138/9 (20.0)
CR : 6.90
176/4 (20.0)
CR : 8.80
Lahore Qalandars won by 38 runs 🏆
Player of the Match
Michael Bracewell
0/1946(23)*
Over 20
Desert Vipers 138/9
Vitel Lawes1(2)
Khary Pierre11(7)
Shahab Khan2-16(3.0)
LHQ won by 38 runs
11:03 PM IST and 1:33 PM Local Time: Lahore Qalandars have got their second victory on the trot. Their modus operandi has been the same. The middle overs were deftly controlled by their batters in the first innings and their spin trio proved to be extremely effective to curtail the flow of runs to decimate the opposition. This time the margin of victory is bigger as Desert Vipers fell 38 runs short.
Lahore Qalandars opted to bat first and had a jittery start. Shamyl Hussain (9) and Abdullah Shafique (8) failed again and Shayan Jahangir got a few boundaries. Jahangir played 30 balls to score just 28 and was nowhere near his fluent best. When Khary Pierre trapped him in front, the Qalandars were going below run-a-ball. Then Farhan Yousaf and Parvez Hossain Emon joined the crease at 49/3 in the 9th over and took the charge.
Yousaf and Emon saw the team to crawl to 66/3 at the halfway mark. Then they accelerated. Yousaf was playing akin to the last day but Vitel Lawes cut his stay short. He holed out to Shadab Khan scoring 22 off 17 balls. Michael Bracewell joined the Bangladeshi international then and they did not let the momentum slip. Their unbeaten 83-run stand made the differences and Qalandars got 176/4 on the board. Emon top scored for his side with his 47* off 33 hitting 3 fours and as many sixes. His skipper (46*) fell just a run short of him.
For the Desert Vipers, Khary Pierre ended with 2/14 in his 3 overs. It was surprising to see Shadab not bowling him his fourth over. Vitel Lawes (1/37) and Nathan Smith (1/43) got their names in the wicket column but both of them proved to be expensive.
Coming in pursuit of the 177-run target, Desert Vipers also had a slow start. Kyle Mayers was evidently struggling and could score just 7 in his first 16 balls. Andries Gous hit Muhammad Imran Randhawa for three boundaries in the second over and found the fluency. Mayers then hit a couple of boundaries off Ali Shabbir in the final over of the powerplay and took the score to 45 in the first 6 overs. Mayers looked better after that and welcomed Usama Mir in the attack with a maximum. But Mir had the last laugh as Mayers holed out to Farhan Yousaf at long-off scoring 30 off 28 balls. The opening partnership was of 70 runs but the Vipers would have loved if it had come with a better run rate.
Rilee Rossouw and Andries Gous then took the innings forward. Gous completed his fifty in 30 balls but slowed down afterwards. At the end of the 12th over, Vipers were 94/1. The asking rate was just over 10 and it was not an inconvenient one considering the modern T20 standards. But the conditions were conducive to turn and Usama Mir used it to perfection. Rossouw's reverse sweep found the third man fielder and the new batter Saiteja Mukkamalla missed a straighter to see his leg stump getting pegged back. The Vipers got to the team hundred next over but Shahab Khan dismissed Andries Gous. Gous failed to dispatch a full toss and found the fielder in the deep scoring 56 off 38. Bevon-John Jacobs became Mehran Mumtaz's victim in the next over. Those three overs went for just 15 and Vipers lost 4 wickets. Asking rate catapulted to 13.60 and the game went out of their hands.
Shadab Khan (13) and Vriitya Aravind (5) fell next and the Vipers lost wickets in regular intervals. Eventually they ended with 138/9. Khary Pierre hit a couple of boundaries in the penultimate over to reduce the deficit scoring an unbeaten 11.
Usama Mir was the pick of the bowlers. He took 4 wickets for 23 runs. Broke the dangerous looking opening stand, bowled the crucial 13th over that proved to be decisive and his impact was simply unmatched. Michael Bracewell, the captain of Lahore Qalandars conceded only 19 and he was instrumental in curtailing the run flow in his 4 overs. Shahab Khan (2/16) did well with the ball in his 3 overs. Imran Randhawa picked up a wicket too.
Lahore Qalandars opted to bat first and had a jittery start. Shamyl Hussain (9) and Abdullah Shafique (8) failed again and Shayan Jahangir got a few boundaries. Jahangir played 30 balls to score just 28 and was nowhere near his fluent best. When Khary Pierre trapped him in front, the Qalandars were going below run-a-ball. Then Farhan Yousaf and Parvez Hossain Emon joined the crease at 49/3 in the 9th over and took the charge.
