Franchise Cricket

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Sharjah Warriorz beat Abu Dhabi Knight Riders by four wickets off the final ball of an enthralling International League T20 match as the play-off race heats up.

Chasing 135 to win, the Warriorz needed 12 off the final over, bowled by former West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell.

English batter James Rew ramped the first delivery for four and Russell, appearing to be hampered by an ankle injury, conceded a no-ball and a wide.

But the Warriorz still needed one off the final ball and England spinner Adil Rashid managed to squeeze his shot wide enough of cover to scamper the single required.

Somerset wicketkeeper Rew finished unbeaten on 42 from 29 balls.

The Knight Riders posted 134-9 after electing to bat at their home Sheikh Zayed Stadium.

The hosts slumped to 10-4, with openers Phil Salt and Alex Hales falling cheaply before Liam Livingstone made a duck.

West Indies batter Sherfane Rutherford hit 44 off 36 to give the Knight Riders some hope, while Rashid took an impressive 3-18, but it proved to be just not enough.

The top four sides in the six-team table will qualify for the play-offs.

The Warriorz remain bottom, on six points, behind the Knight Riders in fifth and Gulf Giants in fourth, who both also have six points but superior net run-rates.

Knight Riders only have one match left to play - against Gulf Giants, who have two to go, as do the Warriorz.

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Sydney Thunder secured their first win of the Big Bash League season with a 34-run victory over Brisbane Heat.

After being put into bat at Canberra's Manuka Oval, the Thunder posted 193-4.

Australia opener Sam Konstas made 63 off 45 balls and Matthew Gilkes hit 76 off 48 as they put on 127 for the first wicket.

England's Sam Billings added 25 off 11 to help push the Thunder towards a challenging total.

Despite chasing a BBL record 258 to beat Perth Scorchers on Friday, this time the Heat batters failed to fire as they could only reach 159-6 off their 20 overs.

The centurions from their staggering chase - Jack Wildermuth and Matt Renshaw - were both bowled by Pakistan leg-spinner Shadab Khan for 14 and 43 respectively.

All-rounder Shadab finished with impressive figures of 4-24.

Victory moves Thunder above Heat into sixth on net run-rate. Both sides have won one and lost two of their opening three matches.

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MI Emirates edged past Desert Vipers to claim a four-wicket win and close on the International League T20 play-offs.

Chasing 125, MI were 21-0 and 51-2 but lost England's Tom Banton and West Indies' Nicholas Pooran to slip to 53-4 and add jeopardy to the chase.

Sanjay Krishnamurthi and Shakib Al Hasan shared 26 for the fifth wicket, but the former was dismissed by Matiullah Khan to leave MI 79-5 in the 13th over.

However, West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard smashed 26 off 15 balls to put MI in control and move to within 187 runs of Chris Gayle's runs record.

He was dismissed with 13 needed off four overs but Shakib and Romario Shepherd saw MI over the line with 15 balls to spare.

Vipers, who have already guaranteed a play-off spot after starting with six successive wins, posted 124-7, with England's Dan Lawrence top-scoring with 35 not out.

The win sees MI climb up to second and a win in either of their final two group games will confirm their progression. Vipers remain top.

Sunday's early game saw Dubai Capitals beat Gulf Giants by six wickets to move third.

Chasing 157, they were 35-2 and 66-3 but Shayan Jahangir and Rovman Powell shared 42 for the fourth wicket, before Powell put on an unbroken 54 with Mohammad Nabi as Capitals won with four balls to spare.

Giants, who sit fourth, were bowled out for 156 from the penultimate ball of their innings, with Bangladesh's Mustafizur Rahman claiming 3-34.

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Chris Jordan starred as defending champions Hobart Hurricanes thrashed Melbourne Renegades by seven wickets in the Big Bash League.

Chasing 146, Hurricanes lost Mitch Owen first ball but then took control of the chase with positive cricket.

Tim Ward fell in the fourth over to leave Hurricanes 38-2 but Nikhil Chaudhary, who made 79, shared 93 with Ben McDermott for the third wicket.

