ILT20: Johnson Charles' quick-fire 71 powers Sharjah Warriorz to win over Dubai Capitals by nine wickets

Dubai [UAE], January 29 : Johnson Charles ignited the Dubai International Stadium, leading the Sharjah Warriorz to a resounding nine-wicket victory on Tuesday night. His breathtaking knock of 71 runs in 33 balls set up a flawless run chase in only 11.5 overs as the Warriorz maintained their undefeated record against the Dubai Capitals in the International League T20 (ILT20).
An impactful show from the spinners including two wickets for 28 runs from Adam Zampa in the first innings restricted the Dubai Capitals to 131/9. The result gives the Warriorz's net run rate a significant boost, keeping them firmly in the fray for a playoff berth, as per an ILT20 press release.
The powerplay made the chase a mere formality as Johnson Charles and Tom Kohler-Cadmore dominated the bowling to set the highest powerplay score of the season. The pair raced to 79 runs in just six overs, with Charles in particular wreaking havoc to smash five towering sixes, including a remarkable 24-run over off Zahir Khan.
Charles brought up his fifty in 21 balls, studded with six sixes and two fours. He continued his rampage until he was halted by Sikandar Raza in the 11th over. Charles departed after striking three fours and eight sixes, which included a combination of power hitting, deft touches and switch-hits.
Tom Kohler-Cadmore wrapped up proceedings in the next over with a clever boundary off Dushmantha Chameera. The Englishman finished with 54 runs in 32 balls, smashing eight fours and two sixes on his way there.
Earlier in the day, Adam Rossington bludgeoned six and two fours as the powerplay saw 55 runs for the Capitals. Shai Hope played second fiddle to Rossington until the latter was accounted for by Adam Zampa in the seventh over for 37 runs in 23 balls.
Following the powerplay there was a steep drop in the run-rate. While Shai Hope occupied one end, batting with restraint, the wickets tumbled around him as the spinners dominated the middle overs. Zampa claimed another when he dismissed Gulbadin Naib and skipper Sikandar Raza was removed by Ashton Agar. In the same over, Najibullah Zadran was run out to leave the Capitals in hot water at 85/4 in 12 overs.
UAE's Rohan Mustafa kept the pressure on with the wickets of Khalid Shah and Dasun Shanaka to expose the tail. Meanwhile, Hope's stint at the crease came to an end for 45 runs in 52 balls at the hand of Tim Southee in the 18th over. Rovman Powell provided a flicker of hope with an unbeaten 32 runs in only 16 balls, peppered with three fours and two sixes but the Dubai Capitals finished the innings at a below-par score of 131/9 in 20 overs.
Player of the match, Johnson Charles said as quoted by an ILT20 press release, "They got off to a bit of a flier, but I love playing in Dubai because the conditions tend to get a bit skiddier, which suits my style. I thought Ashton Agar and Rohan Mustafa bowled exceptionally well and complemented each other perfectly. We managed to put the opposition under pressure. Ash and I have played a lot together in the past, and it's always a pleasure to play alongside him. It felt almost nostalgic since we haven't had many opportunities to play together recently."
Dubai Capitals captain, Sikandar Raza said, "I thought we were traditional in our batting. We needed more sweeps, reverse sweeps and switch hits. We went into a shell rather than being aggressive. Johnson is a fantastic player and done that to many teams; it was quite hard to bowl at him. He played a lot of great shots. One bad game is not going to derail us. We will try to get this game out of system and winning the next two is the target."
Brief Score: Dubai Capitals 131/9 in 20 overs (Shai Hope 45, Adam Rossington 37, Rohan Mustafa 2/12) vs Sharjah Warriorz 135/1 in 11.5 overs (Johnson Charles 71, Tom Kohler-Cadmore 54*, Sikandar Raza 1/9).