Liam Livingstone’s blazing 82 not out from just 38 balls was the highlight at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium as the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders opened their account in DP World ILT20 Season 4 with a 39-run victory over the Sharjah Warriorz.
His late fireworks then led the Knight Riders to 233/4 – the second highest total in DP World ILT20 history.
Livingstone received backup from Sherfane Rutherford (27-ball 45) in the middle overs equally good to both Hales (19-ball 32) and Alishan Sharafu (23-ball 34), who had provided for a brisk start at the top of the innings.
Livingstone saved his most ferocious slogging for the last over, in which he thumped five sixes – four of them in succession – in scoring 33 off Dwayne Pretorius, a new record.
The only saving grace for the Warriorz was Adil Rashid, who picked up 2/31.
But in pursuit of a good total, Warriorz were unable to get the start they wanted. They tripped to 56 for three inside the first seven overs, losing Johnson Charles (10 off 9), Tom Abell (6 off 6) and, Tom Kohler-Cadmore (14 off 18).
Tim David (60 off 24) was the architect of the resurgence. David smacked Piyush Chawla for three successive sixes in the ninth over to keep the home team in the hunt. Even as wickets at the other end kept falling, with Sikandar Raza (8 off 11) and Dinesh Karthik (5 off 4), David motored to a blazing fifty in 21 balls, hitting six sixes on his way.
The carnage was stopped when Ajay Kumar had David caught in the 13th over as the score read 120 for six. In the process Kumar also came back with the best figures in the day 1/22 from his four overs.
The equation proved too steep as the required run-rate ballooned to close to 20 in the last five overs. Pretorius (39 off 20) led from the back to hold anchor for an enterprising half century interspersed with four fours and two sixes while Rashid (25 off 11) had consolatory cameos with three maximums as they took Andre Russell’s final over for 25, but the Warriorz faltered quite a bit in reply teetering at 194/9.
Brief scores
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders beat Sharjah Warriorz by 39 runs
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders 233/4 in 20 overs (Liam Livingstone 82 not out, Sherfane Rutherford 45, Alishan Sharafu 34, Adil Rashid 2 for 31, Saurabh Netravalkar 1 for 33)
Sharjah Warriorz 194/9 in 20 overs (Tim David 60, Dwayne Pretorius 39, Adil Rashid 25, George Garton 2 for 24, Olly Stone 2 for 37, Andre Russell 2 for 48)
Player of the match: Liam Livingstone