Desert Vipers secured their place in the final of DP World ILT20 Season 4 with a resounding 45-run victory over MI Emirates in Qualifier 1 at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Tuesday. Riding on Andries Gaus’ unbeaten century and Usman Tariq’s three-wicket haul, the Vipers qualified for their third final in four seasons of the DP World ILT20, which is a commendable and very proud moment for the Vipers.
Meanwhile, MI Emirates will face the winner of the Eliminator between Abu Dhabi Knight Riders and Dubai Capitals on January 1. A stellar partnership between Andries Gaus (120 not out off 58 balls) and Fakhar Zaman (69 off 50 balls), followed by a blistering innings from Sam Curran (38 not out off 12 balls) in the final overs, propelled the Vipers to 233 for 1—their highest total of the season.
Ghaus not only became the first centurion of the season but also the first player from an Associate Nation to score a century in four seasons of the competition. His unbeaten 120 is also the highest individual score in the league’s history.
For MI Emirates, Tom Banton’s fighting 63 off 27 balls, laced with six fours and four sixes, fell short. Usman Tariq, making his DP World ILT20 debut, took three wickets for 33 runs in the middle overs, turning the match around and ensuring the Vipers comfortably secured their place in the final.
Chasing a big total, Mohammad Wasim (41 off 32 balls) showed early intent for MI Emirates by hitting three fours in the opening over. He rotated the strike with Andre Fletcher (4 off 7 balls), who was dismissed by Khuzaima Tanvir in the fourth over, before Tom Banton hit a six and a four early in his innings. His impressive start ensured MI Emirates reached 53 for 1 at the end of the powerplay.
After the power play, Banton shifted gears, dismissing Sam Curran for 18 in the ninth over and reaching his half-century in 21 balls. However, Banton’s 81-run partnership with Wasim off 43 balls was broken by Naseem Shah in the 11th over when the UAE batter was dismissed by Hasan Nawaz.
The Vipers dominated the middle overs, with debutant Usman Tariq taking two wickets in two balls in the 12th over, dismissing the dangerous Banton and then Sanjay Krishnamurthy for no score. He also took the wicket of Kieron Pollard (15 runs off 9 balls) in the 14th over, causing MI Emirates’ batting to crumble.
David Paine dismissed Dan Mousley (7 runs off 11 balls) in the 16th over, putting the match in MI Emirates’ hands. Despite a strong performance from Romario Shepherd (39 not out off 23 balls) in the final over, which included 22 runs from Curran in the 18th over, the Vipers restricted their opponents to 188 for 7.
Asked to set a target, the Vipers scored 47 runs without loss in the power play. After a good start, Goss smashed two consecutive sixes and a four off Romario Shepherd in the fifth over to break the momentum in a 20-run over.
Goss maintained the pressure and reached his half-century in 29 balls, including three fours and three sixes. The opening partnership crossed the 100-run mark in just 65 balls. Fakhar, whose first 25 runs came in 23 balls, quickly made amends in the middle overs. He reached his fifty in 36 balls by hitting a six and a four off consecutive balls off Kieron Pollard.
The duo hit boundaries at will and formed the highest opening partnership in DP World ILT20 history. The 157-run partnership finally came to an end in the 16th over when Allah Ghazanfar dismissed Fakhar Zaman. Goss reached his century in 53 balls, and 85 runs came in the last five overs.
Gaus finished his unbeaten innings with seven fours and nine sixes, while Sam Curran also played a lethal innings, hitting two fours and four sixes in his short, unbeaten innings. He scored 20 runs in the last over to take the Vipers to 233 for 1.
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Player of the Match Andries Gaus said, “It was a really special moment for me. You don’t get many opportunities to score a century, so I really cherished it. After the sixth over, we knew it would be important to manage the wind, and Fakhar batted brilliantly, which made my job much easier. After the power play, we were thinking about 190-200, but then Sam played an incredible innings that took us to 230.”
MI Emirates captain Pollard said, “Chasing 233 was always going to be a tough challenge. Losing by 45 runs is a big margin in T20 cricket, but I felt we conceded 10-15 extra runs on this pitch. We have played and won many games at this venue, although this surface was new to us, and we played well. One loss doesn’t mean it’s over—we still have another chance. You always want to take everything in the first attempt, but this was a game where we fell short in the end, and credit to the opposition, who played very well.”