That is it from our coverage from this game between Gulf Giants and Dubai Capitals. Dubai Capitals have chased the 157-run target in a very calculated fashion and emerged out victorious by 6 wickets. Now the second game of today's double-header between Desert Vipers and MI Emirates is going to start in about half an hour time. Do join us for that.
For now, this is Saptak Sanyal signing off on behalf of my co-commentators Deepak Prakash and Mohammad Anab and the scorer/analyst of this game Ghanendra Singh Thakur.
Mustafizur Rahman (POTM): "(Translated from Bengali) (On bowling action while bowling slower deliveries) That’s my natural style, and I know I’ll get success with those deliveries. I always try to give my best for the team."
Player of the Match: Mustafizur Rahman
Mohammad Nabi (Dubai Capitals Captain):"Ya! I think it is a total team work. They started well in batting but the changing point was the Fizz's over. Three wickets and things changed. Later the batting became difficult because the ball went softer and was not coming onto the bat very well.
We have a lot of options in the bowling. We use that bowler who can make an impact. Haider did well and also Fizz. Rovman played really well. He calculated and targeted every single ball. It was not easy but he did really well."
James Vince (Gulf Giants Captain): "It’s probably been a similar pattern to our last couple of games. We’ve found ourselves in positions where we could have added another 20 or 30 runs, but when we lose a wicket, we tend to lose two or three in quick succession. That puts pressure on the batters at the crease, forcing them to lower the risk just to avoid being bowled out or losing further wickets. Ideally, once a wicket falls, it’s about building the next partnership and then gradually increasing the risk to put the bowlers under pressure. At the moment, we haven’t been able to do that because wickets are falling in clusters. As a result, we’re being restricted to around 150 when we’re in a position to get 170 or 180, which I think would have been a very good score on that pitch. There have also been a few forced changes due to injuries and players leaving the camp, with possibly a couple more changes to come. That’s part and parcel of T20 cricket — you won’t perform every game — but at the moment, there are a few too many players not contributing consistently. We need to find a way to minimise those bad patches, particularly the two poor overs where we lose wickets in clusters, because they put us behind in the game. Cricket will always ebb and flow, but when we’re on top, we need to stay there, and when we do fall behind, it’s about limiting the damage and turning the pressure back onto the opposition."
Time for the post-match presentation.....
7:08 PM IST and 5:38 PM Local Time : Dubai Capitals have kept their nerves and have clinched a victory over the Gulf Giants with four balls remaining and by a margin of six wickets. Rovman Powell has delivered a very impactful performance coming in as a super sub and his knock was instrumental for Capitals' victory.
Gulf Giants batted first in this game and got off to a good start as Rahmanullah Gurbaz scored a breezy 25 off 11 balls but his dismissal brought another two dismissals for the Giants. Moeen Ali and Lorcan Tucker got out cheaply and skipper James Vince had the onus then. He scored a sedate 36 and registered 66 runs with Azmatullah Omarzai.
Omarzai top scored for the Giants with his 43 and he got some second fiddle from Kyle Mayers (24). But the rest of the batters failed to deliver and the Giants got bundled out for 156.
For Dubai Capitals, Mustafizur Rahman was the star of the show picking up 3 wickets for 34 runs. Haider Ali took 2 wickets for 24 runs. Mohammad Nabi and Jimmy Neesham took a wicket each.
When the Capitals came to bat, they saw the new ball off for the first two overs and then Shayan Jahangir took the attack on Mark Adair. Sediqullah Atal got dismissed by Azmatullah Omarzai and the Afghan all-rounder then rattled the off stump of Jordan Cox in the same over. Leus du Plooy showed some resistance to score 22 off 15 balls and his partnership with Jahangir helped the Capitals to recover.
Shayan Jahangir top scored for his side with his 48 off 44 balls hitting 5 fours and a maximum before finding Adair at long-on off Shamsi. Rovman Powell replaced Waqar Salamkheil as the super substitute and he played a very calculative innings. He took on anything loose on his way and finished with an unbeaten 47 off 31 balls hitting 3 maximums and a solitary boundary. Mohammad Nabi (25* off 14) supported him well in the death overs and finished the game with a maximum.
For Gulf Giants, Azmatullah Omarzai took 2 wickets for 27 runs. Fred Klaassen and Tabraiz Shamsi took a wicket each.