Ben Dunk made a fighting 59 and West Indians Rovman Powell (40 not out) and Jason Holder (23 not out) came up with superb knocks as Dubai Capitals registered a thrilling four-wicket win off the last ball of the match against Desert Vipers in the ILT20 at the Dubai International Stadium.
Powell and Holder put on an unbeaten 38 runs in 26 balls for the seventh wicket to snatch the match away from the Vipers. Powell’s 40 off 32 balls had three boundaries and a six.
Chasing a target of 170, opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz fell for just four runs lifting Shaheen Afridi to Maheesh Pathirana, who took a brilliant running and diving catch at mid-off.
Opener and skipper David Warner failed again, getting out to Afridi caught by his counterpart Colin Munro at extra cover for 4.
Wanindu Hasaranga, who was introduced for the seventh over, had Sam Billings caught and bowled for 6.
Dunk reached his half century in 23 balls with six boundaries and two sixes.
At the half way mark, at the score on 80, UAE all-rounder Rohan Mustafa dismissed Dunk who was caught by Hasaranga.
Powell and Sikandar Raza refused to bow to the pressure and put on a 41 runs partnership in 27 balls for the fifth wicket before Raza top edged Amir to Pathirana for 22.
Vipers went for the kill through Hasaranga removing Rahul Chopra for 4.
But Powell and Holder made it 19 to win off 12 balls and they took 15 runs off Shaheen Afridi’s penultimate over.
Pathirana bowled a brilliant last over with only four runs to defend but Capitals won off the last ball.
“This is really an important win. The belief in our change room in chasing suits us,” Capitals skipper Warner said.
“We’re calm and composed and the guys know how to get the job done. Here the ball tends to slow up on the wicket. But we still need to nail the powerplay with the bat. I’m not worried about myself (form).”
Earlier, Mustafa scored 50 off 33 balls with four boundaries and three sixes and Alex Hales cracked 49 off 32 balls with two boundaries and four sixes. Together they put on an opening partnership of 81 in 8.2 overs.
When Vipers lost quick wickets, Adam Hose lifted the team by scoring an unbeaten 35 runs off 17 balls with three sixes and two boundaries.
But his efforts were not enough as the Capitals clinched the deal in a dramatic finish.
“This was a tough one to swallow. Through the middle it got tough to bat. They bowled really well. Some slower balls gripped a little, and some died. Ben Dunk turned back the clock and played beautifully,” Munro said.
Meanwhile, Dunk, who was named the player of the match, said: “It was just great for the team to get back to the winners’ list. I’ve had my intent every time. Some of the high risk options didn’t come off, but today they did. Jason and Rovman at the end are world class finishers and they got it done. It was a hell of a last over; in fairness, he (Pathirana) bowled beautifully.”
Brief scores:
Dubai Capitals beat Desert Vipers by four wickets.
Desert Vipers 169 for 6 in 20 overs (Rohan Mustafa 50, Alex Hales 49, Adam Hose 35n.o) Dubai Capitals 170 for 6 in 20 overs (Ben Dunk 59, Sikandar Raza 22, Rovman Powell 40n.o, Jason Holder 23n.o, Shaheen Afridi 2 for 47, Wanindu Hasaranaga 2 for 25)