Friday's draw for the May 20-June 11 competition was scrapped by FIFA following protests over Israel's involvement in the 24-team event
Aggressive knocks from Chris Lynn and Shimron Hetmyer helped Gulf Giants chase down Desert Vipers’ mammoth score of 195 for 4 to extend their winning streak in the 12th match of the DP World International League T20 at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday.
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.
“We have to remember what we are doing well and continue to keep doing that in the future," Hetmyer said.
"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 praises the rival bowlers after the match.
“The Gulf 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," Foster said.
"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.”
Brief scores:
Gulf Giants beat Desert Vipers by five wickets.
Desert Vipers 195 for 4 in 20 overs (Rohan Mustafa 23, Alex Hales 99, Colin Munro 39, Sherfane Rutherford 27 not out)
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)
Player of Match: Shimron Hetmyer
Today's match
Gulf Giants vs Sharjah Warriors
Dubai International Stadium
6 pm UAE Time
Friday's draw for the May 20-June 11 competition was scrapped by FIFA following protests over Israel's involvement in the 24-team event
The 16th edition also returns to its pre-Covid glory days, with 74 matches scheduled at 12 venues over eight weeks
Scott McTominay the hero as Scotland beats Spain 2-0
The regulation will allow a substitute to come in to bat and bowl, but he can only be an Indian unless there are fewer than four overseas players in a team
The Tournament is the biggest event of its kind in terms of participation and has been held every year in the Holy Month of Ramadan since 2013 at the iconic Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex
Sethi struck 60, while Sharma took 3-20
Although the Dutch won 3-0 at the Feyenoord Stadium, with two goals from defender Nathan Ake, the coach made no effort to hide his dissatisfaction
The former Germany and U.S. coach was appointed last month and his first match in charge was a 2-2 home draw with Colombia on Friday