In a dramatic display of late-innings resilience at Saturday’s ExxonMobil Global Super League clash held at Guyana National Stadium, all-rounder Romario Shepherd and veteran spinner-batsman Mohammad Nabi pulled off a stunning comeback to deliver the Guyana Amazon Warriors a narrow two-wicket victory over the winless Desert Vipers.
Chasing a competitive 206-run target to secure their second consecutive win, the Warriors’ innings got off to a promising start, with opening batters Quentin Sampson and Rahmanullah Gurbaz putting together a solid 55-run opening stand. Sampson notched 35 runs off his knock, while Gurbaz contributed 31 to set a solid foundation for the run chase.
But the momentum shifted sharply after the pair departed, triggering a catastrophic middle-order collapse that left the Warriors reeling at 95 runs for seven wickets by the 11th over. Shimron Hetmyer fell for a golden duck, bowled by Khary Pierre on his very first delivery, while Mohammad Haris only managed 12 runs before exiting. Rovman Powell, Gudakesh Motie, and debutant Jonathan van Lange followed suit in quick succession, leaving the innings on the brink of collapse and Vipers on the cusp of their first win of the tournament.
That is when Shepherd and Nabi stepped up to turn the game on its head. The pair forged a crucial 91-run eighth-wicket partnership that turned the tide of the match firmly in the Warriors’ favor. Shepherd took on the role of aggressor, bludgeoning his way to a 17-ball half-century — the fastest fifty recorded in the tournament so far. He eventually departed for a fiery 52 runs off just 21 deliveries, having hammered six sixes and two fours across the ground.
With Shepherd gone, Nabi anchored the remaining overs to seal the chase, remaining unbeaten on 40 runs off 29 balls, including three fours and three sixes. Fellow lower-order batter Dwaine Pretorius chipped in with an unbeaten 17, guiding the Warriors across the finish line in the final over with just two deliveries left to spare.
For the Vipers, captain Shadab Khan led the bowling attack with an impressive three wickets for 40 runs, supported by Pierre who claimed two wickets for 37 runs.
Earlier in the day, the Vipers won the toss and opted to bat first, posting a solid 205 runs for six wickets at the end of their 20 overs. Their innings got off to a rocky start, however, with Nabi claiming debutant opener Zachary Carter at extra cover and Andries Gous caught in the deep inside the first few overs. Rilee Rossouw steadied the Vipers’ innings with a measured 61 runs off 48 deliveries, which included five fours and one six to rebuild the Vipers’ total. After Shadab was run out, Kyle Mayers (35) and Bevon Jacobs (30) added valuable middle-order runs to boost the total, with Vritya Aravind finishing the innings strongly with an unbeaten 28 that included six boundaries.
Warriors captain Imran Tahir was the standout bowler for Guyana, finishing with two wickets for 37 runs from his four overs.
Saturday’s result pushes the Guyana Amazon Warriors to two consecutive wins at the start of the five-team tournament, while the Desert Vipers are still searching for their first win after two outings. The tournament continues Sunday with a scheduled double-header: the Perth Scorchers will face the San Francisco Unicorns starting at 10:00 a.m. local time, before the Amazon Warriors return to the pitch to face the Lahore Qalandars in the evening match at 7:00 p.m.