Alex Hales’ 99 went in vain as the Vipers suffered their first loss of the season.

Desert Viperssuffered their first loss inILT20 Leagueafter succumbing to a five-wicket loss against Gulf Giants at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday. Alex Hales’ 99 went in vain as the Giants’ Chris Lynn and Shimron Hetmyer made 71 and 70 respectively to get their team over the finish line.

Defending a target of 196,Sheldon Cottrellknew what was required when he opened the bowling for Vipers and dismissed Giants’ skipper James Vince for four runs in the first over itself.

While the Giants’ new batter Chris Lynn played cautiously, their other opener Tom Banton was caught out off a Tom Curran delivery in the fourth over. Rehan Ahmed was next to return to the dugout for the Giants after he stepped out of his crease and was stumped bySam Billingsat the start of the fifth over.

Shimron Hetmyer could have also been dismissed by the Vipers on the penultimate ball of the powerplay but a dropped catch gave him a lifeline. Hetmyer cashed in on the dropped catch by striking three successive sixes in the next over.

Hetmyer continued to take the attack to the bowlers with his aggressive batting approach and Chris Lynn also played his part as he began to show his range of shots. They brought up their 50-run partnership in the ninth over.

Lynn then showed no signs of slowing down as he hit boundaries in the 10th over and brought up his fifty in the next over. Hetmyer soon followed suit as he celebrated his fifty off 26 balls in the 12th over.

Things got heated up as Lynn and Hetmyer continued to punish Vipers’ bowlers, until Cottrell broke the partnership in the 14th over by dismissing Hetmyer for 70 off 35.

The Giants needed 35 off 24 from the last four overs whenGus Atkinsontook out Chris Lynn after he made 71 off 42. An enthralling 19th over saw David Wiese and Liam Dawson take control of the match as they combined to smash three fours, leaving only three runs required in the final over of the match.

The final over of the match saw Wiese and Dawson reach the target in singles with three balls to spare.Earlier,Alex HalesandRohan Mustafawasted no time as they opened the innings for Desert Vipers with a flurry of fours in the first few overs until Hales further accelerated the innings by hitting a few sixes.

Hales and Mustafa had scored 48 and 13 respectively by the end of the powerplay, with the Vipers’ score reading 62/0. Unfortunately, Mustafa’s stay in the middle came to an end in the seventh over as he got stumped and was dismissed for 23.

At the other end, Hales continued his fine form and brought up his fifty off 26 balls at the beginning of the eighth over. The Vipers’ skipperColin Munro, who had joined Hales in the middle after Mustafa’s dismissal, quickly got his eye in and continued his solid form that saw him score a fifty in the last match.

Hales, meanwhile, nearly walked back to the dugout in the 14th over after a Richard Gleeson yorker brought the opener to his knees but couldn’t quite dismiss him. However, the same over witnessed Gleeson get the wicket of Munro after the Vipers’ skipper was caught at deep mid wicket.

Hales responded by hitting two well-executed sixes in the 15th over, whileSherfane Rutherford, who had joined the Englishman at the crease, also struck a maximum at the start of the 16th over.

The following over saw Hales hit two fours and move to 99. However, just when it looked like the Englishman was about to score back-to-back hundreds in the ILT20 League, Hales was caught at the fence and fell heartbreakingly short of another ton.

The next batter for the VipersTom Curranwalked back after just two balls as David Wiese’s yorker got the better of him. Sherfane Rutherford then rallied and struck two fours as well as a six in the final few overs of the innings as the Vipers finished on 195/4 at the end of their quota of 20 overs.

Brief Scores:Desert Vipers 195/4 in 20 overs (A Hales 99, C Munro 39; R Gleeson 1/19) lost to Gulf Giants 196/5 in 19.3 overs (C Lynn 71, S Hetmyer 70; S Cottrell 2/24)

England left-arm fast bowler Luke Wood has been drafted into the Desert Vipers squad for the DP World ILT20.

