. (On the bowling) It was improved from the other night. As a unit, we can be better. Day game was going to be different, we did it better than the last night but still room for improvement. (On the run-chase at the end) Ideally, it is nice if someone is there at the end. As a bowling side, if you can take wickets, you can stay (in the game) till the end. Credit to them. (On Karthik's injury) Not too sure, have not seen him yet.
Jawad: "Shepherd won the game in the last over of both innings"
5:50pm Wow. What a game. That ebbed and flowed throughout. At one stage, when TKC and Raza were at it, it felt the Warriorz would finish the game with overs to spare. But that is when Ghazanfar turned up. He bowled a double-wicket maiden in the 16th, removing the in-form Raza, and the rest of the Warriorz batters just could not cope with the pressure that brought.
Karthik, who has won so many games in such circumstances, could not find the fence often enough, with TKC also perishing in the 19th. Pollard must be given his share of credit too. He sensed an opportunity to turn the screw with Ghazanfar at the bowling crease, and that paid rich dividends, with Shepherd and Zahoor, otherwise expensive on the night, shutting out Sharjah just when it mattered.
Six to win. A maximum and Rashid will go down in SW history
7 off 2 now. Southee on strike