Chaudhary was dismissed with 15 required but McDermott (49* off 33) and Tim David got Hurricanes over the line with 37 balls to spare.

Earlier, former England bowler Jordan claimed 4-19 as Renegades posted 145-9.

Jordan bowled New Zealand's Tim Seifert (34) in the ninth over before returning to claim Hassan Khan, Will Sutherland and Fergus O'Neill at the death.

England all-rounder Rehan Ahmed also picked up the key wicket of Muhammad Rizwan, bowling the Pakistan wicketkeeper for 32.

The win moves Hurricanes to the top of the table, while Renegades are seventh are suffering their first defeat.

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MI Emirates boosted their International League T20 play-off chances and dealt a blow to Abu Dhabi Knight Riders with a dominant 35-run win.

After being put into bat, Emirates posted 187-4, with former West Indies wicketkeeper Nicholas Pooran hitting an unbeaten 40 off 24 balls.

England batters Jonny Bairstow and Tom Banton each made 38 at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

Chasing 188 to win, the Knight Riders were 96-1 in the 10th over before former England opener Alex Hales was dismissed for 40 off 27.

That sparked a collapse to 128-7, with the hosts going 53 balls without a boundary at one stage.

Despite Scotland's Brandon McMullen hitting an unbeaten 64 off 49, the Knight Riders could only reach 152-7, with Zahoor Khan taking

The result moves MI Emirates up to second on eight points, six points behind already-qualified leaders Desert Vipers.

The Knight Riders are fifth, with the top four sides reaching the play-offs. They are level on points with Dubai Capitals and Gulf Giants in third and fourth respectively but have played a game more and have an inferior net run-rate.

Vipers beat bottom-placed Sharjah Warriorz by four wickets later on Saturday in Dubai after bowling the Warriorz out for just 90.

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The Sixers beat the Thunder by 47 runs in the Sydney derby to register their first win of the 2025-26 Big Bash League.

Sixers wicketkeeper Josh Philippe smashed 96 off 57 balls and Pakistan batter Babar Azam made 58 off 42 to help their side post 198-5 at Thunder's Engie Stadium.

Philippe looked set for his first T20 century only to pick out Daniel Sams at deep backward point off Nathan McAndrew in the final over, with the third umpire confirming the low catch was clean.

Having elected to bowl first, the Thunder slipped to 17-3 and 45-5 in their chase of 199 and never looked like threatening the Sixers' total.

England wicketkeeper Sam Billings smacked 51 off 28 before he was dismissed by Sixers seamer Jack Edwards, who took 5-26, with the Thunder bowled out for 151 off 19.1 overs.

After starting with two consecutive defeats, the Sixers are now up to third in the eight-team table, while the Thunder are bottom after two losses in two.

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Dubai Capitals comfortably beat Sharjah Warriorz by 63 runs to move up to second in the International League T20 table.

After being put into bat in Sharjah, the Capitals posted 180-6, with opener Sediqullah Atal hitting 66 off 44 balls, fellow Afghanistan international Mohammad Nabi making an unbeaten 38 and England's Jordan Cox adding 28.

Bottom-placed Warriorz never got going in their chase of 181, despite Somerset's James Rew making 47 off 38.

The hosts crumbled to 117 all out off 17 overs, with Nabi taking 3-23 - including the wicket of Rew to end the match - and Afghanistan left-arm spinner Waqar Salamkheil claiming 3-22.

The Capitals started the match fifth in the six-team table but are now second on net run-rate after seven matches, trailing leaders Desert Vipers by six points.

Gulf Giants, MI Emirates and Abu Dhabi Knight Riders are also all on six points, with the Warriorz last on four.

Each side plays 10 matches in the league stage, with the top four progressing to the play-offs.

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The Abu Dhabi Knight Riders secured back-to-back wins in the International League T20 with a four-wicket victory over Gulf Giants.

Chasing 166 to win, the Knight Riders were well placed at 125-2 in the 15th over before the dismissal of former England opener Alex Hales for 46 off 39 balls started a run of three wickets for only 11 runs.

