CRICKET – GULF TIMES INTERNATIONAL

Asian Legends League scheduled from May 27th to June 4th, 2024.

Gulf Times — Sat, 11 May 2024 06:30:12 +0000

Dubai
Star Sports, a leading sports broadcaster, is thrilled to announce its partnership with the Asian Legends League as the Official Broadcast Partner for the next three seasons, spanning from 2024 to 2026. The Asian Legends League, a platform for former retired cricket legends from Asian countries, is set to showcase the talents of iconic players in an exhilarating league format.
The league, organized by World Sports Group (WSG), will feature five franchise teams representing renowned cricketing nations: Indian Royals, Sri Lankan Lions, Bangladesh Tigers, Pakistan Stars, and Afghanistan Pathans. The highly anticipated event is scheduled to take place from May 27th to June 4th, 2024.
League Commissioner, Mr. Chetan Sharma, expressed his enthusiasm, stating, “We are delighted to partner with Star Sports, a pioneer in sports broadcasting, to bring the Asian Legends League to fans across the globe. This collaboration will undoubtedly enhance the viewing experience and elevate the stature of the league.”
The league schedule has also been unveiled, with league matches scheduled from May 27th to May 31st, followed by knockout matches commencing on June 1st. The pinnacle of the event, the Grand Final to determine the champion of the Asian Legends League, will take place on June 4th, 2024. The detailed schedule is attached for reference.
As an added highlight, cricket fans will witness the legendary rivalry between India and Pakistan once again on May 29th, 2024, just before the commencement of the T20 World Cup 2024.

Vipers cruise to six-wicket win over Sharjah in clash of pride

Gulf Times — Mon, 12 Feb 2024 13:03:32 +0000

Sharjah,
The Desert Vipers sailed to a comfortable six-wicket win over the Sharjah Warriors in the 30th and final league match of the ILT20 season 2 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium after rain delayed the start of the match and reduced it to an 18-over contest.
A fine bowling display from Vipers’ Nathan Sowter (3 for 21) and Matheesha Pathirana (3 for 28), well backed by Sam Curran (2 for 29), restricted Warriors to 121 for 9 in 18 overs.
Vipers then raced to the target in 12.5 overs with openers Phil Salt (30) and Alex Hales putting on a 50-run partnership in 23 balls, followed by a 49-run partnership between skipper Colin Munro (27) and Dinesh Chandimal (24n.o) for the fourth wicket.
The Vipers, who were eliminated before the start of the match, won with 31 balls to spare. This victory helped them push the Warriors to the bottom of the table and to take the fifth slot.
In chasing the score, the Vipers’ opener Salt hit a 12-ball 30 runs with four boundaries and two sixes before being dismissed by Sean Williams.
One-drop Dan Lawrence got out quickly, pulling Junaid Siddique to Nilansh Keswani at fine leg for 7. Siddique also hit the off stump of Hales on 21 with an angling delivery. Dinesh Chandimal, with his skipper Colin Munro, smoothly carried their team to the target, though Munro got run out when seven runs were needed to win.
Earlier, the Desert Vipers won the toss and elected to bowl.
Brief scores:
Desert Vipers bt Sharjah Warriors by 6 wkts.
Sharjah Warriors 121 for 9 in 18 overs (Niroshan Dickwella 20, Luke Wells 31, Sean Williams 23, Sam Curran 2 for 29, Nathan Sowter 3 for 21, Matheesha Pathirana 3 for 28)
Desert Vipers 123 for 4 in 12.5 overs (Phil Salt 30, Alex Hales 21, Colin Munro 27, Dinesh Chandimal 24n.o, Junaid Siddique 2 for 16)
Player of the Match: Nathan Sowter

