Abu Dhabi: (PNP) The Dubai Capitals sealed an important six-wicket win over the Gulf Giants courtesy of an impressive all-round display at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Sunday. With this win, the Capitals have moved to second on the points table, while the Giants slid to a fourth consecutive defeat.
Mustafizur Rahman took his three wickets in the 14th over but it was enough to turn the tide after James Vince (36 off 34) and Azmatullah Omarzai (43 off 26) looked dangerous in the middle overs. His bowling helped the Capitals bundle out the Giants for 156. Shayan Jahangir’s controlled innings of 48 from 44 balls, set up the Capitals before Rovman Powell’s unbeaten 47 off 31, including a four and three sixes, sealed the win.
The Capitals made a calculated start to the chase with Jahangir providing early impetus, with a six and four boundaries to lift them to 33/0 after four overs. The momentum shifted in the fifth over as Omarzai struck twice to remove Sediqullah Atal (9 off 10) and Jordan Cox (0 off 2). At the end of the powerplay they were 42/2, needing 115 more for the win.
Despite the sub-par total, the Giants’ spinners applied the pressure, with runs coming mostly in singles. Jahangir held the innings together, ably supported by Leus du Plooy (22 off 15), before Fred Klaassen shattered his stumps just as the partnership of 31 runs in 27 balls was building was building. With Powell initially quiet on arrival, the Capitals reached the halfway stage at 68/3, leaving them needing 89 from the final 10 overs.
The key wicket of Jahangir fell in the 15th over just as he looked set to accelerate. His dismissal briefly checked the chase, but Powell ensured momentum did not slip away, providing the late surge. Mohammad Nabi (25* off 14) then ensured that the contest was settled in emphatic fashion in the final over as he first brought scores level with a four before sealing the chase with a six.
Earlier in the game, the Giants raced out of the blocks thanks to Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s explosive start, smashing 25 off just 11 balls to power the side to 39/0 after three overs. Haider Ali then struck in the fourth over to remove Gurbaz and added a second scalp to get Lorcan Tucker (1 off 4) in the sixth. Between these two wickets, Nabi chipped in by dismissing Moeen Ali (7 off 6), as the Giants closed the powerplay at 53/3.
Vince and Omarzai then stitched together a crucial partnership to stabilise the Giants’ innings. Together, they put up 66 runs in 46 balls in the middle overs as the duo carried the Giants past the halfway mark and kept the scoring rate ticking.
The momentum shifted decisively when Mustafizur Rahman returned for a devastating spell in the 14th over. The left-arm pacer removed Vince, Omarzai and Sean Dickson (0 off 1) in quick succession, reducing the Giants from 110/3 to 116/6 and exposing the lower order.
Kyle Mayers (24 off 20) and Mark Adair (12 off 12) attempted a late push, adding some urgency with boundaries in the 18th over, but chaos ensued at the death. The final over saw a remarkable hat-trick of run-outs, as panic between the wickets undid the Giants’ late resistance. From 152/7, they were bowled out for 156.
Dubai Capitals stand-in skipper Mohammad Nabi said, “It was a complete team effort. They got off to a strong start, but the turning point was Mustafizur’s over where we picked up three wickets and shifted the momentum. Haider was excellent in the powerplay and Fizz really changed the game. Rovman played superbly as well—he paced the chase smartly and made sure he capitalised on every ball.”
Gulf Giants skipper James Vince said, “It’s been a similar pattern to our last few games. We get ourselves into a position where we should be adding another 20 or 30 runs, but when one wicket falls, we tend to lose two or three in quick succession. That puts pressure on the batters who come in, as they have to lower the risk just to make sure we don’t collapse completely.”
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