Vipers eke out Giants in Super Over

The Desert Vipers beat the Gulf Giants in a thriller in Dubai, coming out on top in the Super Over after scores for both teams were tied on 179 for 5. The win sees the Vipers remain as the only unbeaten team left in the ILT20 who have now picked up three wins from their first three games. It meant that Pathum Nissanka's third consecutive fifty f the tournament and Azmatullah Omarzai's four-wicket haul went in vain for the Giants.

Chasing 180, the Vipers needed 13 runs off the last over. Khuzaima Tanveer smashed the first-ball for six but Omarzai nicked him off as the momentum swung between the two sides. Vriitya Aravind and Naseem Shah got it down to 3 off 1, and the latter was run-out which took the game to the Super Over - the first ever in the history of the ILT20.

The Vipers batters were proactive while running and scored six runs off three balls including a leg-bye before Dan Lawrence smashed the fifth ball for six. He fell on the last delivery chipping it to long-off as the Vipers ended on 13 runs. Naseem began with a no-ball but Moeen Ali missed the free-hit. The bowler followed it up with two-wides but the extras didn't cost them as Moeen's timing had deserted him. Tom Moores was left with the task of hitting the last ball for six to win, but could only muster a single as the Giants could score only nine runs in their over.

The Vipers' riposte began slowly. Nuwan Thushara bowled a maiden of the very first over to Fakhar Zaman with the batter getting away with an inside-edge as nobody appealed. Zaman's misery came to an end off Omarzai while fellow opener Andries Gous fell in the next over to Mark Adair with the Vipers 14 for 2 before mustering their way to 35 for 2 at the end of the PowerPlay.

Sam Curran was given LBW off Adair but the bowler had overstepped with the free-hit ball flying into the stands, he was later dropped immediately after the PowerPlay again when he was on 10. He took full toll of his early lives, smashing Moeen and Haider Razzaq for sixes but Max Holden chopped on off the latter. The wicket saw couple of quiet overs before Lawrence and Curran took 15 runs each from the 13th to 15th over which brought the game back to life.

With 58 required off 30, Curran holed out to long-on. Hetmyer took a liking to Razzaq in a 13-run 17th over and brought the equation down to 39 off 18. Lawrence moved to 50 but Omarzai picked him and Hetmyer in the same over as a double-blow to the Vipers. Hasan Nawaz hit a six and a four off his first three balls but Thushara bowled the slower one to nick him off as the equation came down to 13 off the last over.

Earlier, in the game, Nissanka continued his run of good form with his third consecutive 50 in the tournament. By the end of the PowerPlay, he had raced to 49 off just 26 deliveries while Rahmanullah Gurbaz was still on 6 off 10. He smashed a six off Noor Ahmad before dragging on. The wicket saw the flow of runs reduce for the next five overs with 34 runs scored. Gurbaz finally broke the shackles in the 13th over with two sixes and a four. But, Tanveer picked up Gurbaz (40) and James Vince (25) in the same over to peg the Giants back. Azmatullah Omarzai and Tom Moores hit a six each to then take the Giants to 179 for 5 in their allotted overs.

Brief Scores: Gulf Giants 179 for 5 (Pathum Nissanka 56, Rahmanullah Gurbaz 40; Khuzaima Tanveer 2-22) tied with Desert Vipers 179 for 9 in 20 overs (Dan Lawrence 56, Sam Curran 44; Azmatullah Omarzai 4-32) - Desert Vipers won the Super Over