Former West Indies captain Nicholas Pooran decided to leave an easy stumping chance in the ILT20 match between MI Emirates and Desert Vipers in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, December 9. Fans questioned the choice of not removing Bales, wondering whether he was being clever or overthinking it at the moment.
MI Emirates won the toss and decided to bowl first. Max Holden came in to bat at number 3 after Andries Goss retired hurt. Despite spending time at the crease, Holden struggled to change gears. By the 16th over, the Vipers were reeling at 117/1, with Holden on 42 off 36 balls and needing a boundary.
WATCH: Nicholas Pooran ignores clear stumping chances in ILT20
On the last ball of the 16th over, Max Holden moved forward to hit a short, wide ball but missed it completely. Nicholas Pooran collected the ball cleanly and had the easiest chance to stump him.
However, he allowed Holden to return to the crease. Commentators were stunned, Rashid Khan looked disappointed and fans immediately questioned the decision. After the over was over, the Vipers made a surprising move.
Even though Pooran had allowed him to stay, Holden was retired by his team to bring in Sam Curran, who could score quickly. This change went in their favor, as Shimron Hetmyer and Dan Lawrence then added runs quickly. That late hitting helped the Vipers post a total of 159/4 in 20 overs.
device? Oneupmanship?
Nicholas Pooran decided not to stump Max Holden, but the Viper also played a trick and dismissed the batsman on the very next ball.
What do you make of this?#DPWorldILT20 #AllInForCricket #jahanduniyaplays pic.twitter.com/CPK4D0H4lW
– International League T20 (@ILT20Official) 9 December 2025
Why Max Holden’s retirement and Nicholas Pooran’s non-stumping legal?
The Vipers’ decision to retire Max Holden was completely legal and reflects a growing T20 trend where teams take out a struggling batsman and bring in someone who can score runs quickly. This was simply a tactical move within the rules.
Nicholas Pooran’s choice of not stumping Holden also comes under strategy. A wicketkeeper is not required to complete a stumping, and Pooran felt it would make more sense to keep a slow scorer at the crease rather than dismissing him.
Many fans and analysts began calling it “tactical non-stumping”, a term that suited the modern, strategy-heavy nature of franchise cricket. However, social media reacted strongly, alleging “fixing” despite there being no evidence.
This is what happened to us tonight – Kieron Pollard
MI Emirates missed out by one run while chasing the target. Captain Kieron Pollard said that his bowlers kept the opposition team at a controlled score. However, he admitted that his team let the goal slip in the closing stages.
Pollard said, “Obviously, with the ball, I thought the bowlers did brilliantly to restrict them to 159 runs. The way we played, I think we didn’t play the last five overs particularly well. Not even the last five, but I would say the last two overs.”
“Run-a-ball in the last three overs, I think it’s often the case that you should win, but it shows cricket, once you stay in the fight, you can be on the losing side, and that’s what happened to us tonight.”
Also read: “Ready for the third star” – Suryakumar Yadav’s India begin T20I series against South Africa with a new look