Gulf Giants win by five-runs against MI Emirates

Gulf Times — Fri, 09 Feb 2024 15:52:25 +0000

Dubai,
Gulf Giants showcased grit and determination to pull off a narrow five-run win over MI Emirates in the 26th match of the ILT20 season 2 at the Dubai International Stadium. The architects of Giants’ win were their skipper James Vince who showed the way through his 59 runs off 41 balls with seven boundaries and a six, and wicketkeeper Jamie Smith’s quick unbeaten 43 off 26 balls with four boundaries and two sixes. Together they helped Giants post a fighting total of 158 for 7. They then restricted MI Emirates to 153 for 7 in 20 overs.
Emirates’ skipper Kieron Pollard lit up hopes of a victory through his fighting knock of 40 off 31 balls with three boundaries and a six after opener Kusal Perera had hit 34 runs off 25 balls with five boundaries.
Chris Jordan and Jamie Overton bowled the death overs to perfection and ensured their team’s win, which helped Giants move to the second slot in the points table. Unfortunately, Emirates’ left-arm spinner from Afghanistan, Waqar Salamkheil’s spell of 3 for 19 went in vain.
Chasing the target, their aggressive opening pair of Kusal Perera and Muhammad Waseem scored only 22 runs in 3.1 overs when Waseem got out to a running catch by Jordan Cox near the deep mid-wicket boundary off Gerhard Erasmus for 7. Andre Fletcher slashed at Chris Jordan to be caught by Shimron Hetmyer at backward point for 11. Ambati Rayudu quickly departed lifting Aayan Khan into the hands of Chris Jordan at long-on for 1.
At the half way mark, Perera who kept the scoreboard moving, fell, lifting Blessing Muzarabani to Vince at wide mid-off for 34. This was followed by a brilliant direct hit by Jamie Overton to run out Dan Mousely for 11. With half the side back in the dug-out, and 87 runs needed off 56 balls, Dominic Drakes and Aayan Khan bowled two tight overs giving away just four and five runs respectively.
The match was interestingly poised at 60 runs needed off 30 balls. Pollard unleashed his big hits while Odean Smith played second fiddle. Almost all spectators now moved towards the edge of their seats with 38 runs needed off 18 balls. Overton struck to remove Odean Smith on 12 caught brilliantly by Cox at deep mid-wicket for 12. Then Jordan forced Pollard to scoop a catch to Muzarabani to squash Emirates’ hopes of a victory.
Player of the Match , Chris Jordan said he will be focusing on Saturday’s match and stated: “It was a good win for the boys. In that crunch moment at the death, execute and win or don’t and lose. They have amazing players and we got over the line tonight. I have been working on a couple of things with the bowling coach to operate at the top end of my speed. It’s working. We have to finish it on Saturday.”
Brief scores:
Gulf Giants bt MI Emirates by five runs.
Gulf Giants 158 for 7 in 20 overs (James Vince 59, Jamie Smith 43n.o, Waqar Salamkheil 3 for 19)
MI Emirates 153 for 7 in 20 overs (Kusal Perera 34, Kieron Pollard 40, Jordan Thompson 26 n.o, Chris Jordan 2 for 21)
Player of the Match: Chris Jordan

Dunk, Powell, and Holder nail-biting run chase against Desert Vipers

Gulf Times — Fri, 02 Feb 2024 11:16:59 +0000

Dubai:
Ben Dunk’s fighting 59 and Rovman Powell’s unbeaten 40 along with Jason Holder’s cameo of 23 helped Dubai Capitals register a thrilling four-wicket win off the last ball of the match against Desert Vipers in the 17th match of the DP World ILT20 season 2 at the Dubai International Stadium.
Powell and Holder put an unbeaten 38 runs in 26 balls for the seventh wicket to snatch the match away from the grip of the Vipers. Powell’s 40 off 32 balls had three boundaries and a six.
Chasing a target of 170 was an edge of the seat affair. Opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz fell for just four runs lifting Shaheen Afridi to Maheesh Pathirana, who took a brilliant run-and-dive catch at mid-off. Opener and skipper David Warner failed again, getting out to Afridi caught by his counterpart Colin Munro at extra cover for 4. The star batsman’s scores in this tournament prior to this match have been 1, 20, 0, 21 and 16.
Wanindu Hasaranga, who was introduced for the seventh over, had Sam Billings caught and bowled for 6. Dunk reached his half century in 23 balls with six boundares and two sixes to light up his team’s hopes.
Rovman Powell and Sikandar Raza refused to bow to the pressure and put on a 41 run partnership in 27 balls for the fifth wicket when Raza top edged Amir to Pathirana for 22 when 49 more runs were needed. Vipers went for the kill with Hasaranga removing Rahul Chopra for 4. Powell along with Jason Holder made it 19 to win off the last 12 balls and they took 15 off Afridi’s penultimate over. Pathirana bowled a brillliant last over with only four runs to defend but Capitals won off the last ball.
Brief scores:
Dubai Capitals bt Desert Vipers by 4 wkts.
Desert Vipers 169 for 6 in 20 overs (Rohan Mustafa 50, Alex Hales 49, Adam Hose 35n.o);
Dubai Capitals 170 for 6 in 20 overs (Ben Dunk 59, Sikandar Raza 22, Rovman Powell 40n.o, Jason Holder 23n.o, Shaheen Afridi 2 for 47, Wanindu Hasaranaga 2 for 25)
Player of the Match: Ben Dunk

