ILT20 | Twitter reacts to Shaheenā€™s splendid spell going in vain as Desert Vipers thrash Gulf Giants in Dubai

ILT20 | Twitter reacts to Shaheenā€™s splendid spell going in vain as Desert Vipers thrash Gulf Giants in Dubai

SportsCafe Desk

By SportsCafe Desk, SportsCafe Editor

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After suffering losses in their respective previous games, last season's finalists locked horns at the Dubai International Stadium. Pakistan speedster Shaheen Afridiā€™s 3/22 couldn't take the defending champions Gulf Giants across the line as they suffered a defeat to Desert Vipers by six wickets.

ā€ŒDesert Viperā€™s skipper Colin Munroā€™s decision to bowl first worked wonders as the team scalped Giants' openers Jamie Smith and James Vince early on, courtesy of Mohamed Amir and Shaheen Shah Afridiā€™s splendid opening with the ball. Dubaiā€™s green pitch favoured the Pak pace duo as the Giants managed just 35/2 in the powerplay. Wanindu Hasaranga and Shadab Khan further restricted Giants to 72/2 in 10 overs, albeit Chris Lynn and Jordan Cox stabilized the innings with a partnership of 89 runs. However, after the platform was set, the batters to follow couldn't provide much of a flourish at the end. Amir and Shaheen finished well with just 15 coming off the last two overs and Chris Jordan and Usman Khanā€™s 22-run partnership in the lower order proved pivotal in the Giants putting up a decent total of 160/6.Ā 

After Munroā€™s early departure in the second over, the Vipers' batting unit seemed shaky as they struggled to a score of just 24/1 at the end of the powerplay, of which Alex Hales had contributed 21 runs. However, the Vipers showcased real grit thereafter with Adam Hose and Hasarangaā€™s exemplary partnership of 57 runs powering the innings to 98/3 in 13 overs. Azam Khan's commanding approach gelled well with Hose and fuelled the Viper's batting to a comfortable six-wicket win.

Ā The best

Nothing

True

Beautifull Innings!

Boy goes bang bang

Too good

LOL

Excellent

Champions

He aced it!

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