Sofia Kenin and Cristina Bucsa win Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open qualifiers

ABU DHABI: The Gulf Giants returned to winning ways as they coasted to a seven-wicket win over the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the DP World ILT20 clash at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.

The win sees the Giants climb to third in the table and gives a welcome boost to their playoff chances. The result also confirms the MI Emirates join the Desert Vipers as playoff qualifiers.

Needing a win to keep their competition hopes alive, the Gulf Giants were brilliant with the ball as they stifled the Knight Riders for 123. In response, they rode on a superb 70-run partnership between Gerhard Erasmus and Tom Curran and some late pinch-hitting from Shimron Hetmyer to clinch the victory.

The Giants were off the blocks well in what appeared to be a straightforward chase. However, David Willey worked his magic as he picked up two wickets in as many deliveries to put the opposition in a worrisome spot. James Vince played the ball onto his stumps to depart for seven and Willey trapped Jordan Cox LBW on the next to give his side a fighting chance. The Giants scored 27/2 in the powerplay, just three runs more than their opponents at the same stage. A disciplined bowling effort from Willey and Sunil Narine curtailed the Giants’ batting as they were restricted to 50/2 at the halfway point.

But it was just a matter of time before Erasmus and Curran found their groove, which happened in the 11th over. Curran let loose as he hit Andre Russell for a four, a six and another four to amass 17 much-needed runs. That gave the Giants the impetus they needed as they got 12 more runs off Terrance Hinds in the 13th.

The Giants were on track at this point, at 82/2, and needed a run per ball from the remaining seven overs. An impressive 70-run partnership between Curran and Erasmus came to an end when Jason Holder found the breakthrough in the 15th over. Erasmus was caught at mid-off, but Hetmyer joined Curran and made his intentions clear early on with a superb boundary. Narine, uncharacteristically, gave away four runs in extras as the Giants inched closer to the target.

Hetmyer displayed his big-hitting skills as he clobbered Irbar Ahmad for a maximum over deep midwicket and subsequently hit the winning runs to seal a remarkable victory for the Gulf Giants.

Earlier, the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders made a poor start when they lost both their openers — Kyle Mayers and Andries Gous — inside the opening three overs. Each made one run as the Knight Riders limped to 4/2. Roston Chase offered some hope as he struck a few boundaries to lead them to 24/2 at the end of the powerplay.

He departed for 15 soon after to Blessing Muzarabani, and Willey entered the fray. The Englishman steadied the ship and teamed up with Joe Clarke to put up 29 runs for the fourth wicket. The runs, though, were hard to come by as the Knight Riders went through four overs without a boundary. They were precariously placed at 55/3 after 12 overs when Clarke fell to Chris Jordan.

The Knight Riders made plenty of changes to their batting order. Russell came in next, his arrival seeming to swing the fortunes in his side’s favor as Willey launched two massive sixes before Russell hit a couple of boundaries. However, his stay at the crease was cut when Curran dismissed him for 15.

With five overs to go, the Knight Riders were at 80/5 and in dire need of some quick runs to put up a competitive total. Willey shouldered the responsibility and hit Mark Adair for a six, but the Irishman struck back on the next delivery. Willey’s resolute display ended after a crucial 41 off 29 deliveries.

Alishan Sharafu, the local boy who has been among the Riders’ better batsmen this season, was tasked with steering his side at the death overs. He got off the mark with a boundary, but the runs then dried up as his team managed just three boundaries in the final four overs to put up a modest total of 123.

Sunil Narine, captain of the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, said: “I think they bowled brilliantly and used the conditions to their advantage. We tried to take as many wickets as possible in the powerplay. We couldn’t take many wickets in the middle overs and it became easier for them. Jason Holder has been doing a fantastic job with the bat and the ball. He assessed the conditions as best as possible. We are on the backfoot, but we will be looking forward to that Mumbai-Sharjah game and are hoping for the best.”

Player of the Match Dan Worrall said: “Opening the bowling with Mark, we had to get us off to a good start. Our bowling group prides itself on diversity. Left arm, right arm, tall and short, we have a bit of everything. We’re glad that we’ve at least given ourselves a fighting chance. We’ll be crossing our fingers for the next couple of days.”

Brief scores

Gulf Giants beat Abu Dhabi Knight Riders by seven wickets

Gulf Giants 124/3 in 17.5 overs (Gerhard Erasmus 47, Tom Curran 38 not out, Shimron Hetmyer 20 not out, David Willey 2 for 17, Jason Holder 1 for 17)

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders 123-7 in 20 overs (David Willey 41, Alishan Sharafu 21 not out, Chris Jordan 2 for 20, Mark Adair 2 for 25, Dan Worrall 1 for 13)

Player of the Match: Dan Worrall