LONDON: The Desert Vipers suffered a dramatic two-wicket defeat to Guyana Amazon Warriors in the ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League on Sunday, despite posting a massive total.
The Vipers amassed 205 for six from their 20 overs, becoming the first team to pass 200 in the competition and eclipsing the previous record of 196 set by Guyana Amazon Warriors in last season’s final.
However, the defending champions mounted a remarkable comeback after slumping to 95 for seven, with Romario Shepherd smashing 52 from just 21 balls and sharing a match-winning 91-run partnership with Mohammad Nabi, who finished unbeaten on 40, to seal victory with three balls remaining.
The defeat followed the Vipers’ 38-run loss to Lahore Qalandars, leaving them needing victories over the San Francisco Unicorns and Perth Scorchers to keep their hopes of reaching the playoffs alive.
Rilee Rossouw anchored the Vipers’ innings with 61 from 48 deliveries, hitting five fours and a six while putting together crucial partnerships with Kyle Mayers, Bevon Jacobs and Vriitya Aravind. Mayers scored 35 from 18 balls, Jacobs added 30 from 17, while Aravind contributed an unbeaten 28 from just 11 deliveries.
Captain Shadab Khan was the pick of the Vipers’ bowlers with three wickets, while veteran spinner Imran Tahir claimed two wickets after Guyana elected to field first.
Despite the result, Aravind said there were encouraging signs for the Dubai-based franchise.
“I think it was a really good game of cricket. It kept going like a pendulum. We were favorites and then they were favorites, then we became favorites again,” he said.
“In the end, the partnership between Mohammad Nabi and Romario Shepherd took the game away from us. But there were a lot of positives and I think if things were just 5 percent different, we could have won the game pretty easily.”
Aravind praised Rossouw’s innings, describing it as pivotal on a surface where wickets fell regularly.
“It was a top innings, especially on a surface like this where wickets were constantly falling,” he said. “We had to bat around someone and Rilee put his hand up. His experience made everyone else’s job easier.”
The wicketkeeper-batter also acknowledged Guyana’s batting depth, saying the Vipers knew the match would remain alive until the final wicket.
“They bat pretty deep, so we knew we hadn’t won until we actually won it,” he said. “Shepherd just had a day out, and that can happen in T20 cricket.”
The Desert Vipers face the San Francisco Unicorns in their next Group Stage match on Monday.
