Gulf Giants, through an exhibition of superb teamwork and resilience, fought tooth and nail to defend a meagre total of 126 for 9 in 20 overs and pull off a 19-run win over Dubai Capitals in the ILT20 at the Dubai International Stadium.
This was the lowest total defended in the history of this tournament.
UAE’s 18-year-old left-arm spinner Aayan Afzal Khan bagged two wickets at a crucial stage of the match while his skipper James Vince produced two run outs to derail Capitals’ chase towards the easy target.
Dasun Shanaka pushed Capitals closer to the target through an unbeaten 24 but last man Haider Ali became the third batter to fall for a run out. Capitals were thus bowled out for 107 in 18.3 overs.
Earlier, Capitals’ Olly Stone (4 for 14) and Scott Kuggeleijn (3 for 29) ran through Giants’ batting line-up with a lethal combination of accurate pace and judicious use of slower deliveries to restrict Giants to 126 for 9 in 20 overs.
The Gulf Giants were reeling at 17 for 4 at one stage but were lifted out of disaster by skipper Vince (32) and Shimron Hetmyer (34) through a 51-runs partnership for the fifth wicket in 42 balls.
“We went in knowing we could win but knew it was tough. Run-outs and catches we needed, and the bowlers did really well,” said Vince.
“There was a bit of spin, and a tiny bit of swing for the pacers. The two-paced wicket made it hard to commit early on to the shots. We knew we had to take early wickets, and we took 3 in the powerplay.”
Meanwhile, Capitals skipper David Warner lamented the team’s batting failure.
“Our bowling unit did exceptionally well and to restrict them to 126 was a phenomenal effort,” he said. “They bowled well, but we lost wickets in clumps and that’s been the trend for us throughout this tournament.”
Brief scores:
Gulf Giants beat Dubai Capitals by 19 runs.
Gulf Giants 126 for 9 in 20 overs (James Vince 32, Shimron Hetmyer 34, Scott Kuggeleijn 3 for 29, Olly Stone 4 for 14) Dubai Capitals 107 in 18.3 overs (Dasun Shanaka 24n.o, Aayan Afzal Khan 2 for 8)