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MI Emirates humbled table-toppers Desert Vipers with a dominating 154-run win at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi. In the 22nd match of ILT20 2025, Tom Banton and Andre Fletcher shared a record-breaking 198-run partnership for the second wicket. After Banton's 55-ball 105 and Fletcher's unbeaten 50-ball 96, Desert Vipers were bowled out for a mere 74.
Banton, Fletcher set the platform
Earlier, Vipers spinner Sam Curran won the toss and opted to bowl first. In the second over, Muhammad Waseem hit Dhruv Parashar for two sixes in a row. In the third over, Mohammad Amir knocked over Waseem. The UAE batter scored 19 runs from 15 balls. After powerplay overs, MI were 40/1. Fletcher played second fiddle whereas Banton accelerated. They crossed the 100-run mark in the 12th over. Fletcher reached his fifty from 32 balls. Banton's catch was dropped in the 15th over. He followed it up with a six to reach his fifty from 38 balls.
Banton hits 5th gear
In the 16th over, Banton hit Daniel Lawrence for three sixes in a row. Fletcher joined him and hit Amir for two sixes. The English batter hit Curran for three fours and a six in the 18th over. In the penultimate over, Banton reached his century from 52 balls. He became the first batter to hit two centuries in ILT20 history. In the final over, Banton got run out off penultimate ball. He scored 105 runs from 55 balls including nine fours and seven sixes. Fletcher finished the innings with a six. He remained unbeaten for a 50-ball 96 laced with 10 fours and three sixes. MI posted a mammoth total of 228/3 on the board.
Vipers' epic collapse
Vipers never looked like they were in the hunt. Fakhar Zaman was the first to fall to Muhammad Rohid Khan. Then Fazalhaq Farooqi dismissed Alex Hales. Curran and Lawrence hit a few fours before throwing their wicket away. Alzarri Joseph struck twice as Vipers lost half the side for 32 in powerplay overs. Azam Khan got to double digits and then fell to Rohid Khan as well. Sherfane Rutherford hit the first six of the innings and then got dismissed by Dan Mousley. In the same over, Parashar departed as well. Vipers' tail did not wag and they were bowled out for 74 in 12.3 overs. MI won by 154 runs, the second-biggest win in the history of the tournament. Interestingly, the biggest win by 157 runs belongs to MI against Vipers as well.
'Player of the match'
Former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batter who went unsold in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction, Banton was named 'Player of the match'.
"I didn't get off to a flier, knew the longer I stayed there the better chance I had. Sometimes you get off to a flier and sometimes you don't. Being a top order batter in white-ball cricket, you come up against some really good bowlers so you need to have good technique. The ball has swung and seamed more in the past couple of years. We've come off the back of two losses so we were under some pressure. Me and Fletcher spoke about taking it deep, special night for MI Emirates, don't want to take it for granted," he said in the post-match presentation.
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