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ILT20: Gulf Giants hope to keep the momentum going

Alsop's unbeaten 85 off 60 balls helped Gulf Giants chase down the 172-run target with three balls to spare

Published: Mon 27 Jan 2025, 9:01 PM

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Tom Alsop of Gulf Giants plays a shot during the match against Sharjah Warriorz. — Supplied photo

Tom Alsop of Gulf Giants plays a shot during the match against Sharjah Warriorz. — Supplied photo

Inspired by their thrilling six-wicket win against the Sharjah Warriorz, man-of-the-match Tom Alsop hopes will build on the emphatic display to push for a playoff spot in the ILT20.

Alsop’s unbeaten 85 off 60 balls helped Gulf Giants chase down the 172-run target with three balls to spare.


“It was pleasing (to get the team over the line). I think the situation dictated the way things panned out. We obviously wanted to try and get some partnerships going and then unfortunately, we lost a few wickets in clusters in that middle period. It was my responsibility to see it through. Happy that we got the win,” he said.

After winning the toss, the Gulf Giants opted to bowl first, restricting the Sharjah Warriorz to a total of 171/6, courtesy a splendid bowling performance from Blessing Muzarabani.

The tall fast bowler from Zimbabwe bagged figures of 3/32 and he was well supported by Mark Adair and Daniel Worrall, who finished with figures of 1/25 and 1/32 respectively.

Speaking on his team’s performance, Alsop said, “We chose to bowl first and our bowlers pulled things back after the powerplay brilliantly. In the second innings, we saw that there’s very little margin for error for the bowlers and the dew started to come down, so they were drying the ball a lot. It was obviously very tricky bowling conditions, and it was a bit easier to try and chase.”

Gulf Giants's second consecutive win gave the team significant boost towards their quest for the playoffs.

“It will help us massively. We had a gritty game against MI Emirates the other night, and we managed to come out on the right side of that and we just talked about trying to use that momentum. We brought that momentum here got the win. So, we’ll try and keep that going,” he said.

This is Alsop’s first taste of the ILT20, and he credited the league for the high standards it has set across UAE.

“It’s my first time here. I’ve looked at the league and now experiencing it, the standard is unbelievably high. Last night, we were playing against the best T20 batter in the world, the best spin bowler in the world. So, the competition itself and the standard is fantastic,” he said.

Gulf Giants will take on the table toppers Desert Vipers in their next match on January 29 at Dubai International Cricket Stadium.



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