Yousaf and Emon saw the team to crawl to 66/3 at the halfway mark. Then they accelerated. Yousaf was playing akin to the last day but Vitel Lawes cut his stay short. He holed out to Shadab Khan scoring 22 off 17 balls. Michael Bracewell joined the Bangladeshi international then and they did not let the momentum slip. Their unbeaten 83-run stand made the differences and Qalandars got 176/4 on the board. Emon top scored for his side with his 47* off 33 hitting 3 fours and as many sixes. His skipper (46*) fell just a run short of him.
For the Desert Vipers, Khary Pierre ended with 2/14 in his 3 overs. It was surprising to see Shadab not bowling him his fourth over. Vitel Lawes (1/37) and Nathan Smith (1/43) got their names in the wicket column but both of them proved to be expensive.
Coming in pursuit of the 177-run target, Desert Vipers also had a slow start. Kyle Mayers was evidently struggling and could score just 7 in his first 16 balls. Andries Gous hit Muhammad Imran Randhawa for three boundaries in the second over and found the fluency. Mayers then hit a couple of boundaries off Ali Shabbir in the final over of the powerplay and took the score to 45 in the first 6 overs. Mayers looked better after that and welcomed Usama Mir in the attack with a maximum. But Mir had the last laugh as Mayers holed out to Farhan Yousaf at long-off scoring 30 off 28 balls. The opening partnership was of 70 runs but the Vipers would have loved if it had come with a better run rate.
Rilee Rossouw and Andries Gous then took the innings forward. Gous completed his fifty in 30 balls but slowed down afterwards. At the end of the 12th over, Vipers were 94/1. The asking rate was just over 10 and it was not an inconvenient one considering the modern T20 standards. But the conditions were conducive to turn and Usama Mir used it to perfection. Rossouw's reverse sweep found the third man fielder and the new batter Saiteja Mukkamalla missed a straighter to see his leg stump getting pegged back. The Vipers got to the team hundred next over but Shahab Khan dismissed Andries Gous. Gous failed to dispatch a full toss and found the fielder in the deep scoring 56 off 38. Bevon-John Jacobs became Mehran Mumtaz's victim in the next over. Those three overs went for just 15 and Vipers lost 4 wickets. Asking rate catapulted to 13.60 and the game went out of their hands.
Shadab Khan (13) and Vriitya Aravind (5) fell next and the Vipers lost wickets in regular intervals. Eventually they ended with 138/9. Khary Pierre hit a couple of boundaries in the penultimate over to reduce the deficit scoring an unbeaten 11.
Usama Mir was the pick of the bowlers. He took 4 wickets for 23 runs. Broke the dangerous looking opening stand, bowled the crucial 13th over that proved to be decisive and his impact was simply unmatched. Michael Bracewell, the captain of Lahore Qalandars conceded only 19 and he was instrumental in curtailing the run flow in his 4 overs. Shahab Khan (2/16) did well with the ball in his 3 overs. Imran Randhawa picked up a wicket too.
Player of the Match: Michael Bracewell
Michael Bracewell (Player of the Match): (On his all-round performance) "It was a very enjoyable day. We've already played on this wicket a few times, including during the recent one-day series, so we're quite familiar with the conditions. It was nice to get back out there on a wicket we know well and contribute to the team's win.
(On his attacking innings) T20 cricket is a little different from one-day cricket. The top order did a fantastic job of setting the platform, with Emon batting beautifully and Shayan also giving us a solid start. That allowed me to come in and play the role I was selected for. It was nice to help us get what we felt was a slightly above-par total and give the bowlers enough runs to defend.
(On his spectacular catch to dismiss Aravind) I'd like to say it was all instinct! As I've gotten older, I've probably become a bit more willing to dive around the field. I saw the ball pretty well, stuck my hand out, and fortunately it stayed in my hand. It was nice that it came off.
(On contributing in all three departments) It was pleasing to be able to contribute with the bat, the ball, and in the field. Days like these don't come around too often, so it's always satisfying when everything comes together, and you can help the team put in a complete performance."
(On his attacking innings) T20 cricket is a little different from one-day cricket. The top order did a fantastic job of setting the platform, with Emon batting beautifully and Shayan also giving us a solid start. That allowed me to come in and play the role I was selected for. It was nice to help us get what we felt was a slightly above-par total and give the bowlers enough runs to defend.
(On his spectacular catch to dismiss Aravind) I'd like to say it was all instinct! As I've gotten older, I've probably become a bit more willing to dive around the field. I saw the ball pretty well, stuck my hand out, and fortunately it stayed in my hand. It was nice that it came off.