Wood, 27, comes in as a replacement for fellow England fast bowler Tymal Mills, who has been ruled out of the tournament after sustaining a toe injury during the Desert Vipers’ victory in its opening match against the Sharjah Warriors on Sunday, January 15.Wood is currently in action for the Melbourne Stars and is expected to arrive in Dubai on the 26th of January, in time for the team’s match against the Dubai Capitals on Saturday, January 28, at the Dubai International Stadium.Wood was drafted into the England squad last year and played two T20 Internationals against Pakistan in Pakistan ahead of the Men’s T20 World Cup. He also made his One-Day International debut in Australia in November 2022.On the domestic front, Wood had a successful run in The Hundred last year with the champion team the Trent Rockets and was the third-highest wicket-taker for the team that also included Desert Vipers captain Colin Munro and opening batter Alex Hales.Currently playing for the Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League in Australia, Wood has taken 17 wickets in 12 games played so far, and he is currently his side’s leading wicket-taker in the competition.Explaining the departure of Tymal Mills from the squad, Desert Vipers Director of Cricket Tom Moody said: “Unfortunately for Tymal he has had a recurrence of a troubled toe, that he has had issues with over the last twelve months.“It is not a major injury for him, but it is enough for him and for us to take serious consideration about his own welfare and recovery of that toe.“From a team perspective (for us) it is important to have a fully fit squad. We know we have a lot of back-to-back cricket coming up and there is going to be a lot of pressure, particularly on our bowling unit.“We need to make sure that we have fit and available players. So, unfortunately, Tymal is not going to be available for the rest of the tournament. It is a huge loss because he is a high-quality bowler and a great character to have around the group. He has already had a huge impact on the bowling unit and the team. It is sad to see his situation, but we certainly hope he has a speedy recovery, and that toe issue is something of the past when it is seen by the specialist.”Moody added the team was glad to welcome left-arm pace bowler Luke Wood as Mills’ replacement: “Luke Wood is coming off some good form in the Big Bash League so that is a great win for us.“Luke has got great around skills and has had a terrific twelve months in short form cricket in The Hundred and representing England, and he has done well in the Big Bash League.“He swings the ball early on and we have seen the conditions here in the UAE where the ball is swinging around, and he will relish the opportunity to get the new ball into his hands.“Importantly for us, we are bringing in a form player who is hungry to take on these new opportunities.“

Desert Vipers clinched their second win over Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in a matter of days.

Unbeaten Desert Vipers performed exceedingly well with both bat and ball to win their third match in a row by claiming a 111-run victory against Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the ILT20 on Friday.

Alex Hales notched up the first hundred of the tournament and skipper Colin Munro played a good supporting role with his 56 off 41 in the first innings, while Sheldon Cottrell brought out one celebration after the other courtesy his three-wicket haul, to beat Abu Dhabi Knight Riders again after their last encounter two days ago.

After being asked to bat first, Vipers began the innings with a bang as Rohan Mustafa smacked two fours in the first over, but Andre Russell had the last laugh as he dismissed the opener for eight runs after five balls.

The Knight Riders held their heads in despair as Brandon King missed a catch to dismiss Munro in the third over. A misfield by Andre Russell soon after cost them another two runs.

Skipper Colin Munro and Alex Hales did most of the job for Vipers in the first innings as the duo comfortably hit boundaries enroute 150-plus partnership at the start of the 16th over.

Hales soon brought up his century with a single, while skipper Munro brought it up with a sensational six to wrap up the over. The English star brought up his 100 in 52 balls and it was the first ton in the tournament.

The partnership came to an end as Munro departed in the 17th over for 56 off 41. Sherfane Rutherford came in next to smack two sixes and a four off Matiullah Khan. However, Rutherford’s innings came to an unfortunate end in the next over as Dhananjaya de Silva caught him off Lahiru Kumara.

Hales was dismissed on the last ball of the innings as he got run out and the innings ended on 219/ 4.

In response, the Knight Riders seemed to be under pressure as they lost Brandon King and Kennar Lewis in the first and third overs respectively. To make things worse, Colin Ingram walked back at the end of the fourth over and Charith Asalanka in the fifth. Sheldon Cottrell soon got his third wicket as Dhananjaya de Silva departed with 12 off 12.

Wanindu Hasaranga sent back Zawar Farid and opposition skipper Sunil Narine. Their misery got worse as Benny Howell contributed to dismiss Akeal Hosein in the 14th over. However, one person that attempted to hold the fort in the middle of all this disruption was power-hitter Andre Russell, who displayed a brave face and tried to change the complexion of the contest.

That said, Shiraz Ahmed brought out the shooting arrow celebration in the 15th over as Russell was sent back for 57 off 29. Howell ended the innings early for the Knight Riders with an lbw on Matiullah Khan.

The Vipers defeated the Knight Riders by 111 runs to clinch their third victory in the tournament and climb to the top of the table with six points after three wins.Brief Scores:Desert Vipers 219/4 in 20 overs (A Hales 110, C Munro 56; L Kumara 2/31) defeated Abu Dhabi Knight Riders 108 in 15.1 overs (A Russell 57, Dhananjaya de Silva 12; S Cottrell 3/14)