The Desert Vipers maintained their winning start to this season’s DP World ILT20 with a fifth victory in five starts, this time against the Gulf Giants, with an eight-wicket win at the Dubai International Stadium on Friday night.
Player of the match Khuzaima Bin Tanveer ripped a hole in the Giants’ top-order with a sensational new-ball spell, capturing four for 10.
And although the Giants rallied through Asif Khan (36 not out) and Liam Dawson (38 not out from 14 balls), their final total of 157 for seven proved comfortably within the Vipers’ range.
Max Holden, opening in place of the injured Andries Gous, made an unbeaten 64 from only 41 balls, and he shared a superb, unbroken stand of 123 for the third wicket with Sam Curran (67 not out from 43 balls) as the team eased home with 19 balls in hand.
The Vipers are now four points clear of the second-placed Giants in the league table and are next in action on Sunday the 14th of December, again at the Dubai International Stadium, when they face the Dubai Capitals, starting at 6.30pm.
That game is the Vipers’ Sustainability Match when they seek to shine a light on green issues.
Match Scores:
Toss: Desert Vipers
Gulf Giants: 157/7(20 overs)
Top scorer: Liam Dawson 38 not out (14 balls);
Khuzaima Bin Tanveer four for 10.
Desert Vipers: 1658/2 (16.5 overs)
Top scorers: Sam Curran 67 not out (43) and Max Holden 64 not out (41 balls).
Match Result: Desert Vipers won by 8 wickets
Player of the Match: Khuzaima Bin Tanveer
Here are some quotes from the Vipers Voices post-match vodcast and podcast featuring Desert Vipers top order batter Max Holden:
On scoring his first fifty of this season’s tournament:
“I was really pleased to contribute. I got a few in the MI Emirates game, (but was) obviously dismissed in interesting circumstances (when I was retired out for 42).
“I had a couple of days to digest what went on and refocus myself and I was really pleased (with how I played tonight). I found a bit more rhythm out there tonight and I was pleased to be able to see the job home and be there at the end.”
On batting with Sam Curran:
“He is obviously a great guy to bat with. He has a lot of experience and we have played a fair amount of cricket together, being the same age, growing up playing each other quite a lot and playing a bit of (England) under-19s together so we have known each other for quite a long time.
“I have played against him loads of times when he has played for Surrey and I have seen him play innings like that a fair few times in The Hundred and in the T20 Blast back home.
“It was great to be at the other end this time. He is really cool and composed, he knows exactly what he is doing, he waits for his match-up (such as when he hit three sixes off Liam Dawson) and when it is his time then he can take a bowler down.
“It was great to be at the other end and it was nice that we managed to see the job home together.”
On Khuzaima Bin Tanveer:
“He was fantastic. He has been superb all tournament so far with bat and ball. He is someone who stands up time and time again and tonight that was as good as it gets really, he did not really seem to miss his mark.
“He was steaming in and the other guys were backing him up as well, so it was a fantastic first ten overs. Maybe we did not quite finish the job as we would have liked, but sometimes that is the way it goes, and the opposition are allowed to play well as well.
“I think the way we chased the runs showed it was a good wicket and, thanks to ‘Khuzzy’ we did a lot of the hard work early on in that bowling innings to restrict them to a very chaseable target.”
On a perfect start to the tournament with five wins from five matches:
“We are a very experienced team and we know what we want to achieve. We have been setting out like all the other teams to win the tournament but it is obviously too early to think about that.
“There are still five more group games and we will be just be doing what we have done all tournament, which is take each game as it comes.
“We will prepare well for the Dubai Capitals next up and focus as hard as we can on each game. We have got a really good, well-rounded squad so hopefully guys at different points keep sticking their hands up.
“We will keep striving to improve. We have experienced players who set high standards and we will keep demanding more individually and as a team. We are still a long way from our goal and we will keep working to achieve it.”
The Desert Vipers next play the Dubai Capitals in the annual Sustainability Match on Sunday, December the 14th, at the Dubai International Stadium starting at 6:30 pm.
