ILT20: Hasaranga, Holden help Desert Vipers beat Gulf Giants

Khaleej Times

29-01-2025

Wanindu Hasaranga (4-0-10-3) delivered a magical spell of spin bowling and Max Holden scored a fantastic half-century to help Desert Vipers beat Gulf Giants by five wickets in the ILT20 at Dubai International Stadium on Wednesday.
Hasaranga was well supported by Sam Curran (4-0-28-3) as the Vipers, who have already qualified for the playoffs, restricted the Giants to 129/8 in 20 overs.
If not for Tom Curran's magnificent 64 not out off 34 balls, the Giants, who had lost eight wickets for just 61 runs, would have been bowled out for less than 100.
But Curran shared a 68-run partnership for the ninth wicket with UAE all-rounder Aayan Afzal Khan (6 not out) to give some respectability to the Giants total.
In reply, Desert Vipers reached home in 19 overs losing five wickets. It was a tricky chase but Holden (70 not out off 54 balls) held his nerve to drag the Vipers over the line for their seventh win in nine matches.
Blessing Muzarabani (4-0-25-3) took three wickets for the Giants.
With the impressive win, the Vipers cemented a top-two finish which means they will get two chances to qualify for the final.
Hasaranga, who was named player of the match, was delighted with his performance.
'I tried to stick to my basics and the wrong ones, that's my plan for success. I love to bowl here, even in the Asia Cup as well I took wickets," said the Sri Lankan spinner who dismissed Gulf Giants' Tom Alsop, Jordan Cox and Chris Jordan on Wednesday.
"The fast bowlers did a great job, and the batters did their jobs, so as a team we have done our things well.'
Meanwhile, Gulf Giants captain James Vince rued the team's poor batting performance.
'It wasn't a great performance with the bat. 130 was always tough to defend," he said.
"The first 10 overs of the batting innings put us on the back foot. At one stage we were looking at less than 100, until Tom Curran and Aayan's partnership gave us some relief. We fought well with the ball and took it as far as we could but a little short with the bat.'
Brief Scores:
Desert Vipers beat Gulf Giants by five wickets
Gulf Giants 129/8 in 20 overs (Tom Curran 64 not out, Tom Alsop 17, James Vince 15, Wanindu Hasaranga 3 for 10, Sam Curran 3 for 28, Khuzaima Tanveer 1 for 12)
Desert Vipers 130/5 in 19 overs (Max Holden 70 not out, Sam Curran 16, Fakhar Zaman 14, Blessing Muzarabani 3 for 35)