ILT20 Drama: Nicholas Pooran refuses to stump batter, who then retires out himself – WATCH

Nicholas Pooran refuses to stump batter

Desert Vipers defeated MI Emirates by one run in a thrilling encounter at the ongoing International League T20 (ILT20) 2025-26 at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. The game was entertaining, but nothing compared to what happened in the 16th over of the first innings, which featured a declined stumping and a retired out off consecutive balls involving Nicholas Pooran and Max Holden.

Vipers began the 16th over on 110/1 after being invited to bat first by Emirates. Sam Curran and  Holden, who were batting then, were struggling to make any progress. Vipers could only muster 20 runs in the previous four overs with Dan Lawrence and Shimron Hetmyer still waiting for their turn in the dugout.

Vipers needed to accelerate, and Holden — their top scorer — was on strike for the third ball after Curran began the over with a four and a single off Rashid Khan. But Holden couldn’t score off the third and fourth deliveries, which also saw Emirates burn a review after Pooran appealed for a caught-behind against him. The replays confirmed that the ball had brushed his pads. As the action progressed, the fifth ball yielded two runs, following which the drama unfolded.

Holden charged down the track against Rashid and tried a big heave but missed the line completely. He was so far down the pitch that he didn’t even attempt to get back. Pooran collected the ball but chose not to stump that allowed Holden to return to his crease safely.

The commentator then reacting to the turn of events on-air noted: "Oh! He did not stump him. Did not stump him. Wide is called. Could have stumped him by some distance."

With the previous delivery called wide, Rashid came back to bowl the final ball and Holden once again went for a big heave only to miss it again. Part two of the incident then occurred as Holden immediately retired himself out, clearly a tactical move.

Tactics? Oneupmanship?

Nicholas Pooran chose not to stump Max Holden, but the Vipers had a trick up their sleeve as well, retiring the batter the very next ball. What do you make of this? #DPWorldILT20#AllInForCricket#WhereTheWorldPlayspic.twitter.com/CPK4D0H4lW — International League T20 (@ILT20Official) December 9, 2025

Curran finished with run-a-ball 19. Hetmyer, who replaced Holden, hit 15 off 9, and Lawrence, who came next, scored 15 off 8.

In the end, Vipers' 41 runs from the final four overs proved to be crucial, as Emirates reached 158/9 while chasing 160.