If you thought the Abu Dhabi T10 couldn’t get any more dramatic, the Northern Warriors just proved otherwise. In a match that went right down to the very last delivery, the Warriors held their nerve to beat debutants Aspen Stallions by four runs at the Zayed Cricket Stadium, a perfect blend of power-hitting, pressure moments, and late-overs chaos.

Johnson Charles was the calm in the storm, anchoring the Warriors’ innings with a classy 55 off 34, while Colin Munro’s 38 off 21 helped build a rock-solid 102-run stand. Their effort lifted the team to 114/1, a total that looked competitive but far from safe on this batting-friendly deck.

The Stallions came out swinging. Rahmanullah Gurbaz (29 off 11) and Avishka Fernando (33 off 20) launched into the chase with fearless intent, smashing 48 in the first three overs. But once Gurbaz miscued one and Aspen lost momentum, the Warriors sensed an opening.

Enter Shahnawaz Dahani, cool, composed, and ruthless in the final over. With eight needed off six balls, Dahani gave away just two runs, removed Saif Hassan and Tymal Mills in back-to-back deliveries, and shut down the chase when Sam Billings couldn’t find the boundary off the last ball.

Pure theatre.