GG vs SW: Shimron Hetmyer’s Blazing 50 And Zohaib Zubair’s Magical Spell Guides Gulf Giants To An Important Win

Shimron Hetmyer‘s blistering knock of 53 runs and Zohaib Zubair’s four-wicket spell led the Gulf Giants to a gigantic win of 79 runs over the Sharjah Warriors at the Dubai International Stadium. The Giants have outplayed their opponent in all three departments and finally managed to get out of the bottom of the table.

Pitch Report and Toss Update

At the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, fast bowlers find it difficult to produce much swing or seam because the pitch is often solid and resistant to seam movement. Nevertheless, on the Dubai pitch, spinners play a really important role.

On the other hand, especially in the first few overs of a match, the new ball could provide some bounce and carry aid to the bowlers. So to utilize the conditions early on, the Sharjah Warriors won the toss and elected to field first.

The Giants off to a steady start after an early wicket

After winning the tournament’s first game by a score of 31 runs, the Giants were playing the Warriors. The Warriors were playing their match right after an eight-wicket loss to MI Emirates. When Jamie Smith of the Giants attempted a slog shot for seven, he was clean bowled by Muhammad Jawadullah on the fourth ball of the second over.

James Vince and Chris Lynn started to form a partnership after an early blow from the Warriors. When Lynn was five runs shy of a half century in the tenth over, Sean Williams ended his innings when he was caught by Joe Denly at mid-wicket.

Their important partnership of 66 (47) comes to an end. Williams also dismissed Vince for a run-a-ball in the same over after he was caught by the Woakes at long-off. So the Giants were 76/3 at the halfway mark.

Shimron Hetmyer along with Overton and Erasmus smashed the bowlers to gave the Giants perfect finish

Shimron Hetmyer, who had hit an unbeaten 40 in the previous match against the Vipers, went for his shots, cheered on by the crowd, and helped the Giants reach a winning total from 87 for 4 in 11.5 overs. Gerhard Erasmus played the role of second fiddle brilliantly, but Daniel Sams got him to edge a reverse sweep to be caught by a diving wicketkeeper, Dickwella, for 17 runs.

Even though Denly’s fingertips appeared to be underneath the ball, Shimron Hetmyer, who was 24 at the time, managed to avoid being caught by a diving Denly at long-off off Sams when the third umpire declared him not out. He celebrated his escape by hitting three sixes and a boundary off Williams’ 17th over, which saw him take 26 runs off the over.

Shimron Hetmyer quickly reached his fifty runs in 24 balls, and he and Jamie Overton boosted their team’s total to 187. With three wickets, Sean Williams was the best bowler for the Sharjah Warriors. Chris Woakes, Daniel Sams, and Muhammad Jawadullah also contributed with one wicket apiece, but they were pretty expensive overall.

Aayan Khan gave the Giants a dream start to set the Warriors under pressure

The Warriors’ chase got off to a terrible start. Bowling the opening over, UAE’s 18-year-old left-arm spinner Aayan Afzal Khan struck first, trapping opener Niroshan Dickwella behind with the first ball and Joe Denly with the second delivery, which Jordan caught at mid-off.

Warriors’ batters were falling at regular intervals; Johnson Charles was caught behind by Overton for two runs as well. Half the team was back in the dugout for 44 when captain Tom-Kohler Cadmore, who struck a gallant 39, was caught by Cox off Drakes, and Sean Williams was also out at short third man off Zohaib Zubair by Afzal Khan for 3.

The Warriors found themselves in a struggling position at 57/5 after the completion of the first ten overs.

Zuhaib Zubair ran through the middle over of the Warriors

The Giants’ triumph became a formality after the halfway mark. Lewis Gregory scored 30 runs, but Zohaib Zubair, a 20-year-old leg spinner from the UAE, quickly put the Giants ahead by taking four wickets at a cost of 22 runs.

The best bowler for them, though, was spinner Zohaib Zubair, who cruised through the middle order and claimed four vital wickets, while Chris Jordan completed their triumph with a one-handed stunner of his own bowling.

The Warriors were never really in it when chasing, and in the end, they were bundled out well short of the mark and suffered a severe blow to their NRR as well.

The Gulf Giants demolish the Sharjah Warriors and move above them on the table, making things even more interesting. But the Sharjah Warriors have to get back up fast because they play the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders very soon. The game is scheduled for Monday, February 5th, at 8:00 p.m. IST.

Also Read: GG vs DV: Azam Khan’s Blazing Fifty Leads Desert Vipers To A Crucial Win