South Africa works hard to beat United States in Super Eight at T20 World Cup

ABU DHABI: The Gulf Giants returned to winning ways as they coasted to a seven-wicket win over the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the DP World ILT20 clash at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.

The win sees the Giants climb to third in the table and gives a welcome boost to their playoff chances. The result also confirms the MI Emirates join the Desert Vipers as playoff qualifiers.

Needing a win to keep their competition hopes alive, the Gulf Giants were brilliant with the ball as they stifled the Knight Riders for 123. In response, they rode on a superb 70-run partnership between Gerhard Erasmus and Tom Curran and some late pinch-hitting from Shimron Hetmyer to clinch the victory.

The Giants were off the blocks well in what appeared to be a straightforward chase. However, David Willey worked his magic as he picked up two wickets in as many deliveries to put the opposition in a worrisome spot. James Vince played the ball onto his stumps to depart for seven and Willey trapped Jordan Cox LBW on the next to give his side a fighting chance. The Giants scored 27/2 in the powerplay, just three runs more than their opponents at the same stage. A disciplined bowling effort from Willey and Sunil Narine curtailed the Giants’ batting as they were restricted to 50/2 at the halfway point.

But it was just a matter of time before Erasmus and Curran found their groove, which happened in the 11th over. Curran let loose as he hit Andre Russell for a four, a six and another four to amass 17 much-needed runs. That gave the Giants the impetus they needed as they got 12 more runs off Terrance Hinds in the 13th.

The Giants were on track at this point, at 82/2, and needed a run per ball from the remaining seven overs. An impressive 70-run partnership between Curran and Erasmus came to an end when Jason Holder found the breakthrough in the 15th over. Erasmus was caught at mid-off, but Hetmyer joined Curran and made his intentions clear early on with a superb boundary. Narine, uncharacteristically, gave away four runs in extras as the Giants inched closer to the target.

Hetmyer displayed his big-hitting skills as he clobbered Irbar Ahmad for a maximum over deep midwicket and subsequently hit the winning runs to seal a remarkable victory for the Gulf Giants.

Earlier, the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders made a poor start when they lost both their openers — Kyle Mayers and Andries Gous — inside the opening three overs. Each made one run as the Knight Riders limped to 4/2. Roston Chase offered some hope as he struck a few boundaries to lead them to 24/2 at the end of the powerplay.

He departed for 15 soon after to Blessing Muzarabani, and Willey entered the fray. The Englishman steadied the ship and teamed up with Joe Clarke to put up 29 runs for the fourth wicket. The runs, though, were hard to come by as the Knight Riders went through four overs without a boundary. They were precariously placed at 55/3 after 12 overs when Clarke fell to Chris Jordan.

The Knight Riders made plenty of changes to their batting order. Russell came in next, his arrival seeming to swing the fortunes in his side’s favor as Willey launched two massive sixes before Russell hit a couple of boundaries. However, his stay at the crease was cut when Curran dismissed him for 15.

With five overs to go, the Knight Riders were at 80/5 and in dire need of some quick runs to put up a competitive total. Willey shouldered the responsibility and hit Mark Adair for a six, but the Irishman struck back on the next delivery. Willey’s resolute display ended after a crucial 41 off 29 deliveries.

Alishan Sharafu, the local boy who has been among the Riders’ better batsmen this season, was tasked with steering his side at the death overs. He got off the mark with a boundary, but the runs then dried up as his team managed just three boundaries in the final four overs to put up a modest total of 123.

Sunil Narine, captain of the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, said: “I think they bowled brilliantly and used the conditions to their advantage. We tried to take as many wickets as possible in the powerplay. We couldn’t take many wickets in the middle overs and it became easier for them. Jason Holder has been doing a fantastic job with the bat and the ball. He assessed the conditions as best as possible. We are on the backfoot, but we will be looking forward to that Mumbai-Sharjah game and are hoping for the best.”

Player of the Match Dan Worrall said: “Opening the bowling with Mark, we had to get us off to a good start. Our bowling group prides itself on diversity. Left arm, right arm, tall and short, we have a bit of everything. We’re glad that we’ve at least given ourselves a fighting chance. We’ll be crossing our fingers for the next couple of days.”

