Azam Khan hit the fastest half-century in DP World ILT20 history on Saturday to power Desert Vipers to a resounding six-wicket win over Gulf Giants at the Dubai International Stadium.
Khan needed just 18 balls to get to his 50 with the help of four mighty sixes and five boundaries in the 19th match of the DP World ILT20 Season 2. He remained unbeaten.
While forging a match-winning partnership with his skipper Colin Munro, who scored 51 off 36 balls with six boundaries and two sixes.
Vipers won the match with 19 balls to spare and helped the team to climb to third position on the points table while defending champions Giants slipped to the bottom.
The ease with which Khan hit sixes and boundaries with his unorthodox shots enthralled the large Saturday crowd as Vipers comfortably chased a target of 161 to win in 16.5 overs.
Earlier, Gulf Giants scored 160 for seven in 20 overs with the help of Chris Lynn’s 31, Jordan Cox’s 26 and Shimron Hetmyer’s breezy unbeaten 40 off 23 balls with five boundaries and one six.
Mohammad Amir bowled brilliantly to check the run flow with a spell of three for 34 and was well-supported by Wanindu Hasaranga (2 for 15) and Matheesha Pathirana (2 for 38).
Speaking after receiving the Player of the Match award Azam Khan said: “I enjoyed the knock, and I knew I would be able to win the match. I am very happy about it.
“When you bat in the middle, you cannot be consistent all the time, but what matters is the strike rate. If my strike rate is good, it is good for my team too.
“Each win is good for the confidence of the team,” he added. “I also feel motivated when the crowd is cheering.
“The more one practices, the better one becomes, and you’ve got to have confidence in yourself.
“This tournament is good for Pakistan players as they are performing so well in this great league. It is also good for their careers as many are going for the PS,” said Khan.
Despite the defeat Gulf Giants’ West Indian star Hetmyer remained positive and said: “It was a defendable total, but we did not get early wickets and that made it harder for us.
“We can still qualify as we have four more matches. What has happened in the past has gone and we need to think about the matches to come.
“We will take it one at a time and do our best and win the next four matches,” he added.
Brief scores:
Desert Vipers beat the Gulf Giants by 6 wickets.
Gulf Giants: 160 for 7 in 20 overs (Chris Lynn 31, Jordan Cox 26, Shimron Hetmyer 40n.o, Mohammad Amir 3 for 34, Wanindu Hasaranga 2 for 15, Matheesha Pathirana 2 for 38)
Desert Vipers: 161 for 4 in 16.5 overs (Alex Hales 44, Colin Munro 51, Azam Khan 50 n.o, Zuhaib Zubair 2 for 49)
Player of the Match: Azam Khan