Michael Pepper’s half century helps Abu Dhabi upset Gulf Giants

Gulf Times — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 13:30:36 +0000

Abu Dhabi.
England’s Michael Pepper’s 59 off 40 balls peppered with seven boundaries and three sixes steered Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, who were tottering at the bottom of the points table, to rise and outplay defending champions Gulf Giants by six wickets in the 16th match of the ILT20 season 2 at the Zayed Cricket Stadium. The victory takes the Knight Riders to the third slot while Giants slips to fourth.
Gulf Giants was restricted to 161 for 6 despite Chris Lynn’s 67 off 48 balls with six boundaries and three sixes. He had put on 72 runs in 58 balls for the third wicket with Jordan Cox who hit 21 off 27 balls with one boundary and a six. Lynn also added 39 runs for the fourth wicket with Usman Khan (23).
Chasing the target, Knight Riders needed a good start. Openers Joe Clarke and Pepper provided just that recording their 50 runs partnership in just 4.1 overs. Mujeeb Ur Rehman stuck in his second over to remove Joe Clarke caught down the leg side by wicketkeeper Jamie Smith for 14 to end the 62 runs partnership in 6.1 overs.
Pepper raced to his half century in 33 balls with five boundaries and three sixes. By the 10th over Knight Riders were at a commanding 100 for 1 needing another 62 runs to win. Six runs later, Mujeeb picked his second wicket to remove Alishan Sharafu caught by Brathawaite at mid-wicket for 11. Richard Glesson forced Pepper, who went for a pull, to edge the delivery on to his wicket for 59.
Earlier, Knight Riders had won the toss and elected to bowl.
Brief scores:
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders bt Gulf Giants by 6 wkts.
Gulf Giants 161 for 6 in 20 overs (Chris Lynn 67, Jordan Cox 21, Usman Khan 23, Andre Russell 2 for 39, Imad Wasim 2 for 31)
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders 164 for 4 in 20 overs (Michael Pepper 59, Andre Russell 30n.o, Mujeeb Ur Rahman 2 for 31)
Player of the Match: Michael Pepper