But their batting depth proved vital as former West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell smacked an unbeaten 21 off 13, including a mighty six to seal victory with four balls to spare.

England opener Phil Salt hit 35 off 24 and international team-mate Liam Livingstone made 12 off eight, both falling to South Africa spinner Tabraiz Shamsi, who took 3-23.

Earlier, the Giants posted 165-7 thanks mainly to Afghanistan wicketkeeper Rahmanullah Gurbaz smashing 72 off 45, with none of his team-mates passing 20 and veteran leg-spinner Piyush Chawla taking 4-27.

It is the first time this season the Knight Riders have won two consecutive matches.

They are up to fourth in the table, level on points with the second-placed Giants, but trailing on net run-rate.

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Melbourne Stars made a winning start to their 2025-26 Big Bash League campaign with an eight-wicket victory over defending champions Hobart Hurricanes.

Chasing 159 to win, Australia all-rounder Marcus Stoinis smashed 62 not out off 31 balls to lead his side to their target with four overs to spare.

Stoinis cracked seven fours and two sixes, including a mighty maximum down the ground for the winning runs, while Campbell Kellaway made an unbeaten 41 off 27.

After being put into bat at the MCG, Hobart posted 158-9 thanks to Ben McDermott's 69 off 52 and Tim David's run-a-ball 31.

Matthew Wade (11) was the only other Hurricanes batter to reach double figures, with veteran seamer Peter Siddle taking 3-30 and Stoinis 2-18.

England all-rounder Rehan Ahmed made one batting at three for Hobart and had figures of 0-18 off two overs with the ball.

Stars' victory moves them top of the eight-team table on net run-rate, while Hurricanes are fifth, with one win and one defeat from their two matches so far.

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England's Jonny Bairstow hit 67 off 40 balls to help MI Emirates beat Dubai Capitals by seven runs in the International League T20.

Emirates opener Bairstow smacked eight fours and three sixes in his vital knock, with none of his team-mates passing 20 as they posted 137-8 at the Dubai International Stadium.

Chasing 138 to win, the Capitals were well placed at 89-2 in the 13th over but lost three wickets for just six runs.

England's Jordan Cox kept his side in the hunt but his dismissal for 46 off 41 in the 19th over ensured the Capitals fell short as they were bowled out for 130 off the final ball of the match.

Victory means Emirates move above the Capitals into third place in the six-team league.

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Birmingham Phoenix have signed England all-rounder Rehan Ahmed for the 2026 season of The Hundred.

Ahmed, 21, impressed in helping runners-up Trent Rockets reach last year's final, taking 12 wickets and scoring 189 runs across the competition.

This year, the leg-spinner and top-order batter also helped Leicestershire win the County Championship Division Two title, taking 23 wickets at 19 and averaging 50.66 with the bat, including five centuries.

Before joining Rockets, he represented Southern Brave in The Hundred.

Each of the eight Hundred franchises can sign four players in a window until the end of January, with one allowed to be a retention of any member of a side's 2025 squad.

The three remaining direct signings must be from overseas or England contracted players, and franchises will be able to offer multi-year contracts.

Ahmed - who has played five Tests, six one-day internationals and 12 T20s for England - is the first signing of the window.

The Hundred will then hold a player auction for the 2026 season, with salaries also significantly increased, following private investment into the competition.

Knighthead Capital Management, founded by Birmingham City co-owner and chairman Tom Wagner, paid £40m for a 49% share in Phoenix.

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England pair Jamie Overton and Luke Wood led Adelaide Strikers to a three-wicket victory against Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League.

Chasing 160 to win, Strikers fell to 117-5 before Overton (30 off 20 balls) and Wood (18 not out off 14) held their nerve to consign the hosts to their second defeat of the tournament.

Overton and Wood also shone with the ball, taking 2-22 and 3-26 respectively.

Josh Philippe was Sixers' highest scorer with 46 off 28 but only one other batter passed 20.

Strikers' chase was given impetus by Liam Scott's half-century, before Overton and Wood took over.

