ILT20: Gulf Giants secure Qualifier one berth, beat Abu Dhabi Knight Riders by 3 runs

The Gulf Giants pulled off a hard-fought three-run win over the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the 28th match of International League (ILT20) season two at the Dubai International Stadium on Saturday.
GG skipper James Vince’s knock of 50 in 39 balls with five boundaries and a six, Jordan Cox’s 57 runs off 38 balls with two boundaries and four sixes, and their 103 opening partnership backed by Shimron Hetmyer’s unbeaten 39 off 27 balls with five boundaries helped them reach a total of 166 for 3 in 20 overs.
Knight Riders opener Jason Roy smashed 47 off 31 balls with five boundaries and two sixes. He put on a 50-run partnership for the second wicket off 24 balls with Joe Clarke (20) and a 51-run partnership in 38 balls for the third wicket with Alishan Sharafu (29). Laurie Evans, too, tried hard through an unbeaten 34 runs in 24 balls with three fours and a six, but that was not enough to win the match. The Giants will now take on MI Emirates in Qualifier One.
The chase was exciting with Joe Clarke, who joined Roy, hitting Muzarabani for three consecutive boundaries in the third over. Roy too opened out, hitting Gerhard Erasmus for two sixes and two boundaries and took 20 runs off the fourth over. Their 50-run partnership for the second wicket came in 23 balls before Overton had Clarke top-edge his pull to wicketkeeper Jamie Smith for 20.
Alishan Sharafu and Roy accelerated the run flow and steered the total to 100 in 10.2 overs. Their 50-run partnership came in 37 balls when Aayan Khan clean-bowled Roy, who went for a pull and missed the arm ball. Sharafu was stumped by Smith off Zuhaib Zubair for 29.
Overton removed Imad Wasim for 4, caught by Vince at mid-on when 34 runs were needed for a win in the last five overs. Chris Jordan bowled a brilliant yorker to clean bowl Fabian Allen for just seven. When 11 runs were needed off 11 balls, David Willey got run out for 11 and Jordan clean bowled Sagar Kalyan for a duck. In the last over, Narine got run out for 2 and Muzarabani gave away only seven runs to ensure the Giants’ victory.
Jamie Overton (3 for 32) and Chris Jordan (2 for 22) were great with the ball for the Gulf Giants as well.
Earlier, second-placed Gulf Giants won the toss and elected to bat against the third-placed Abu Dhabi Knight Riders. Giants skipper and consistent scorer, James Vince, escaped being caught at his score of 1 when he top-edged David Willey to Alishan Sharafu at deep point. His partner, Jordan Cox, hit a boundary and two consecutive sixes off Josh Little, and the pair put on a 50-run partnership in 5.3 overs.
Cox was the first to reach his half-century in 28 balls with two boundaries and four sixes. In the first ten overs, the Giants scored 85 runs, and the pair also posted their 100-run partnership in 11.3 overs. Vince reached his half-century in 38 balls but fell to the next delivery when Sagar Kalyan took a running and diving catch at backward square leg off Imad Wasim. Cox too fell soon, lifting Ali Khan to Little at long on.
Chris Lynn and Shimron Hetmyer, the two other fine hitters on the Giants team, came together wanting to capitalize on the good start. Ali Khan struck again to force Lynn to smash straight into the hands of Narine at covers for 6. Between the 10th and 15th overs, the Giants could only score 38 runs and lost three wickets. Hetmyer, on 17, was dropped by Jason Roy at mid-off by Little, and he, along with Jamie Smith, steered the total to the 150 mark in 18.1 overs. In the last five overs, the Giants scored 43 runs, losing only one wicket.
Brief Scores: Gulf Giants beat Abu Dhabi Knight Riders by three runs.
Gulf Giants: 166 for 3 in 20 overs (Jordan Cox 57, James Vince 50, Ali Khan 2/39) Abu Dhabi Knight Riders: 163 for 9 in 20 overs (Jason Roy 47, Laurie Evans 34*, Jamie Overton 3/32). (ANI)