Amir’s brilliant bowling Vispers win against Emirates

Gulf Times — Wed, 31 Jan 2024 16:15:20 +0000

Dubai.
Desert Vipers produced a nail-biting two-wicket win off the last ball after a fierce battle against MI Emirates in the 14th match of the DP World ILT20 season 2 at the Dubai International Stadium.
MI Emirates was restricted to 149 for 9 in 20 overs, but they fought back to reduce Vipers to 62 for 5. The fate of the match swung like a pendulum till the last over.
Vipers’ Sherfane Rutherford lit up hopes of a victory through a quick 35 runs after taking 17 runs off Boult’s 17th over with a six and two boundaries. Then Bravo had Rutherford caught by Kusal Perera at mid-on off a slower delivery. Shaheen Afridi (17n.o) and Luke Wood (6n.o) took up the challenge of scoring 17 runs from the last 12 balls and ten off the last over from Trent Boult to win off the last ball. They ran for the three runs needed to win off the last ball.
Earlier MI Emirates’ batting cracked against the tight bowling of Mohammad Amir (3 for 26), Luke Wood (2 for 32) and Matheesha Pathirana (2 for 32). Their total was shaped by Ambati Rayudu and Akeal Hosein’s 49 runs partnership in 45 deliveries for the fifth wicket through knocks of 23 and 24 runs respectively. Tim David’s cameo of 28 off 14 balls gave some respectability to the total.
Player of the Match Mohammad Amir said, “It was an interesting game, and I am happy I did something for the team as I thought Rutherford would be the player of the match. We bowled in partnership and it is important to communicate with each other. Also, Shaheen and me are sharing the experience, and that helps.”
Brief scores:
Desert Vipers bt MI Emirates by two-wickets.
MI Emirates 149 for 9 in 20 overs (Ambati Rayudu 23, Akeal Hosein 24, Tim David 28, Mohammad Amir 3 for 26, Luke Wood 2 for 32, Matheesha Pathirana 2 for 32)
Desert Vipers 150 for 8 in 20 overs (Wanindu Hasaranga 26, Azam Khan 20, Sherfane Rutherford 35, Fazalhaq Farooqi 2 for 23, Muhammad Rohid 3 for 21, Dwayne Bravo 2 for 30)
Player of the Match: Mohammad Amir

ILT20 : Sharjah beat Dubai by 9 wkts

Gulf Times — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 12:33:23 +0000

Sharjah,
Sharjah Warriors’ Sri Lankan off spinner Maheesh Theekshana weaved magic with the ball producing unplayable deliveries to bag four wickets for 20 runs. His guile and artistry with the ball resulted in Dubai Capitals being bowled out for 104 runs in 18.2 overs.
Theekshana was well-backed by Daniel Sams, who bagged 3 for 28 with his accurate left-arm medium pace. Together they helped Warriors register an emphatic nine-wicket win in the 14th match of the DP World ILT20 season 2 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
Chasing the moderate target, Warriors raced to victory in 13.1 overs through an opening partnership of 70 runs in 8.2 overs between Niroshan Dickwella and Johnson Charles. Niroshan Dickwella scored a 30-ball 37 runs before getting caught by Sam Billings at long on bowled by Haider Ali. Charles went on to hit an unbeaten 43 off 33 balls with four boundaries and a six while Joe Denly remained unconquered on 23 off 16 balls with three boundaries and a six. Warriors won the match with 41 balls to spare.
Capitals had come into this match after a defeat to defending champions Gulf Giants. They surprised everyone by opting to bat first after winning the toss, unlike all other teams that had elected to bowl. On the other hand, Warriors, fresh from a win over Desert Vipers the day before this match, carried the momentum and have now shot up the points table to the second slot from the fifth position while Capitals slipped to the fourth slot.
Brief scores:
Sharjah Warriors bt Dubai Capitals by 9 wkts.
Dubai Capitals 104 in 18.2 overs (Sikandar Raza 22, Roelof van der Merwe 21, Daniel Sams 3 for 28, Maheesh Theekshana 4 for 20) Sharjah Warriors 105 for 1 in 13.1 overs (Niroshan Dickwella 37, Johnson Charles 43n.o, Joe Denly 23n.o)
Player of the Match: Maheesh Theekshana

Sharafu’s unbeaten 82 lifts Abu Dhabi past Desert Vipers by six wickets

Gulf Times — Sun, 28 Jan 2024 16:57:39 +0000

Abu Dhabi,
UAE’s 21-year-old Alishan Sharafu stole the thunder by cracking a stupendous unbeaten 82 runs to steer the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders to a six-wicket win over Desert Vipers in the tenth match of the ILT20 season 2 at the Zayed Cricket Stadium. Sharafu’s knock was a dazzling display of knightly valor crafted out of 47 balls with 11 boundaries and four sixes. With support from experienced and senior players like Imad Wasim (25) and Andre Russell (24n.o), he helped chase down Desert Vipers total of 154 for 8 with 16 balls to spare.
Desert Vipers’ batting had failed before the tight bowling of Wasim, who took two wickets for 19 during the powerplay and Russell (2 for 29). Except for Colin Munro’s 50 off 44 balls with six boundaries and a six, none of the other batters rose to the challenge to post a bigger total.

