163/9 (20.0)
CR : 8.15
174/6 (20.0)
CR : 8.70
Sharjah Warriorz won by 11 runs 🏆
Player of the Match
Matheesha Pathirana
3/19
SW won by 11 runs
11:37 PM IST, 10:07 PM Local Time | Sharjah Warriorz defend their total successfully to take the victory at home! They defeat the Gulf Giants by 11 runs to go level with MI Emirates and Dubai Capitals on the points table!
Gulf Giants won the toss and elected to field first! Fred Klaasen dismissed TKC for 6 on his debut and gave the Giants the perfect start, but Sharjah Warriorz were not to back down, as Tom Abell led the charge with a scintillating 41-ball 68, and with the support of James Rew (39), and a late innings charge from Dwaine Pretorius (28), the Warriorz were able to establish a competitive score of 174/6 at the end of their 20 overs.
Chris Wood was in form today with 2/26 from 4 overs for the Giants. With Forde, Khan and Klaasen picking up a solitary wicket each.
Come the chase, the Warriorz would've been fearful of the batting prowess of the Giants. With Gurbaz and Nissanka at the helm, the Warriorz flipped the script when Wasim Akram, Taskin Ahmed, and Matheesha Pathirana combined to reduce the Giants to 38/4 after 4.3 overs, out of which Gurbaz had scored 30 runs off 15 balls. Nissanka (3), Vince (0), and Mayers (0) failed to leave any impact on the chase.
Post the powerplay, the partnership of Moeen Ali and Azmatullah Omarzai entered a period of consolidation, and after finding their feet, dragged their team back into the game by adding 79 runs for the 5th wicket. However, Wasim Akram grabbed the wicket of Omarzai for 41 runs, and that paved the way to close out the game.
Moeen Ali labored until the end of the 18th over to score 45 runs off 41 balls, which is when Pathirana claimed the prized wicket to put the match firmly in the Warriorz' hands. The tail-enders tried their best, but it was too much for them as the Giants fell short of their target.
Matheesha Pathirana's 3/19 and Wasim Akram's 3/34 won the match for Sharjah Warriorz. As Dwaine Pretorius (2/35), and Taskin Ahmed (1/34) made handy contributions to round up a solid bowling performance from the Warriorz.
An all-round performance by the Warriorz, where they outclassed the Giants in all 3 departments of the game. Gulf Giants remain second in the table with 6 points, but now have 3 teams breathing down their neck for a spot in the playoffs.Matheesha Pathirana's 3/19 and Wasim Akram's 3/34 won the match for Sharjah Warriorz. As Dwaine Pretorius (2/35), and Taskin Ahmed (1/34) made handy contributions to round up a solid bowling performance from the Warriorz.
Time for the post-match presentation ceremony..
Dispatch of the Day: James Rew (for his reverse six off Aayan Khan)
James Vince (Gulf Giants Captain): "Moeen and Azmat made a good partnership rebuilding and halfway we were very happy with the total we had to chase. A slow wicket but it was pretty true. I think the way Abell and Rew went was really good. Losing four wickets in the powerplay makes the going difficult.
In the last few games we have lost the early wickets and failed to recover from that. We did recover a bit tonight but it was not enough. I think having a good balance between defence and attack is needed. But again it becomes a bit tricky when you lose the early wickets."
In the last few games we have lost the early wickets and failed to recover from that. We did recover a bit tonight but it was not enough. I think having a good balance between defence and attack is needed. But again it becomes a bit tricky when you lose the early wickets."
Sikandar Raza (Sharjah Warriorz Captain): "As I said in the last game, we kept coming close to winning, and we needed to do the small things well. ILT20 is a tournament where the team can lose 3 at the start and go on to win 5 in a row. We just need to keep our mindset right.
Even though I batted for a little while, even the other boys said the ball didn't come on well. The important thing here is the power play; if we can score runs and bowl well with the new ball, we can win a lot of games. [On Pathirana] I keep asking him to bowl the tough overs, and he keeps standing up for us.
Taskin bowled really well, because in the first over, we set the field, and the catch went down. But he came back well to close out the power play. Wasim was incredible, and Pathi was fantastic as well.
[On withdrawing the appeal of Vince] Vince is a gentleman of the game, and we did not think that was the right thing to do."
Even though I batted for a little while, even the other boys said the ball didn't come on well. The important thing here is the power play; if we can score runs and bowl well with the new ball, we can win a lot of games. [On Pathirana] I keep asking him to bowl the tough overs, and he keeps standing up for us.
Taskin bowled really well, because in the first over, we set the field, and the catch went down. But he came back well to close out the power play. Wasim was incredible, and Pathi was fantastic as well.
[On withdrawing the appeal of Vince] Vince is a gentleman of the game, and we did not think that was the right thing to do."
Player of the Match: Matheesha Pathirana
Matheesha Pathirana (Player of the Match): "First of all I want to tell that I am getting this feel after completely one year. I struggled a lot in the last few months. But I think I have to improve a lot as I am not in my full rhythm. Also today's game was a happy thing for me. I hope this will boost my confidence in the future.
(On Sri Lankan cricketers performing well) It is a good point for us. Because we have world cup in next few months. We are playing in our home conditions as well. I think this is a good point for us.
(On warming-up separately during innings break) I am doing my things. Just calming myself."
(On Sri Lankan cricketers performing well) It is a good point for us. Because we have world cup in next few months. We are playing in our home conditions as well. I think this is a good point for us.
(On warming-up separately during innings break) I am doing my things. Just calming myself."
That's it from today, folks, in the ILT20! Join us back tomorrow as we continue to bring you the LIVE ball-by-ball action from around the cricketing world!
Until then, I am Anirudh Modi, signing off along with colleagues Saptak Sanyal, Dev Rajawat, and Yogesh Kumar! See you at the next one.
Until then, I am Anirudh Modi, signing off along with colleagues Saptak Sanyal, Dev Rajawat, and Yogesh Kumar! See you at the next one.