Twin fifties from Azam Khan and Colin Munro along with an impressive bowling performance helped Desert Vipers beat defending champions Gulf Giants by six wickets in their seventh match of the ILT20 2024 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Saturday, February 3.
The Vipers rode on scintillating fifties from Munro (51) and Azam (50*) to chase down 161 with 19 balls to spare. Previously, Mohammad Amir bagged three wickets while Wanindu Hasaranga and Matheesha Pathirana picked two wickets each to restrict the Giants to 160/7 in their 20 overs.
Earlier on Saturday, Desert Vipers wore green jerseys as part of the franchise’s 'Go Green' campaign in the special ‘Sustainability’ match showcasing the Vipers’ commitment to a sustainable future and helping the team raise awareness about adopting eco-friendly habits.
The Vipers’ captain Colin Munro won the toss and opted to field first.
Star pacer Mohammad Amir got the Vipers off to a brilliant start as he dismissed opposition captain James Vince in the very first over of the game.
Chris Lynn joined wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith at the crease for the Giants. The pair stitched a 41-run stand before Matheesha Pathirana removed Smith for 15.
In the eighth over, leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga joined the party as he got the massive wicket of Lynn (31) to reduce the Giants to 46/3.
Having restricted the run-scoring in the next few overs, Hasaranga inflicted more misery as he got rid of Usman Khan (10) in the 12th over.
At the other end, Jordan Cox played a few shots before he fell to Amir for an 18-ball 26.
Struggling at 91/5, Gerhard Erasmus and Shimron Hetmyer added 23 runs for the sixth wicket before Pathirana cleaned up Erasmus for 18.
In the final few overs, Hetmyer’s late cameo of an unbeaten 40 off 23 balls powered the Giants to 160/7 in their allotted overs.
For the Vipers, Mohammad Amir was the wrecker-in-chief as he picked three wickets for 34 runs.
Chasing 161, Rohan Mustafa and Alex Hales forged a decent 23-run opening stand before Mustafa fell to Carlos Brathwaite in the fourth over.
Following Mustafa’s dismissal, Hales and skipper Munro produced some counter-attacking cricket to put the pressure back on the bowlers.
Meanwhile, Hales played some exquisite shots before he departed for a well-made 44 in the 11th over. His blitzkrieg knock included four fours and two maximums.
In the same over, the Vipers then lost Hasaranga (1) to Zuhaib Zubair.
With the score reading 79/3, Azam Khan walked out to bat and clobbered Zubair straight down the ground for a six.
He continued his attacking approach as the Vipers brought up their hundred in the 14th over.
In the next over, Azam later hammered Brathwaite for back-to-back sixes and followed it up with two boundaries to accumulate 22 runs in the over.
Meanwhile, Munro smashed Zubair for two sixes and as many fours to notch up his well-deserved fifty in the 16th over.
Azam then slammed Zubair for another boundary in the same over to record the fastest fifty in the ILT20 history. He scored his half-century off just 18 balls.
While Munro later departed for a 36-ball 51, Azam guided the Vipers to a comprehensive win in Dubai.
With the morale-boosting win, the Vipers jumped to third in the ILT20 2024 standings with six points from seven matches.
Last season’s finalists will look to continue their winning momentum when they square off against MI Emirates at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, February 4.
Brief Scores
Gulf Giants 160/7 in 20 overs (Shimron Hetmyer 40*, Chris Lynn 31, Mohammad Amir 3/34) lost to Desert Vipers 161/4 in 16.5 overs (Colin Munro 51, Azam Khan 50*, Zuhaib Zubair 2/49) by six wickets