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England all-rounder Liam Livingstone made 76 off 48 balls to help Abu Dhabi Knight Riders inflict a first defeat on Desert Vipers with a tense one-run win in the International League T20.

After being asked to bat first, Knight Riders slipped to 9-2 with England's Phil Salt out to the first ball of the game, before Michael Pepper fell in the next over.

Livingstone came to the crease and shared 34 with Alex Hales (25 off 18) and 68 off 59 with Alishan Sharafu.

He was happy to play second fiddle in both partnerships but Sharafu's dismissal off the penultimate ball of the 15th over was a signal for Livingstone to go through the gears.

He made 41 off 16 balls in a stand of 68 with Sherfane Rutherford before he was dismissed from the penultimate ball of the innings as Knight Riders posted 181-5.

Vipers, who had already confirmed their place in the knockouts with a six-game winning streak to start the group phase, made a positive start with Max Holden and Fakhar Zaman sharing 97 for the first wicket.

However, both fell in quick succession and Vipers still needed 68 from 36 balls.

Hasan Nawaz and Sam Curran hit three sixes to keep Vipers in touch but both were dismissed alongside Shimron Hetmyer to leave last year's beaten finalists 152-5 in the 18th over.

Khuzaima Bin Tanveer hit a six from the final ball of that over to leave 18 needed from 12 balls but West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell conceded just five from the 19th over.

Ajay Kumar started the final over with an above waist height no-ball that was also hit for four by Dan Lawrence, reducing the equation to nine needed off six.

However, he recovered brilliantly and conceded three from the next three balls.

He then had Tanveer caught at deep mid-wicket, before conceding two from the fifth ball to leave three needed from the last ball.

Tom Bruce missed a slower ball and Vipers could only scramble a bye to finish one run short and suffer their first defeat.

Despite the win, Knight Riders remain bottom of the table on net run-rate, but they are now one of four teams on four points.

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Hobart Hurricanes made a winning start to their Big Bash title defence, beating Sydney Thunder by four wickets in a repeat of last season's final.

However, whereas in January's trophy match the Hurricanes chased 183 with 35 balls to spare, their tournament opener at Bellerive Oval went down to the penultimate delivery.

Chasing 181, Mitch Owen (32 off 14), who scored a century in the 2025 final, Nikhil Chaudhary (41 off 31), and Ben McDermott (38 off 24) had got the Hurricanes off to a flyer, but regular wickets disrupted the second half of their innings.

They headed into the final over with four runs required from six balls, which became one from two after three consecutive dot balls from Daniel Sams, before captain Nathan Ellis got his side over the line with a single.

England bowler Chris Jordan, who had earlier taken 2-36 as Sydney Thunder posted 180-6, finished unbeaten on 16 (13).

Sam Konstas, who lost his place in the Test side before the Ashes, made a scratchy 28 (25) at the top of the order for Thunder, with his wicket triggering a mini collapse from 69-1 to 79-4. Cameron Bancroft top-scored with 61 (44).

Hobart Hurricanes are bidding to become the third team after Perth Scorchers (twice) and Sydney Sixers to retain the title.

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Sharjah Warriorz picked up their second consecutive International League T20 win with an 11-run victory over second-placed Gulf Giants.

Warriorz recorded their first win on Sunday after three straight defeats and backed it up with another impressive batting performance by posting 174-6.

Tom Abell top scored with 68 off 41 balls, while fellow English batter James Rew added 39 off 33 at the Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium.

Chasing 175 to win, the Giants slipped to 38-4 before a stand of 79 between former England international Moeen Ali and Afghanistan all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai gave them hope.

However, Azmatullah fell for 41 off 26 to United Arab Emirates left-armer Wasim Akram, who took 3-34 overall, and the Giants' chase stalled.

Moeen holed out for a 41-ball 45 off Matheesha Pathirana, who took 3-19, and the Giants closed on 163-9.

Despite victory, the Warriorz remain fifth in the six-team table, with the top four sides advancing to the play-offs. The Giants have now won three and lost three of their six matches so far.

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