DUBAI: The Desert Vipers held their nerve to defeat the Gulf Giants in a dramatic Super Over on Monday, the first-ever tiebreaker in DP World International League T20 history.
Chasing 180 for victory, Dan Lawrence and Sam Curran saved the day for the Vipers as they combined in a crucial partnership to level the scores and force the single-over tiebreaker.
Lawrence top-scored with a fluent 56 off 31 balls, while Curran contributed a vital 44 off 36 as the team pulled off a remarkable comeback to claim their third straight win of the season and maintain a 100 percent record. The Vipers have now won all five of the meetings between the two teams.
The Giants made a strong start after being put in to bat at the Dubai International Stadium. Openers Pathum Nissanka and Rahmanullah Gurbaz raced to a 50-run stand inside five overs, with the pair taking 14 runs off Naseem Shah in the opening exchanges. They reached 58 during the powerplay, with Nissanka recording his third-successive half-century from just 27 deliveries.
Their 73-run opening partnership was finally broken by Noor Ahmad, who dismissed Nissanka despite being hit for a fourth six. Gurbaz maintained the momentum alongside James Vince, whose 25 off 22 balls provided some stability, before Khuzaima Tanveer struck twice to leave the Giants on 129 for 3 midway through the inning.
The Vipers’ bowlers tightened their grip late on, with Noor removing Azmatullah Omarzai, and David Payne dismissing Moeen Ali. The Giants added only 38 runs from the final five overs, closing on 179 for 5.
Omarzai was the star with the ball as the Giants began the defense of their total. He struck twice early on to remove Fakhar Zaman and Andries Gous and leave the Vipers reeling at 14 for 2. Despite a steadying effort from Curran and Max Holden, the Giants maintained control until the Curran-Lawrence partnership reignited the chase.
Lawrence reached his half-century from 28 balls but late wickets set up a tense finish. Needing 13 from the final over to win, a Tanveer six and some calm finishing from Vriitya Aravind leveled the scores.
In the Super Over tiebreaker, the Vipers posted 13 runs and then Shah delivered under pressure to restrict the Giants to nine, sealing the historic win.
Stand-in Vipers captain Curran said of the close finish: “It has been the trend recently but I am not complaining: three wins from three.
“Tanveer has been working extremely hard on his batting in the nets. To hit a six under pressure and then bowl really well are very positive signs.”
Ali, the stand-in skipper for the Giants, said his team made mistakes at the wrong time that allowed the Vipers back into the game.
“When we needed a few good balls, we gave them something to hit,” he added. “In this format the game is never over, and it was one we could easily have won.”
