Updated on: Jan 05, 2026 06:35 am IST
Former West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard and Pakistan pacer Naseem Shah were involved in a heated altercation in the middle.
There was no love lost between former West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard and Pakistan pacer Naseem Shah as the duo engaged in a heated verbal altercation with each other during the ILT20 final at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday. The incident happened on the final delivery of the 11th over of MI Emirates’ batting innings when Pollard defended the ball of the bowling of Desert Vipers’ Naseem.
Naseem dished out a good length delivery, and Pollard could do nothing much with the ball as he got an inside edge onto his pad, and the ball rolled back towards the pacer. It was then that Shah seemingly mocked the batter by letting out a huge chuckle, and this didn’t amuse the experienced campaigner, who led MI Emirates in the tournament.
Pollard headed straight back towards Naseem and engaged in a heated verbal duel as tempers flared at the Ring of Fire. The Pakistani pacer was also unwilling to take a backward step as the duo continued to trade barbs.
The on-field umpires had to finally intervene and separate the two. However, Shah had the final laugh five overs later as he managed to get the wicket of Pollard, and the right-handed batter walked back to the dugout after scoring 28 off 28 balls.
Desert Vipers win ILT20
The Sam Curran-led Desert Vipers won the ILT20 for the first time after beating MI Emirates in the summit clash by 46 runs. After being asked to bat first, Vipers posted 182/4 in the allotted twenty overs, owing to a 74-run knock by skipper Sam Curran.
The total proved to be enough as Vipers bundled out MI Emirates for just 136 in 18.3 overs with David Payne and Naseem taking three wickets each.
“The pressure of a final is different. The credit goes to everyone, batting and bowling. Our combination was good, we had good options with both bat and ball, and the team management used them well. Everyone gave their 100% and the end result is in front of us,” Shah said in a conversation with the broadcaster after winning the final.