Brief scores

Gulf Giants beat Abu Dhabi Knight Riders by seven wickets

Gulf Giants 124/3 in 17.5 overs (Gerhard Erasmus 47, Tom Curran 38 not out, Shimron Hetmyer 20 not out, David Willey 2 for 17, Jason Holder 1 for 17)

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders 123-7 in 20 overs (David Willey 41, Alishan Sharafu 21 not out, Chris Jordan 2 for 20, Mark Adair 2 for 25, Dan Worrall 1 for 13)

Player of the Match: Dan Worrall

SHARJAH: Sharjah Warriorz delivered a commanding performance in the DP World International League T20 on Thursday as they secured a crucial four-wicket victory over Abu Dhabi Knight Riders.

Powered by a match-winning 65 from Johnson Charles and an inspired bowling display led by Adam Zampa and Adam Milne, the Warriorz moved from sixth to third in the standings, boosting their playoff chances no end.

Chasing 162, Sharjah’s openers wasted no time asserting their dominance. Charles and Tom Kohler-Cadmore launched an aggressive assault, hammering Ibrar Ahmad for 24 runs in the fourth over.

Kohler-Cadmore then took on Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, smashing 18 runs in just four balls before falling for a quickfire 39 off 21 deliveries. The Warriorz stormed to 75 for one at the end of the powerplay, nearly double the required run rate.

As Charles continued to attack, Rohan Mustafa played a supporting role before falling to Sunil Narine for six. Despite a slight dip in momentum, Charles kept the scoreboard ticking over.

The Knight Riders had a chance to turn the tide but were let down by sloppy fielding. Charles was dropped in the 11th over and made the most of the reprieve, racing to his half-century in style with a boundary. Another dropped catch during the following over spared Jason Roy, further frustrating Abu Dhabi.

Charles’ aggressive stroke play was on full display, including a standout moment where he scooped David Willey for a stunning boundary. Just as he seemed poised for a big score, however, Narine struck again, removing him for 65.

The chase, which had seemed comfortable, took an unexpected twist when Jason Holder bowled a sensational wicket maiden in the 16th over. With only 16 runs needed from 24 balls, Sharjah suffered a mini-collapse, losing three wickets for just two runs as Tim Seifert and Ethan D’Souza fell in quick succession.

At 148 for six, the nerves appeared to have set in, but Ashton Agar stepped up to ensure there were no further hiccups. The Aussie smashed a six off Terrance Hinds in the 19th over, leaving just two runs needed in the final over. Harmeet Singh sealed the win off the first ball, wrapping up a crucial four-wicket triumph for the Warriorz.

Earlier, Milne struck during the Knight Riders’ first over at bat when he dismissed Andries Gous for a golden duck. Though Joe Clarke countered with three successive boundaries, Milne had the final say, forcing Clarke to nick one behind. With both their openers back in the pavilion, the Knight Riders were reeling on 33 for two after three overs.

A 58-run stand between Roston Chase and Kyle Mayers stabilized the inning but Zampa broke the partnership, removing Chase for 28. Mayers powered his way to a 29-ball 50 and looked set to propel his side to a big total. Zampa struck again, however, dismissing the dangerous Mayers for 56.

With the Knight Riders on 130 for six in 16 overs, Holder provided the late fireworks as he hammered Tim Southee for 17 runs in the penultimate over to help push the total to a more competitive 161.

Player of the match Zampa credited strategic bowling for his success.

“I was trying to play my role and get the key wickets to help the team,” he said. “I love competing and bowling against the best, and it’s always a great battle with Andre Russell. He’s got me a few times but I got him tonight, and that was crucial. We planned for this match-up and, luckily, it worked.”

Knight Riders captain Narine was left to rue missed opportunities.

“We fought till the end but we should have finished our batting innings better,” he said. “We were on course for 200 but ended with 160. We also needed to control the powerplay better.

“They played aggressively and put us on the back foot early. We came back into the game but left it too late. We’re still in the tournament and have a lot to play for.”

While the victory moved the Warriorz into third place on eight points, the Knight Riders dropped to fifth on six points and will need to regroup quickly to remain in the playoff race.