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ILT20 2023, Desert Vipers vs Gulf Giants: Highlights, Player Of The Match, List Of Award Winners

Gulf Giants recorded their fourth successive victory through a five-wicket win while Desert Vipers crashed to their first defeat despite Alex Hales' scintillating knock of 99 off 57 balls.

Chris Lynn and Shimron Hetmyer

Dubai, January 23: Chris Lynn and Shimron Hetmyer as Gulf Giants defeated Desert Vipers by five wickets in the 12th match of the International League T20 (ILT20) at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday (January 22).

Gulf Giants recorded their fourth successive victory through a five-wicket win while Desert Vipers crashed to their first defeat despite Alex Hales' scintillating knock of 99 off 57 balls with 10 boundaries and five sixes.

Lynn cracked 71 off 42 balls with eight boundaries and three sixes while Hetmyer smashed 70 off 35 balls with five boundaries and five sixes to win the match with three balls to spare.

Gulf Giants had won the toss and elected to bowl. Desert Vipers openers Rohan Mustafa and Hales scored steadily with Mustafa scoring two boundaries off the second over from Liam Dawson.

ILT20 2023 Points Table | Results & Fixtures

Hales, after hitting Richard Gleeson for two boundaries in the third over, went on to hit David Wiese for a boundary and a six to long-off.

The fourth over saw Hales in full flow hitting Chris Jordan for three boundaries and a six to take 19 runs off the over. The pair put on 54 runs in just five overs.

Mustafa hit Lawson for a six to long-on and even reverse swept him for another boundary but fell to the fourth ball of that over stumped by wicketkeeper Tom Banton for 23.

Hales reached his half century in 26 balls. It was his fourth consecutive score of over fifty runs from all the four matches that Vipers played in this tournament.

Skipper Colin Munro, who joined Hales, hit Dawson and Rehan Ahmed for sixes. Desert Vipers recorded 104 for 1 at the half way stage.

Gulf Giants expected Wiese to provide the breakthrough but Munro hit him for two consecutive boundaries in the 12th over. While Munro reverse swept Ahmed for a boundary, Hales slog swept him for a six. Fourteen runs were hit off Ahmed's over.

In the 14th over, Gleeson forced Munro to hit straight to Sanchit Sharma for 39. Hales and Munro had added a 67 runs partnership in 44 balls for the second wicket.

Hales continued to hit sixes off Ahmed to mid-wicket and long-on taking the score past the 150-run mark in 15 overs. Sherfane Rutherford too joined the six-hitting act by getting one off Wiese to deep mid-wicket.

While on 99, Jordan dismissed Hales, caught by Hetmyer at deep cover. Next man Tom Curran got bowled by Wiese for a duck and the chances of a total of over 200 began to diminish.

Wiese gave away only four runs in the 18th over. Gleeson, who bowled the penultimate over, gave away just a boundary. Rutherford hit the last ball of the innings from Jordan for a six over long on and remained unbeaten on 27 for a total of 195 for 4 in 20 overs. The last five overs yielded only 38 runs.

Spectacular chase

Faced with the challenge of having to score at a run rate of 9.75, Gulf Giants lost their prolific run getter and captain James Vince to the fourth ball of the first over.

Vince played Sheldon Cottrell on to his wicket for 4. Lynn who joined opener Tom Banton went for his shots, hitting Gus Atkinson for two consecutive boundaries and Curran for a mighty six.

Curran struck in the fourth over having Banton brilliantly caught by Munro at mid-off running back and judging well for 3. Next man Rehan Ahmed got out stumped by Billing off Wanindu Hasaranga for 1.

Three wickets down for 35 in five overs, Lynn on 24, who miscued a lofted shot, got dropped by Rutherford off Curran. Hetmyer hit Hasaranga for three consecutive sixes to take 23 runs off the seventh over. He also hit Benny Howell for two mighty sixes.

When Lynn too hit Hasaranga for two sixes, Gulf Giants posted 106 for 3 by the half way mark needing another 90 runs to win. Lynn reached his half century in 28 balls while Hetmyer recorded his half century in 26 balls.

Desert Vipers re-introduced Cottrell for the 14th over and Hetmyer hit the first two deliveries for a boundary and a six but fell to the third delivery caught by wicketkeeper Billings for 70.

Wiese joined Lynn with Gulf Giants needing 49 runs from 39 balls. Hasaranga bowled a tight 15th over giving away just three runs. Atikinson forced Lynn on 71 to play on to his wicket when 34 runs were needed in 22 balls.

Wiese (22 not out) and Liam Dawson (16 not out) took up the challenge and steered their team to the target with three balls to spare.

Speaking about their performance, Giants' Hetmyer said, "We have to remember what we are doing well and continue to keep doing that in the future. My mind was clear when I walked into bat.

"I thought that if we could get 40 runs in the powerplay then we would get to our target. I knew that anything could have happened with just one good partnership."

Meanwhile, Desert Vipers' head coach James Foster said, "The Giants bowled exceptionally well during the last four overs of our innings. They used the big boundary to their advantage. I thought Gleeson was outstanding.

"We showed high levels of quality today, but ended up on the wrong side of the result. They put us under pressure with the bat and at times you just have to tell the opposition well played."

Sheldon Cottrell


Top wicket taker and current recipient of the white belt in the ILT20, Cottrell from Desert Vipers spoke exclusively to Zee at the end of the game and said: "I think the new ball was definitely there; I got it to swing.

"As you know, most of our wickets are inside the powerplay, and that's some of our early overs, but I like that type of bowling and I look forward to balls in the powerplay, and that's what caused my success."

He added further on taking Shimron Hettmeyer's wicket: "Yeah, most definitely." "I mean, he's a fantastic player, and I wanted to bowl him; once I start bowling to him, I knew it's going to be a battle, and eventually, even though they won the match, I won that battle."

Desert Vipers vs Gulf Giants Brief scores

Desert Vipers: 195 for 4 in 20 overs (Rohan Mustafa 23, Alex Hales 99, Colin Munro 39, Sherfane Rutherford 27 not out) lost to Gulf Giants: 196 for 5 in 19.3 overs (Chris Lynn 71, Shimron Hetmyer 70, David Wiese 22 not out, Sheldon Cottrell 2 for 24)

Shimron Hetmyer

Desert Vipers vs Gulf Giants Award Winners

Player of Match ($1500): Shimron Hetmyer

DP World Smart delivery of the day ($1500): Sheldon Cottrell to Shimron Hetmyer

Fairplay News biggest hit of the match ($1500): Alex Hales' six of 95 mts.

Skytech.Net Super 4s of the match ($1500): Alex Hales (ten boundaries)

Sportsbuzz Buzzmaker of the match ($1500): Alex Hales for scoring 137 fantasy points

Green Belt Holder: Alex Hales

White Belt Holder: Sheldon Cottrell

Story first published: Monday, January 23, 2023, 9:39 [IST]
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