Watch: Nicholas Pooran Refuses To Stump Batter, Team Retires Him Out
Vipers were 117/1 in 15.5 overs when Emirates got a chance to dismiss Max Holden, who was batting at 42 off 36.
Desert Vipers clinched another thrilling victory, edging past MI Emirates by just one run at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Tuesday. The nail-biting finish marked the Vipers' fourth consecutive win in ILT20 Season 4. Defending a total of 159, the Vipers initially struggled to take wickets, but the game turned dramatically in the 19th over when David Payne-who finished with figures of 4 for 29-claimed three crucial scalps. Beyond the win, one strategic move by the Desert Vipers proved to be the ultimate game-changer.
The Vipers were 117/1 in 15.5 overs when MI Emirates had a golden opportunity to dismiss Max Holden, who was batting on 42 off 36 balls. Spinner Rashid Khan bowled a delivery outside off-stump, tempting Holden to step out of his crease in search of a big shot. However, Holden missed the ball completely.
Wicketkeeper Nicholas Pooran collected the ball but, surprisingly, chose not to stump Holden. The decision was deliberate-Pooran aimed to keep Holden at the crease to slow down the Vipers' scoring rate. This move, well within the laws of the game, is often referred to as a tactical non-stumping.
Tactics? Oneupmanship?
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Nicholas Pooran chose not to stump Max Holden, but the Vipers had a trick up their sleeve as well, retiring the batter the very next ball.
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In the very next over, the Vipers played their trump card by retiring Holden out and sending Sam Curran to accelerate the innings. The strategy paid off as the Vipers finished at 159/4 in 20 overs and later restricted MI Emirates to 158/9, sealing a dramatic one-run win.
Reflecting on the loss, MI Emirates captain Kieron Pollard said: "In our last game, we snuck over the line when we probably shouldn't have won, and this time it turned around on us. The Vipers bowled brilliantly. We didn't finish the innings well, especially in the last couple of overs. It shows again that if you stay in the fight long enough in cricket, momentum can shift and you can lose from a winning position-and that's what happened to us tonight."
West Indies Cricket Team
Nicholas Pooran