The Gulf Giants returned to winning ways as they coasted to a fantastic seven-wicket win over the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in a Season 3 clash of the ILT20 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium here on Saturday. The win sees the Gulf Giants climb the ladder to the third spot and does a world of good to their playoff chances. The result also means the MI Emirates joined the Desert Vipers as the two teams to have qualified for the playoffs.
Needing a win to stay alive in the competition, the Gulf Giants were brilliant with the ball as they stifled the Knight Riders for 123. In response, they rode on a superb 70-run partnership between Gerhard Erasmus and Tom Curran and some late pinch-hitting by Shimron Hetmyer to clinch the victory.
The Gulf Giants got off the blocks well in what appeared to be a straightforward chase. However, David Willey worked his magic on the ball as he picked up two wickets in as many deliveries to put the opposition in a worrisome spot. James Vince played the ball onto his stumps to depart for seven and Willey trapped Jordan Cox LBW on the next ball to give his side a fighting chance.
The Giants scored 27/2 in the Power-play, just three runs more than how many their opponents managed at the same stage. A disciplined bowling effort from Willey and Sunil Narine curtailed the Giants’ batting as they were restricted to 50/2 at the halfway stage.
But it was just a matter of time before Erasmus and Curran found their groove, and that happened in the 11th over. Curran let loose as he hit Andre Russell for a four, a six, and then a four to amass 17 much-needed runs.
That big over gave the Giants the impetus they needed as they got 12 more runs off Terrance Hinds in the 13th over. The Giants were on track at this point, at 82/2, and needed a run a ball from the remaining seven overs.
Curran and Erasmus worked out an impressive 70-run partnership, but Jason Holder found the breakthrough in the 15th over when Erasmus was caught at mid-off. Shimron Hetmyer joined Curran and made his intentions clear early on with a superb boundary. Narine, uncharacteristically, gave away four runs in extras as the Giants inched closer to the target.
Hetmyer displayed his big-hitting skills as he clobbered Irbar Ahmad for a maximum over deep midwicket and subsequently hit the winning runs to seal a remarkable seven-wicket victory for the Gulf Giants.
Earlier, the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders made a poor start when they lost both their openers – Kyle Mayers and Andries Gous – inside the opening three overs. They each made one run as the Knight Riders limped to 4/2. Roston Chase offered them some hope as he struck a few boundaries to lead them to 24/2 at the end of the powerplay.
He departed for 15 soon after to Blessing Muzarabani, and Willey entered the fray. The Englishman steadied the ship and teamed up with Joe Clarke to put up 29 runs for the fourth wicket. The runs, though, were hard to come by as the Knight Riders went through four overs without a boundary. They were precariously placed at 55/3 after 12 overs when Clarke fell to Chris Jordan.
The Knight Riders made plenty of changes to their batting order as Russell came in next. His arrival seemed to swing the fortunes in his side’s favour as Willey launched two massive sixes before Russell hit a couple of boundaries. However, his stay at the crease was cut when Tom Curran dismissed him for 15.
With five overs to go, the Knight Riders were at 80/5 and were in dire need of some quick runs to put up a competitive total. Willey shouldered the responsibility and hit Mark Adair for a six, but the Irishman returned on the next delivery. Willey’s resolute display came to an end after he made a crucial 41 off 29 deliveries.
Alishan Sharafu, the local boy who has been among the Knight Riders’ better batsmen this season, was tasked with steering his side at the death overs. He got off the mark with a boundary, but the runs dried up thereon as the Knight Riders managed just three boundaries in the final four overs to put up a modest total of 123.
Sunil Narine, captain of the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, said: “I think they bowled brilliantly and used the conditions to their advantage. We tried to take as many wickets as possible in the powerplay. We couldn’t take many wickets in the middle overs and it became easier for them. Jason Holder has been doing a fantastic job with the bat and the ball. He assessed the conditions as best as possible. We are on the back foot, but we will be looking forward to that Mumbai-Sharjah game and are hoping for the best.”
Player of the match, Dan Worrall, said: “Opening the bowling with Mark, we had to get us off to a good start. Our bowling group prides itself on diversity. Left arm, right arm, tall and short, we have a bit of everything. We’re glad that we’ve at least given ourselves a fighting chance. We’ll be crossing our fingers for the next couple of days.”
Brief scores:
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders 123-7 in 20 overs (David Willey 41, Alishan Sharafu 21 not out, Chris Jordan 2-20, Mark Adair 2-25) lost to Gulf Giants 124/3 in 17.5 overs (Gerhard Erasmus 47, Tom Curran 38 not out, Shimron Hetmyer 20 not out, David Willey 2-17) by seven wickets
