DUBAI: International League T20 saw the Gulf Giants emerge victorious over the Desert Vipers by seven wickets in Dubai.
The top two teams were meeting each other for the fourth time in the tournament, the Giants having won two of the previous three meetings against their final opponent.
At Dubai International Stadium on Sunday night, the Giants won the toss and chose to field in front of a near capacity crowd.
Eight runs came from the first over. Alex Hales, the Viper’s opener, had set the early part of the tournament alight in scoring 438 runs in his first five innings. His last six innings had yielded only 50. Carlos Brathwaite had bowled him in their previous encounter. Facing the first ball of Brathwaite’s first over, the second of the innings, Hales pushed to deep mid-off to be caught for a single.
Further disaster struck the Viper’s when Mustafa set off for a run, was over half-way to the other end when the non-striker, Adam Lyth, sent him back, Mustafa failing to make his ground by some distance. Lyth, in trying to make up for this, turned aggressive but in hooking De Grandhomme was caught at fine leg, the score 25 for 3 at the end of the fifth over, an unusual one in T20 cricket, since it was a wicket maiden.
Billings and Munro sought to rebuild for the innings, no boundary being scored until one from Billings in the eighth over. In the ninth over, Munro pushed forward at Jordan, who dived spectacularly to catch the ball one-handed, reducing the Vipers to 48 for four after nine overs.
New batsman, Wanindu Hasaranga, was immediately on the offensive and, with Billings, 40 runs were added in the next three overs, a further 27 in the next two. Brathwaite returned to try and stem the flow, which he did, Billings brilliantly caught by the leaping David Wiese, one-handed above his head.
At 116 for five, this felt to be a defining moment, compounded when Hasaranga hit Ahmad straight to long off in the next over. Wickets then fell at regular intervals, the innings closing on 146 for eight. Brathwaite claimed 3 for 19 in his four overs, each wicket that of a key batter, at a critical stage of the DP World ILT 20 Final.
Even allowing for a slowish wicket, this total felt to be not enough.
The Giants fashioned the steady start that the Vipers had not been able to manage, reaching 19 without loss after three overs. Vince looked to be carrying on his imperious form of the previous match when he scored an unbeaten 83. It was a surprise when, trying to steer to third man, he played the ball too close to Billings who dived to take the catch. Twenty six for one wicket after four overs became 29 for two, de Grandhomme driving around a good-length ball from Tom Curran.
When Hasaranga was introduced, the batters immediately adopted the policy used against Rashid Khan in the previous match, that of sweeping nearly every ball. They did it to very good effect, pushing the score to 62 for two after nine overs. The Giants were progressing comfortably until the 15th over when Erasmus attempted a six over long on, but did not get enough power, Curran taking the catch, the score 99 for three. This left the Giants requiring 48 runs from 30 balls.
Shimron Hetmyer, the new batsman, was restrained at first, but soon threw off the shackles, hitting Luke Wood for six and four over mid-wicket. Chris Lynn then drove two fours to take the score to 123 for three after 17 overs, from which 18 runs came. After that, there was no stopping Hetmyer or Lynn, the target reached on 148 with a four by Lynn, 72 not out, with eight deliveries remaining.
Although at several points the Giants target was potentially tight, 42 runs from 24 deliveries, they had wickets in hand, Lynn and Hetmyer well set. Another 20 runs by the Vipers would have tested the depth of the Giants’ batting, but Brathwaite’s incisive bowling, two outstanding catches, coupled with the failure of the Viper’s top order, proved to be the defining features that shaped the match.