(On contributing in all three departments) It was pleasing to be able to contribute with the bat, the ball, and in the field. Days like these don't come around too often, so it's always satisfying when everything comes together, and you can help the team put in a complete performance."
Shadab Khan (Desert Vipers Captain): "(Where do you think you lost the game?) I think in the first innings, we gave away 20 runs more which is costly in this surface. In the last five overs, we gave away around 70 runs. In this surface, that is too much.
(What are the learnings?) From the fielding point of view, we will have to be more energized. I think sometime when you play your first game and do not play together a lot, the first game becomes hard. Our team is good and it will be good if we play as per our potential.
(How difficult was hitting boundaries at the backend of the innings?) I think it is the third game on this deck and the ball condition was too soft. Sometimes it gets hard to hit and they bowled well.
(Your view on the next match against Guyana Amazon Warriors) It is always exciting to play against the home team. They have advantage and disadvantage at the same time. They will have an extra burden of pressure in front of the home crowd. Looking forward to it."
(What are the learnings?) From the fielding point of view, we will have to be more energized. I think sometime when you play your first game and do not play together a lot, the first game becomes hard. Our team is good and it will be good if we play as per our potential.
(How difficult was hitting boundaries at the backend of the innings?) I think it is the third game on this deck and the ball condition was too soft. Sometimes it gets hard to hit and they bowled well.
(Your view on the next match against Guyana Amazon Warriors) It is always exciting to play against the home team. They have advantage and disadvantage at the same time. They will have an extra burden of pressure in front of the home crowd. Looking forward to it."
Michael Bracewell (Lahore Qalandars Captain): (On the team's back-to-back victories) "It was a really pleasing win. We put in a strong performance yesterday, and it's never easy to come back and play another day's game straight away. The energy and intensity the boys showed throughout the match were outstanding, and that's what pleased me the most.
(On keeping the team grounded despite two wins) It's always a challenge when you're winning because you want to avoid becoming complacent. The key is to keep doing the things we've been doing well. Once again, our top order gave us a great start, which allowed the middle order to add some impetus. When we posted that total, we knew that if we stayed patient with the ball, the opposition would eventually have to take risks, and that's exactly what happened.
(On the fast bowlers' success in Guyana) I don't want to give too much away, but we've tried to keep things simple and make good use of the variable bounce here in Guyana. Bowling hard lengths can be very effective on these pitches. Batters will play some good shots, but if you keep your nerve and consistently hit the right areas, eventually you'll get one to behave differently and create wicket-taking opportunities.
(On Usama Mir's performance) Usama bowled beautifully today and picked up some really important wickets through the middle overs. I've admired him for a few years now. He spins the ball hard, bowls with a big heart, and that's a huge asset for any bowling attack. He's a very important part of our unit, and it's great to see him performing so well."
(On keeping the team grounded despite two wins) It's always a challenge when you're winning because you want to avoid becoming complacent. The key is to keep doing the things we've been doing well. Once again, our top order gave us a great start, which allowed the middle order to add some impetus. When we posted that total, we knew that if we stayed patient with the ball, the opposition would eventually have to take risks, and that's exactly what happened.
(On the fast bowlers' success in Guyana) I don't want to give too much away, but we've tried to keep things simple and make good use of the variable bounce here in Guyana. Bowling hard lengths can be very effective on these pitches. Batters will play some good shots, but if you keep your nerve and consistently hit the right areas, eventually you'll get one to behave differently and create wicket-taking opportunities.
(On Usama Mir's performance) Usama bowled beautifully today and picked up some really important wickets through the middle overs. I've admired him for a few years now. He spins the ball hard, bowls with a big heart, and that's a huge asset for any bowling attack. He's a very important part of our unit, and it's great to see him performing so well."
Time for us to wrap up our coverage from the third game of the Global Super League. Lahore Qalandars have got a dream start to the tournament winning both of their games. Now the Desert Vipers will seek redemption ahead of their next game.
We will come back again tomorrow in the evening. On the 26th July, the Vipers will face the Guyana Amazon Warriors (The first ball will be bowled on 25th July at 7:30 PM as per the local time). Do join us for the live coverage of that game.
Until then, this is Saptak Sanyal signing off on behalf of my co-commentators Dev Rajawat and Arijit Kundu and the scorer/analyst Manish Bishnoi. Good night.
We will come back again tomorrow in the evening. On the 26th July, the Vipers will face the Guyana Amazon Warriors (The first ball will be bowled on 25th July at 7:30 PM as per the local time). Do join us for the live coverage of that game.
Until then, this is Saptak Sanyal signing off on behalf of my co-commentators Dev Rajawat and Arijit Kundu and the scorer/analyst Manish Bishnoi. Good night.