Aayan Khan stars as Gulf Giants defeat Sharjah Warriorz by six wickets

Dubai: An incisive spell from Aayan Khan set up the Gulf Giants for a six-wicket victory against the Sharjah Warriorz at the Dubai International Stadium. The UAE spinner’s three-wicket haul held the Warriorz at 157/6 in the first innings before Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s half-century and Azmatullah Omarzai’s cameo sealed the win.

The Warriorz slipped to their third straight defeat of DP World ILT20 Season 4, while the Giants notched their third win in four games to remain firmly in second place on the points table.

In the second innings, the Giants launched an explosive assault through Gurbaz (50 off 36) and Vince (35 off 28). The pair set the tone immediately, plundering 21 runs off Wasim Akram in the second over. Their aggressive intent was clear as they smoked five sixes during the power play, racing to 73/0 and effectively putting the Giants miles ahead in the chase.

It looked like the Giants were cruising when Vince departed off Sikandar Raza in the eighth over. But the Warriorz bowling unit led by Raza and Rashid did a remarkable job of curbing the Giants, with only 48 runs coming between the sixth and 16th over.

Moeen Ali partnered Gurbaz through a tougher middle phase, but his innings was cut short when Rashid castled him in the 13th. Gurbaz was forced to tone down the aggression as he crossed the fifty mark in 34 balls. He had thumped four sixes on his way there but fell to Sikandar Raza in search of the fifth.

The Giants needed 47 runs in 39 balls when Gerhard Erasmus (15 off 18) and Azmatullah Omarzai (28 off 21) came together. The pair could not find the boundaries as often as they liked, with the equation coming down to eight runs required in six balls.

Omarzai launched Southee for a six in the final over, before he perished on the next ball, but he had done enough for the Giants to win with two balls to spare.

The Warriorz had a steady power play even after Tom Kohler-Cadmore (7 off 8) was removed by Mark Adair in the third over. Johnson Charles (36 off 32) and Kusal Mendis (23 off 15) steered the Warriorz to 48/1 by the end of the fielding restrictions.

Charles led the way with four fours and a six, while Mendis also struck a four and a six as the pair combined for 32 runs in 28 balls.

The Giants spinners dominated the middle phase of the innings as Aayan Khan sliced through with an exceptional spell of 3/17 in four overs. Aayan removed the well-settled pair of Charles and Mendis, followed by Tim David (19 off 14) to leave the Warriorz reeling at 94/4 in 13.3 overs.

Liam Dawson complemented Aayan’s brilliance with a miserly spell of 1/21, claiming Sikandar Raza (3 off 7) in his four economical overs. The innings slipped further when Mark Adair returned to end Shubham Ranjane’s (17 off 21) contribution at 119/6 in the 18th over.

However, Dwayne Pretorius (36 off 17) lifted the innings. He launched a ferocious counter-attack alongside Adil Rashid (12 off 6), plundering 36 runs in just 16 balls. Pretorius carved two fours and two sixes as the duo took Omarzai for 20 runs in the penultimate over. The Warriorz finished at 157/6.

Player of the Match Aayan Khan said: “It was a spinning wicket, and I’m happy to take a few wickets. Bowling four overs felt really good. I hadn’t bowled for a few games, so it was nice to get the ball again. This match was good for me, and it feels great to be here receiving this award.”

Captain of the Sharjah Warriorz, Tim Southee said: “The last two matches, we’ve been in it till the end. Tonight was a good effort to take it that deep after the power play. Going 0—3 is not where we want to be, but we have a chance in a couple of days to put that right. There was a bit of dew, but on that wicket you needed quality spinners who could take the game deep. The spinners bowled really well and gave us a chance at the end.”