The chase towards 155 to win was a treat to watch. Joe Clarke on 2 was run out while backing up when bowler Mohammad Amir deflected the ball to the stumps. Opener Andries Gous too followed, falling to Amir edging to wicketkeeper Azam Khan for 10 in the fourth over. Wanindu Hasaranga tightened the grip by trapping Sam Hain leg before through a googly for 7 in the sixth over. These early strikes made the target look huge.
Brief scores:
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders bt Desert Vipers by 6 wkts.
Desert Vipers 154 for 8 in 20 overs (Colin Munro 50, Sherfane Rutherford 28; Imad Wasim 2 for 19, Andre Russell 2 for 29);
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders 160 for 4 in 17.2 overs (Alishan Sharafu 82n.o, Imad Wasim 25, Andre Russell 24n.o, Wanindu Hasaranga 2 for 12)
Player of the Match: Alishan Sharafu of Abu Dhabi Knight Riders

Gulf Giants register a thrilling three-wicket win against Dubai Capitals

Gulf Times — Sun, 28 Jan 2024 16:55:53 +0000

Sharjah,
Riding on Carlos Brathwaite’s 3 for 26 to restrict the Dubai Capitals to a modest 132/7 in 20 overs, defending champions Gulf Giants registered a 3-wicket win in the 11th match of the ILT20 Season 2 here at the iconic Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Saturday. Buoyed by a boisterous weekend audience, Dominic Drakes brought on the winning runs with a stylish boundary and eight balls to spare.
Gulf Giants braved the onslaught of left-arm spinner Roelof Van Der Merwe who caused havoc to their run-chase bagging crucial wickets of James Vince (28), Carlos Brathwaite (1) and Chris Jordan (0).
His effort of 3 for 27 went in vain with the defending champions holding their nerves to earn the winning points. Sikandar Raza who scored a swashbuckling 47 off 36 balls to anchor the Dubai Capitals innings after losing early wickets proved his mettle with the ball too, picking up two wickets for mere eight runs but it was simply not enough.

“The wicket was doing all sorts of things. Especially with seamers, the ball was swinging a lot, and it was difficult to bat on. We thought if we could drag the innings and take the total to 140-150, we would be good. But the chase won’t be easy,” Raza had stated after the first innings.
The chase sure wasn’t easy, with Jason Holder getting opening batsman Jamie Smith (1) in the first over. But Chris Lynn led the charge, thereafter, scoring 37 runs off 22 balls, studded with three boundaries and three sixes. He was ably supported by captain James Vince who etched his name in history for getting past 10,000 runs in T20s. Vince scored 28 off 19 balls with two boundaries and two over it.
Brief scores:
Gulf Giants bt Dubai Capitals by 3 wickets. Dubai Capitals 132/7 in 20 overs. (Sikandar Raza 47, David Warner 21, Rahul Chopra 20; Carlos Brathwaite 3 for 26). Gulf Giants 133/7 in 18.4 overs (Chris Lynn 37, James Vince 28, J Cox 38; Van Der Merwe 3 for 27, Sikandar Raza 2 for 8)
Player of the Match: Carlos Brathwaite of Gulf Giants

ILT20 is going to get bigger and bigger, waqar

Gulf Times — Fri, 26 Jan 2024 12:30:54 +0000

Dubai,

Lauding the ILT20’s popularity in the Gulf region, legendary fast bowler Waqar Younis shared his thoughts on the league’s growth, and the UAE team’s upward trajectory and the impact of well-known players in the tournament.

The former Pakistan pacer features in the commentary panel that comprises many stalwarts of the game including the likes of Wasim Akram, Simon Doull, Virender Sehwag, Shoaib Akthar and Harbhajan Singh.

Speaking on his experience with the league he said, “Last year the tournament was new, and we were lucky to be involved. I had a great time, especially since the quality of cricket was good. I feel the ILT20 is going to get bigger and bigger. It’s just early days, but I am sure the level of cricket and the crowds will only get better with each season.”