Sharjah Warriorz edged past Gulf Giants thanks to opener Tom Kohler-Cadmore’s unbeaten half-century in their ILT20 2025 match.
Fans at the Dubai International Stadium were treated to yet another dramatic finish on Sunday evening as Sharjah Warriorz registered a three-wicket victory against the Gulf Giants. Tom Kohler-Cadmore was the standout performer in a match that went down to the last ball. He finished unbeaten on 83 runs from 56 balls with six fours and four sixes to steer the Warriorz to their target of 175.
Kohler-Cadmore’s exploits were complemented by a breezy knock of 45 runs from UAE’s Rohan Mustafa as the pair put on a 105-run partnership. The Warriorz endured a few anxious moments in the final over, but a composed Kohler-Cadmore helped them sail through and secure the two points.
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The final over of the game couldn’t get any closer than this!What action! @TomKohlerCadmore kept his cool and delivered when it mattered the most to take #SharjahWarriorz to a famous victory! 🥵🥳#GGvSW #DPWorldILT20 #AllInForCricket pic.twitter.com/wX1i4ZGVVc
— International League T20 (@ILT20Official) January 12, 2025
Earlier in the evening, the Giants did well to recover from a tepid start. Rehan Ahmed, Jordan Cox and Shimron Hetmyer put up scores of 46, 38 and 36 runs respectively to place the Giants at 174/7. Meanwhile, Tim Southee led the Sharjah Warriorz bowling attack with enviable figures of 3 for 30.
Chasing 175, the Warriorz lost Johnson Charles to Daniel Worall as early as the first over, while Mark Adair scalped Jason Roy in the second over. The Warriorz still had a lucrative powerplay courtesy of Tom Kohler-Cadmore and UAE’s Rohan Mustafa as they finished the phase at 55/2.
Kohler-Cadmore was in scintillating form, smashing three fours and three sixes on his way to a 32-ball half-century. Together with Mustafa, he forged a commanding partnership, with Mustafa contributing a well-paced 45 runs off 33 balls.
The stand was broken in the 13th over when Blessing Muzarabani dismissed Mustafa, leaving the Warriorz at 119/3. While Kohler-Cadmore cruised ahead on one end, Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Karim Janat perished quickly, only managing two and five runs respectively.
Keemo Paul arrived at the crease with the Warriorz needing 48 runs off 33 balls. He made a quick 11 off five deliveries before Blessing Muzarabani claimed his second wicket of the night. Harmeet Singh followed soon after, dismissed for just two runs with a sharp caught-and-bowled effort from Mark Adair.
With 24 runs required from the final two overs, Adil Rashid struck a crucial six in the 19th over, which yielded 14 runs and brought the target within reach. In a tense final over, Tom Kohler-Cadmore held his nerve to secure the 10 runs needed, guiding the Warriorz to victory off the last ball in a thrilling finish.
Sharjah Warriorz Captain Tim Southee’s decision to bowl first was quickly validated as the pacer picked up the wickets of Adam Lyth and James Vince in the powerplay. Rehan Ahmed and Jordan Cox saw the Gulf Giants through the remainder of the fielding restrictions, finishing the first six overs at 41/2.
Meanwhile, Jordan Cox played the supporting role with 36 runs in 23 balls but fell to Adam Milne in the 14th over to leave the Giants at 102/4. Shimron Hetmyer and Mark Adair produced much needed contributions to power the Giants through the death overs. Hetmyer struck five fours and a six in his 23-ball knock of 36 runs until he was caught off Tim Southee in the penultimate over.
Mark Adair posted 20 runs at a strike-rate of 200 while Saghir Khan squeezed 11 runs in just four balls to conjure a strong finish at 174/7 in 20 overs.
Following his innings, Player of the Match Tom Kohler-Cadmore said, “It is great to get off with a win. I would have been devastated had we not got over the line. The pitch played well once you got your eye in, it was easier to hit.”
Praising Kohler-Cadmore’s knock, Gulf Giants skipper James Vince said, “I’m pretty happy with that score. There was some quality bowling from them upfront. Rehan and Cox built a good partnership, and Hettie did what he does. We thought they would come out strong, and the half chance of Cadmore proved costly. Having someone staying till the end was crucial. He is a quality player, a clean striker of the ball. It was a quality knock.”
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