END OF OVER:20 | 12 Runs 1 Wkt | GG: 163/9 (12 runs required, RR: 8.15)
- Aayan Afzal Khan13 (5b)
- Fred Klaassen5 (3b)
- Dwaine Pretorius4-0-35-2
- Taskin Ahmed4-0-34-1
10.10pm After starting their ILT20 season with three successive defeats, Sharjah Warriorz have bounced back with two wins in two. After Wasim and Taskin dominated the powerplay, Gulf Giants recovered through Omarzai and Moeen, but Pathirana excelled with his variations and brought Warriorz back into the contest. He finished with 4-1-19-3 as a super-sub, on the eve of the IPL auction in Abu Dhabi. Pretorius closed the game out for Warriorz with his own variations. Plenty of smiles and high-fives in the Warriorz camp. That's a wrap of this game. Thanks for tuning in. This is Deivarayan Muthu signing off.
Vince, GG captain: Halfway we were happy with the score we had to chase. It was a true wicket and one short side to access. Early wickets have set us behind and we need to find the balance between defence and attack. Losing three-four wickets [early] is hard to recover from.
Raza, SW captain: Like I said, we were getting so close to winning. If we win the small and crunch moments, it can change. We just had to get our act right and we're getting it right, but there's something to improve. The powerplay is important and that's an area we were struggling. Credit to Pathi and Taskin and every seamer who came out to bowl. I thought Taskin bowled very well and unfortunately had a dropped catch in the first over. Taskin made a comeback in the second over and closed out the powerplay. Pathi is class and quality. Vince is a gentleman, we didn't think it was the right way to play. Wanted to withdraw [the appeal for obstructing the field] whether it was hitting the stumps or not and keep the spirit of the game alive.
Pathirana, Player of the Match: Actually, I'm getting this feeling after one year. I struggled a lot in the last few months and worked hard. But I'm still not in my best rhythm but improving and this will improve my confidence. Actually, very good point for us [Nissanka and other Sri Lankans doing well in T20 cricket] and we have a World Cup coming up in home conditions as well. I'm just doing my things and calming myself.