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That is it from the Qualifier 2 today as Dubai Capitals have booked a date with MI Emirates in the final of ILT20 2024. Make sure you join for that in a couple of days of time! For now, this is the duo of Sourabh Agrawal and Arya Sekhar Chakraborty signing off! Ciao!
Dubai Capitals won by 9 wickets Leus du Plooy 63(40) | Jason Holder 1/7(2) James Vince 58(53) | Liam Dawson 1/21(4)
It has ended up to be a cake walk for the Dubai Capitals who have absolutely thrashed the Gulf Giants in Qualifier 2 to book their place in the final of ILT20 which will take place in a couple of days.
When the Capitals came out to bat, one would have expected that it will be an even contest. But, the Capitals' openers, du Plooy and Tom Banton, had other ideas and they made sure that there was no stutter in their way to chase down the total of 139. The Gulf Giants' were uncharacteristically off-color and the likes of Daniel Worall and Aayan Afzal Khan leaked way too many runs for their liking. Both the openers played some really lovely shots as they stitched a 98-run partnership and eliminated any chances of the Gulf Giants winning the contest.
Liam Dawson broke the partnership with a wicket-maiden dismissing Tom Banton on 38 but it was too little too less for the Giants as Tom Abell joined hands with Leus du Plooy and took the Capitals home without any fuss. The Giants were really poor on the field as well as with the ball and that did not help them a single bit.
Earlier in the piece, it was a fighting half-century from the Giants' skipper, James Vince, who had a brilliant partnership with Chris Jordan to take his team to 138/6, which seemed to be a par-score back then. The duo combined together to bail their team out of trouble on 5/62 after most of their top-order got out cheaply and managed to steady the ship for them. Jamie Overton also played a handy cameo in the end for the Giants. The Capitals' bowlers, the likes of Haider Ali and Zahir Khan along with the pacers, were really disciplined with the ball and did not let the batters free for most part of the innings.
Leus du Plooy (Player of the match) : It was good fun out there, it was a really chaseable target on that wicket and me and Banton got off to a very good start. Yes pretty much (on the idea of being attacking from the get-go), tried to stay as busy as possible and not play many dot balls. Told myself to be busy and get to the other end if the bowler bowls a good ball. Really enjoyed it, it is a really good group of guys and looking forward to play in the finals. Will probably go and some golf in the day off.
Sam Billings (Dubai Capitals captain): A combination of factors, obviously clarity and Sticking to basic cricket. People have stepped up in different times. Raza hitting that last ball six and from that moment onward galvanized the group. Every player has stepped up. Yeah I think that's in any good team you are able to bring empathically honest with your players. We found a certain length and the bowlers had the courage to bowl it in the right areas. That's been a key metric for us, for the batters the discussion was someone staying there and the innings will be built around him. I cannot do anything without a group of players who doesn't have the energy. I like to do my homework, it's all about making inform decisions and with these pitches, it gives me more information on how to operate to the bowlers. Anything can happen in final and we will be confident with our form. MI Emirates are a very good team but they should be respecting us as well as I feel if we can perform to our best, we can beat any team.
James Vince (Gulf Giants captain): Yeah in hindsight the conditions became better when the dew set in. They won both the powerplays. If we had got it right with the ball, we could have been in the game. We started off poorly and couldn't quite execute what he spoke about. You still finish second in the table so lot of positives. We weren't able to replicate the form we showed last year. We got four wins on a bounce but in T20 format if you falter, the opposition will bounce all over you. It's incredibly tough to win any T20 competitions. You need a few things to go your way. We got great support from the back room stuff. We gave it our best shot.
It will be Dubai Capitals vs MI Emirates in the final of ILT20 as Dubai Capitals have cantered home with 25 deliveries remaining.
15.5 Aayan Afzal Khan to Leus du Plooy, FOUR! That is game set and match for the Dubai Capitals. They win by 9 wickets and qualify for the final. Flatter and shorter outside off, creamed away all along the carpet, wide of the cover fielder and finds the boundary.
15.4 Aayan Afzal Khan to Tom Abell, flatter and quicker around the middle stump, pushed away from the crease, towards the mid-on region and takes a single.
15.3 Aayan Afzal Khan to Leus du Plooy, slowish on a good-length around the middle stump, nudged away with soft hands towards the on side for a single.
15.2 Aayan Afzal Khan to Tom Abell, flatter on a length around middle, worked away towards the long-on region for a single.
15.1 Aayan Afzal Khan to Leus du Plooy, du Plooy comes down the track and works away the good-length delivery around middle, down towards the long-on region and takes a single.
Aayan Afzal Khan [1.0-0-15-0] is back into the attack.
Just the formalities remaining in this game as we could be heading into the last over of the contest! 8 needed off 30 deliveries
15
overs
131/1score
1
0
4
1
6
1
runs
Leus du Plooy*
57(37)
Tom Abell
18(16)
Jamie Overton
0/23
14.6 Jamie Overton to Leus du Plooy, taps away the good-length delivery around middle, down towards the square leg region for a single.
14.5 Jamie Overton to Leus du Plooy, SIX! That is a monstrous blow from the blade of Leus du Plooy. That was right in the slot from Overton, a cross-seam delivery and du Plooy holds his shape and swings through thee line, that travels many a mile on this occasion, well over the long-on fence.
14.4 Jamie Overton to Tom Abell, dabs away the good-length delivery around off, down towards the backward point fielder and takes a quick single.
14.3 Jamie Overton to Tom Abell, FOUR! Pulled away with such power, was fractionally shorter a tad outside off, Abell was standing inside the crease and was expecting the short ball, slapped away hard and that travels quickly, the deep square leg fielder was beaten for sheer pace.
14.2 Jamie Overton to Tom Abell, lofts this fuller-length delivery around the middle stump, from the inside half of the bat, falls short of the mid-on fielder.
14.1 Jamie Overton to Leus du Plooy, Leus du Plooy gets to a well-deserved half-century, plays this good-length delivery with an angled bat, down towards the deep third man region and a single taken.
Jamie Overton [2.0-0-10-0] is back into the attack.
Amidst all the carnage, Liam Dawson has bowled out a brilliant spell with figures of 1/21. Only if he had some support from his teammates!
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Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Leus du Plooy
*
Jamie Overton
Video
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