Vipers seal top-two finish after Payne's incisive new-ball spell

Desert Vipers consolidated their position at the top of the table with a four-wicket win in a low-scoring game against Sharjah Warriors. After bowling them out for 90, Vipers chased the target down in 13.5 overs. David Payne's incisive new-ball spell laid the foundation for a dominant bowling performance before Sam Curran's composed knock ensured there were no major hiccups in the chase. The result confirmed a top-two finish for the Vipers, while Sharjah Warriors slipped further behind in the race for the playoffs, with only two wins in seven outings.

The decision to bat first backfired badly for Sharjah Warriors as they were bundled out below 100. Payne set the tone up front, removing both openers inside the first five overs and finishing with figures of 3 for 14 from four overs. Tom Abell was the lone batter to show resistance, scoring 35 off 36, while Ethan D'Souza chipped in with 18. Scoring was difficult on a surface that offered early swing and later grip.

Any hopes of a late recovery were dashed by a brutal collapse. Once Noor Ahmad broke the Abell-D'Souza stand with a sharp stumping, wickets fell in clusters. Sikandar Raza, Dinesh Karthik and Dwaine Pretorius were all dismissed in the space of 11 balls. The Warriors lost their last seven wickets for just 28 runs.

Chasing a modest score, Desert Vipers were made to work harder than expected as early wickets kept the contest alive. Taskin Ahmed produced an excellent opening spell, removing Fakhar Zaman and Hasan Nawaz inside the first four overs. Further strikes from Dwaine Pretorius and Harmeet Singh meant the chase never quite settled despite the low asking rate.

The calm in the chase came through Sam Curran, who scored 37 off 31 balls, absorbing the bulk of the pressure through the middle overs. His dismissal briefly opened the door again, but a late burst from Tom Bruce ensured there were no late twists as the Vipers got home with 37 balls to spare.

Brief scores: Sharjah Warriors 90 in 17.5 overs (Tom Abell 35; David Payne 3-14, Naseem Shah 2-12, Noor Ahmad 2-18) lost to Desert Vipers 91/6 in 13.5 overs (Sam Curran 37, Taskin Ahmed 2-20) by 4 wickets.