The commentary is not available for this match. Please check the scorecard for latest updates.
That's it from the ILT20 action today. The action resumes tomorrow with the two bottom-placed teams Desert Vipers and Dubai Capitals taking on each other. For now, this is Sourabh Agrawal along with my co-commentator Arya Sekhar Chakrobarty wishing you a very good night. Take care!
Gulf Giants won by 5 runs James Vince 59(41) | Chris Jordan 3/21(3) Kieron Pollard 40(31) | Waqar Salamkheil 3/18(4)
The Gulf Giants have beaten the table-toppers MI Emirates and have all but made sure that they will be present in the playoffs of ILT20 2024.
Having come out to defend 158, the Gulf Giants started well in the powerplay as they scalped 2 of MI Emirates' better batsmen, waseem and Fletcher, in the first 6 overs itself. Kusal Perera was looking good for MI Emirates before getting out to Muzarabani. The Giants bowlers kept taking wickets throughout and reduced MI Emirates to 5/72. It was up to Kieron Pollard to take his team over the line as he stitched a 51-run partnership with Odean Smith. But then, the death bowlers for Gulf Giants bowled with immaculate precision nailing their yorkers as they broke the partnership and also got Pollard in the 19th over which sealed the game for them even though MI Emirates got 24 off the last over. Chris Jordan was the pick of the bowlers with 2/21 and he was assisted by the spinners like Aayan and Erasmus who were really miserly.
Earlier in the piece, Gulf Giants had got to a good score on the back of a fifty from their skipper James Vince and a crucial 43* from Jamie Smith who was pushed down the order today. For the MI Emirates, the spinners were absolutely brilliant after Trent Boult had a rare-off day in the powerplay. Waqar Salmakheil was exceptional, he got 3 wickets as none of the Giants' batters seemed to read him and he was given able support by the debutant from Sri Lanka Vijayakanth Viyaskanth.
Chris Jordan (Player of the match) - I thought it was a good win for the boys. In the crunch moment, it is really execute and don't lose or don't execute and lose. They have some really good hitters. Been working on a couple of things with the coach to bowl at the top of my speed. We have to finish the job on Saturday. The U19 guys are really playing well at the moment and they will make the next step up, so it is very important to continuously evolve and improve.
James Vince (Gulf Giants captain) - It was good, a similar pattern to the last game. Got a good start, got stuck in the middle when the spinners came on but then Jamie Smith played a crucial innings for us. The spinners were also brilliant for us and the death bowlers too bowling to two very big hitters. Left the decision of pushing Jamie Smith down the order, he has really shown what a good player he is in the first game itself. My job is really to back the bowlers, we have got a really experienced attack with someone like Jordan bowling those yorkers in. 3 games ago we were under pressure and now if we win our last match on Saturday, we could finish in the top 2.
Kieron Pollard (MI Emirates captain) - At the end we were just one hit away. Gave away 10-15 runs too much in the first innings, a couple of things here and there. It's difficult to come in and get set. You have got to come in and hit just like that. We were calculating in the backend but Chris Jordan bowled well specially. DJ coming in and doing well with that one over in the powerplay and Waqar has been fantastic again. Positive as the guys a re getting a hit in the middle and it is a good thing for us going forward.
Kusal Perera: You know that's a good fight to have in a team when the top order is firing. Everything has pleased me, I try to keep things simple. In the powerplay I try to go hard at the bowlers before taking it one ball at a time post the powerplay.
Gulf Giants make it 3 out of 3 and have now virtually entered the playoffs of ILT20 2024.
20
overs
153/7score
0
4
6
4
4
6
runs
Jordan Thompson*
26(9)
Vijayakanth Viyaskanth
1(2)
Jamie Overton
1/41
19.6 Jamie Overton to Jordan Thompson, SIX! Jordan Thompson finishes off the match in style but can't get his side over the finish line. Gulf Giants wins by 5 runs. Short of a length delivery from Overton, that sat up nicely and a lovely swipe of the bat from Thompson, sends it many a miles over the long-on fence.
19.5 Jamie Overton to Jordan Thompson, FOUR! Beautifully timed by Thompson. He is playing a blinder here but for a lost cause. Fullish-length outside off, with third man and point up in the circle it wasn't a great option. Take nothing away from the batting of Thompson though, carves it away up and over the point fielder for another boundary.
19.4 Jamie Overton to Jordan Thompson, FOUR! Boundaries are coming in the final over but it's too little too late for the MI Emirates. On a length a shade outside off, Thompson throws the kitchen sink at that, had an almighty swing at that, gets a thick outside edge which runs away past short third man for a boundary.
These hits have come a bit too late for MI Emirates. Needed these much earlier in the game! The Giants are not taking this for granted at all and the skipper is constantly making changes to the field. However, he just needs his bowler to bowl 3 more legal deliveries.
19.3 Jamie Overton to Jordan Thompson, SIX! That has been tonked for a maximum. Moves a bit across off and swings away the length delivery across the line, lovely swing of the bat, using the shorter side of the boundary, deposits that well over the long-on fence.
19.2 Jamie Overton to Jordan Thompson, FOUR! That has been beautifully timed by Thompson. On the fuller side well outside off, Thompson goes up and over extra cover, sliced away down towards the deep cover boundary.
19.1 Jamie Overton to Jordan Thompson, yorker-length delivery outside off, goes under the bat of Thompson as he slashes at that.
That wicket in the previous over has all but sealed the game for the Gulf Giants. 30 needed off 6 deliveries
19
overs
129/7score
1
1
W
0
1
1
runs
Jordan Thompson*
3(3)
Vijayakanth Viyaskanth
1(2)
Chris Jordan
2/22
18.6 Chris Jordan to Jordan Thompson, top class spell from Jordan. Back of a length delivery on the pads, Thompson misses out on the tuck off his hips, off his thigh pads down towards the short fine leg region, takes a leg bye single.
18.5 Chris Jordan to Vijaykanth Viyaskanth, again a well directed full delivery outside off, almost in the blockhole and Viyaskanth only manages to smash that all along the carpet, down towards the sweeper cover fielder and gets off the mark.
18.4 Chris Jordan to Vijaykanth Viyaskanth, that's a low full toss a shade outsie off, cue ends this back to the bowler.
Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, RHB, comes out to the middle.
The sheer accuracy of the bowlers made Pollard attempt the reverse paddle. With him walking back, it should be safe to say that this game is now for the Gulf Giants to lose.