All-rounder Kieron Pollard got involved in a heated exchange with Pakistan pacer Naseem Shah during the ILT20 final. The incident took place in the 11th over where Pollard was spotted saying something to the right-arm bowler. The matter escalated when Naseem also reacted.
Desert Vipers defeated MI Emirates that was led by Pollard. The Vipers posted 182/4 after 20 overs with captain Sam Curran hammered 74* off 51 while Max Holden chipped in with 41 off 32. Dan Lawrence too struck 23 off 15. Fazalhaq Farooqi picked up two wickets for 33 runs in 4 overs.
Later, the Emirates couldn’t really get into the groove and lost wickets regularly. They were bowled out for 136. Naseem Shah scalped three wickets for just 18 runs in 4 overs while David Payne also bagged a three-fer. Khuzaima Tanveer picked up a couple of wickets.
Sparks fly in the middle! 🧨
The Final brings out many emotions, catching Naseem Shah & Kieron Pollard in the middle of it. ⚔️#Final #DVvMIE #DPWorldILT20 #WhereTheWorldPlays #AllInForCricket pic.twitter.com/PGUsSl3PaT
— International League T20 (@ILT20Official) January 4, 2026
“Really special. Was nervous coming in today. Obviously two finals and everyone thinking “imagine if we lose this one – three in a row”. The team have been amazing, the management, the owners, stuff like that. Going to be a big party tonight. Of course there’s nerves, I think that’s a good thing. Things like you don’t know how the pitch is going to play. Obviously Gous pulled up with an injury in the warmups and we got tested there. That just shows the quality of our group and the setup. Nerves were always there. MI are a fantastic team. I think we deserved the trophy in the end,” Curran said after the match.
“If I’m being honest, within the field (where did it go wrong). The way we started, I saw you guys were having fun with the bloopers on the screen. In a final like this, these are the times you need to be sharp. 15-20 runs, when you minus that from the final total, 160 is a chaseable total. Could be (nerves). Couple of guys playing for the first time (in a final). No excuses for that. This is where you want the guys to stand up but we didn’t. Deservedly winners, the Vipers,” Pollard added.
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