A sensational powerplay spell from Khuzaima Tanveer laid the foundation for a comprehensive eight-wicket win as the Desert Vipers registered their fifth straight victory of DP World ILT20 Season 4, outclassing the Gulf Giants at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Friday.
Tanveer produced a spell for the ages, finishing with 4 for 10, the best figures by a UAE bowler in ILT20 history and the first to claim four wickets inside the powerplay. His early strikes left the Giants in disarray at 30 for 4, setting the tone for the match.
Giants Recover Late but Remain Well Short
After Tanveer’s early onslaught, the Giants struggled to rebuild. Kyle Mayers (30 off 24) briefly injected momentum, but Noor Ahmad halted the charge with a crucial LBW dismissal. Asif Khan anchored the innings with a steady 36 off 38, while Liam Dawson’s late fireworks, 38 off 14 balls, helped lift the total to 157 for 7.
Despite the late surge, the Vipers remained firmly in control, with Noor Ahmad (2/22) and Tom Curran ensuring the Giants never truly escaped the pressure.
Curran and Holden Make Chase Look Routine
Chasing 158, the Vipers lost Fakhar Zaman early, but Max Holden and Sam Curran took charge with a fluent, unbeaten 123-run partnership.
Holden struck a composed 64 off 41 balls, while Curran’s aggressive 67 off 43, featuring five fours and three sixes, turned the chase into a procession. Curran’s three sixes off Liam Dawson in the 11th over proved decisive, slashing the required rate and breaking the Giants’ resistance.
The pair reached their half-centuries in quick time and finished the job in just 16.5 overs, extending the Vipers’ dominance with a sixth consecutive win over the Giants.
Ferguson Lauds Tanveer’s Impact
Vipers captain Lockie Ferguson was full of praise for Tanveer’s match-winning contribution.
Tanveer has been outstanding for us all season. He was brilliant last year too, winning games with the bat, and tonight he was exceptional with the ball. He’s played a lot of cricket recently, his rhythm is spot on, and the ball is coming out beautifully. He’s in a really good space. It was also great to see Max and Sam put together a big partnership.
Vince Admits Giants Were Outplayed
Giants skipper James Vince acknowledged his side were second best from the outset.
Tanveer bowled exceptionally well, full credit to him. We’ll probably look back and think about what we could have done differently, but we were on the back foot early. We did well to recover to 157, but this was the first match of the tournament where we were outplayed from the start.
Brief Scores: Gulf Giants 157/7 in 20 overs (Liam Dawson 38*, Asif Khan 36*, Kyle Mayers 30; Khuzaima Tanveer 4/10, Noor Ahmad 2/22) Desert Vipers 158/2 in 16.5 overs (Sam Curran 67*, Max Holden 64*; Chris Wood 1/27) Desert Vipers won by eight wickets. Player of the Match: Khuzaima Tanveer
