Due to a stunning spell of three wickets for 22 runs from Shaheen Afridi and quick hitting from Wanindu Hasaranga and Azam Khan, Desert Vipers overcame the reigning champions Gulf Giants by six wickets during the seventh match of the DP World ILT20 Season 2 at the Dubai International Stadium. Shaheen Afridi’s spell and Wanindu Hasaranga‘s brilliance with the bowl held the Giants to 160 for 6 in 20 overs during their clash with the winners of the first tournament.
Toss Update and Pitch Report
The track in Dubai International Cricket Stadium has always been a balanced one, where there is help for both batters and bowlers. In the initial overs, the pacers can have some advantage, but it will be good for batters after it. In the 2nd inning, the spinners can play a big part due to the bigger boundaries.
The dew factor plays a very big part in Dubai, and the chasing teams have always done well here. So the Desert Vipers won the toss and elected to field first.
Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Amir gave the perfect start to the Vipers with the ball
The pace duo of the Vipers justified their decision to bowl first, as they put the Giants into trouble by striking early with the bowl in the powerplay. Making his debut in the tournament, Pakistan T20 captain Afridi let up a boundary to Jamie Smith over mid-off off the fifth ball in the first over.
In the second over, James Vince, the captain, was dismissed for one run by Mohammad Amir after he lifted the ball to Colin Munro at mid-on. Afridi also took a wicket in the third over, clean-bowled Smith for five following a missed big shot.
After taking two early wickets, Lynn entirely nullified the effect by hitting Tymal Mills for two boundaries and a six.
The Giants were at 35/2 after the completion of the powerplay, with Lynn and Cox on the crease.
Lynn and Cox steadied the ship of the Giants, but Shaheen Afridi’s spell brought the Vipers back into the game
Cox gave support from the other end as Lynn concentrated on the big hits. Lynn scored six boundaries and three sixes in 35 balls to score his half-century. Cox and Lynn stitched a partnership of 89 (59), which stabilized the innings of the Giants.
Mills forced Lynn to mishit his shot when the Giants were four runs shy of 100 runs, and wicketkeeper Azam Khan caught the skier for 63. After joining Cox, Shimron Hetmyer was caught behind for 10 runs off Hasaranga. Afridi then claimed his second wicket, forcing Cox (32) to hit Alex Hales at long-on.
Chris Jordan fell in the same manner for 14 runs to become Afridi’s third victim. Usman Khan scored an unbeaten 16 to guarantee his team a challenging total of 160/6.
The bowlers did a decent job for the Vipers as Shaheen Afridi struck 3 wickets for 22 runs during his great spell, while Amir and Wanindu Hasaranga supported him with their economical spells, taking one wicket each.
The Viper got off to a sluggish start after an early wickets fall
With 161 to win, the Vipers lost an early wicket when Richard Gleeson, who came in as a Super Sub in place of Lynn, caught Colin Munro at third man for six runs.
Hales survived being stumped by a Mujeeb Ur Rehman slider on 11 runs, but lost to Dominic Drakes at 21 runs in the seventh over as Aayan Khan made a magnificent catch at the fine leg boundary.
After joining Adam Hose, Wanindu Hasaranga struck Aayan Khan for two successive boundaries and Jordan for a six and a boundary off successive balls. The Vipers needed 85 runs to win at the halfway mark.
Wanindu Hasaranga and Azam Khan assist the Desert Vipers in defeating the Gulf Giants
Wanindu Hasaranga and Hose kept ticking the scoreboard and formed a match-defining partnership of 57 (33) to get the Vipers closer to the target. Drakes took Hasaranga’s wicket in the 13th over, getting him caught by Usman Khan at long-off for 42.
In the 15th over, Azam Khan unleashed his devastating blows, hitting Jordan for a six to mid-wicket and then hitting Blessing Muzarabani for three boundaries.
With five overs remaining, this brought the target down to a manageable 32 runs. Hose passed to Gleeson and was caught behind for 39 runs, but Khan and Sherfane Rutherford guided their team to the victory.
For the Giants in the bowling department, Richard Gleeson and Dominic Drakes got a couple of wickets, respectively, but apart from these two bowlers, all the other bowlers conceded runs at nearly 10 runs per over and did not manage to get a wicket.
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