ILT20 Final: Gulf Giants Go Past Hasaranga' s Storm To Halt Desert Vipers At 146/8
VIP vs GUL: Despite Wanindy Hasaranga's thunderous knock, Gulf Giants bowlers managed to pull back things in their favour, halting Desert Vipers to 146/8 in the final of the inaugural International League T20. Gulf Giants now need 147 runs in 20 overs to win the ILT20 2023 title.
Batting first, Desert Vipers had a horrendous start as they lost Rohan Mustafa (6) and Alex Hales (1) within the first two overs. Vipers went on to lose Adam Lyth (13) inside the powerplay and Colin de Grandhomme in the 9th over, bringing the score down to a mere 44/4 in 9 overs.
From thereon, English keeper-batter Sam Billings and Lankan all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga got together to stabilize the innings a bit, etching a partnership of 72 runs for the 5th wicket. However, Hasaranga was the main scorer as he contributed 55 runs in the partnership in comparison to Billings' 16 runs.
Billings' wicket brought upon a flurry of wickets as Vipers went from 116/5 in 14.4 overs to 134/8 in 18.2 overs. While Sam Billings scored 31 runs in 29 balls with 3 boundaries, Hasaranga smashed 55 runs off 27 deliveries with 6 fours & 2 sixes.
For Gulf Giants, Carlos Brathwaite registered 3 wickets for just 19 runs in 4 overs, while spinner Qais Ahmed grabbed 2 wickets for 29 runs in 4 overs. Chris Jordan and Colin de Grandhomme also managed 1 wicket each.
Earlier, Gulf Giants captain James Vince won the toss & opted to bowl first against Desert Vipers in the Final of the inaugural ILT20. This match is being played at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai.
Also Read: Cricket Tales