Match 10, , January 18, 2025, 07:30 PM
Dubai Capitals
165/7(20.0ov)
Gulf Giants
168/4(18.1ov)
Gulf Giants beat Dubai Capitals by 6 wickets
GG 100%
Tie 0%
DC 0%
Batsmen
R
B
4S
6S
SR
Bowler
O
R
W
Econ
Man of the Match
Gerhard Erasmus
Commentry
Right then, that is it from this exciting game where Gulf Giants open their account for the season while Dubai Capitals will need to come back stronger in the next one. However, it's Super Sunday in the International League T20 2025 on 19th January. Firstly, Sharjah Warriors will battle it out against MI Emirates at 3.30 pm IST (10 am GMT). Then Gulf Giants will be back in action as they take on Abu Dhabi Knight Riders at 7.30 pm IST (2 pm GMT), but as you know, you can always join us early for all the build-up to both matches. Until then, cheers and goodbye!
Gerhard Erasmus is the PLAYER OF THE MATCH for his crucial half-century. He says that he has played a fair amount of cricket towards the end of the last year and also played a couple of warm-up games, which is nice for the setup. Mentions that with the wind option here, you tend to have a lot of options throughout the innings. Further mentions that in a professional setup, there wasn't much tense energy but a lot more positive energy to get the first win. Concludes by saying that he is lucky to be on the field and grateful to contribute to the team.
James Vince, the victorious skipper of Gulf Giants says that it was not a great start to the season but he is happy that they are on the board now. Adds that it was a tricky chase, but the batters had a good understanding and executed it well. Mentions that they bowled well to restrict their opponents to 165. Ends by saying that Gerhard Erasmus and Shimron Hetmyer's big hits towards the end calmed the nerves as they got the jobe done comfortably in the end.
Sikandar Raza, the captain of Dubai Capitals says that the wicket was more like a Sharjah wicket, and after the innings, he thought that the Giants would have to bat well to chase here. Mentions that the way those batters were batting, even 170 looked wouldn't have been enough looking in hindsight. Adds that the beauty of the tournament is that anybody can beat anybody here and beating the table leaders will give us a lot of confidence in the next game, he concluded.
Presentation Time...
The Dubai Capitals put in a spirited effort, but their fielding woes resurfaced. They managed to claim two wickets in the Powerplay but failed to maintain the pressure. While Sikandar Raza, Gulbadin Naib, and Scott Kuggeleijn were relatively economical, the rest of the bowlers leaked runs. Gulbadin’s costly drop of Shimron Hetmyer on 5 proved to be a turning point in the game as they suffered back-to-back defeats.
Earlier in the game, Dubai Capitals put up a decent total on the board, though they would have hoped for more. Several batters got starts but failed to capitalize, with Dasun Shanaka top-scoring with a quickfire 33 off 20 balls. For Gulf Giants, Mark Adair and Aayan Khan claimed two wickets each, while the rest of the bowlers contributed effectively. A special mention goes to Blessing Muzarabani, who was exceptionally economical and even bowled a rare maiden over in a T20 match.
Despite a couple of early setbacks, Gulf Giants got off to a strong start, thanks to Impact Player Adam Lyth, who provided a solid boost at the top. Jordan Cox carried the momentum forward but couldn’t stay at the crease for long. From there, it was all about the 80-run partnership between Shimron Hetmyer and Gerhard Erasmus. The latter took charge with a well-crafted half-century, while both showcased composure, avoiding unnecessary risks. Together, they sealed the win with 11 balls to spare, with Hetmyer finishing unbeaten on a blazing 41 off just 20 deliveries.
The Gulf Giants are back on track in ILT20 2025! After two back-to-back losses, they have delivered a stellar all-round performance to maintain their perfect group-stage record against the Dubai Capitals. With this win, the Giants jump to fourth place while the Capitals go bottom of the table due to their NRR.
In over# 19
6
Obed McCoy 36/1(3.1)
18.1
6
SIX! OH MY WORD! That has been sent into the stars by Shimron Hetmyer and that is that for the chase! Goes full and on the stumps. Shimron Hetmyer shimmies down the track, swings hard through the line, and absolutely muscles it over the cow corner fence for a biggie. It is 114 meters big, to be exact! The Gulf Giants chase it down with 11 balls to spare.
In over# 18
1
4
0
1
4
4
Scott Kuggeleijn 35/1(4)
17.6
1
Full and on the off stump. Shimron Hetmyer swings hard through the line towards long on which goes on the bounce for a single.
17.5
4
FOUR! Banged in short outside off. Shimron Hetmyer drags it from outside off and smacks it over the. deep mid-wicket fence for a boundary. The sound of the bat absolutely soothing.
17.4
.
Off cutter outside off. Shimron Hetmyer looks to carve it away but completely misses it. It goes on the bounce towards the keeper.
17.3
1
FIFTY UP FOR Gerhard Erasmus. Yorker just outside off, swerving in. Gerhard Erasmus digs it out towards short point for a quick single. A classy half-century that for Erasmus.
17.2
4
FOUR! SMACKED AWAY! Fuller and outside off, nips in. Gerhard Erasmus slaps it towards wide of long off as the ball races towards the boundary cushions.
17.1
4
FOUR! Short and wide and punished! Goes slightly shorter outside off, holds its line. Gerhard Erasmus cuts it hard to split the backward point and point fielder as the ball races towards the fence for another boundary.
In over# 17
1
1
2
6
2
6
Olly Stone 30/0(3)
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