The International League T20 (ILT20) is in its business end as Gulf Giants are set to take on Desert Vipers in the finale on February 12 at Dubai International Stadium. In Qualifier 2, the Giants beat MI Emirates by four wickets to book their spot into the finals. Giants captain James Vince continued his red-hot form and led the team against Emirates with a half-century.
Chasing 168 runs, Giants started well as opener Vince and Chris Lynn added 64 runs for the first wicket before DJ Bravo dismissed Lynn at the score of 24. After the first wicket, Giants failed to hold their nerves and kept losing wickets at regular intervals. However, captain Vince stood at the end and took the team to the winning side.
Giants will be playing against Desert Vipers in the finals on February 12. In their last encounter in Qualifier 1, the Vipers hammered the Giants and won the match by 19 runs. Giants will be looming to take revenge and win the most important game of the tournament. Although, the result of this match will depend upon the performance of some players. These are players who can decide the winner of the inaugural season of ILT20.
Alex Hales (Desert Vipers)
The English batter Alex Hales is the leading run-getter of the tournament. He has scored 468 runs at an average of 52 in 11 matches. He has been phenomenal throughout the season with the bat as he is scoring runs at the strike rate of 152.44. The Vipers’ opener smashed four consecutive 50+ scores at the beginning of the tournament. He has scored 128 runs against the Giants at an average of 42.66 in three matches and he will be key for the Vipers in the batting.
