Dubai Capitals vs Desert Vipers Match Report
The match, the 13th match of the International League T20 2025, which took place at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, witnessed the clash between Dubai Capitals and Desert Vipers in what subsequently became a thrilling encounter. Losing all 10 wickets in 19.5 overs, Desert Vipers batted first, conceding some reasonably low target of 139 runs.
Opening for the Vipers were Fakhar Zaman and Alex Hales. Dushmantha Chameera initiated a tricky innings after dismissing Zaman on just 14 runs. Alex made more significant contributions, scoring 34 off 31 before being dismissed LBW by Haider Ali. There was some resistance in the middle order from Dan Lawrence racing runs and Sam Curran, but not enough to build a sizable total.
There were brisk runs, of course, from Azam Khan, Sherfane Rutherford, and Wanindu Hasaranga towards the end, but the story of the Vipers’ innings was marked by regular wickets for no set reason. Chameera was by far the best bowler for the Capitals, taking 3 wickets for 26 runs, while Zahir Khan and Haider Ali also made some stellar contributions.
Chasing a target of 140 runs, the Dubai Capitals had an indifferent start to their innings. The first departure was that of Ben Dunk. Hasaranga took a great catch off Lockie Ferguson’s bowling. He scored 13 runs. Run out shortly after was Shai Hope: only 8 runs to his name. The Capitals found themselves in a precarious position at 17 for 2 after 1.5 overs.
Nevertheless, Khalid Shah and Gulbadin Naib brought back some sense of order to their innings. Khalid scored a quickfire 43 runs, while Naib’s innings was match-defining, remaining unbeaten at 78 off 51, including 3 fours and 5 sixes. His hitting was the order of the day. Also backing him was Sikandar Raza with a healthy 24 runs. With such aggression, the Capitals chased down the target set by the Vipers in 17.4 overs with 6 wickets still spared.
For the Vipers, Mohammad Amir was the only bowler to claim a wicket as he finished with 1 wicket for 31 runs, but the whole bowling attack was unable to break through the resolute batting of Naib and Raza. Lockie Ferguson continued to be an expensive bowler during his spell despite his earlier success.
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This match can be set as a classic case of fortitude and strategizing, wherein the Dubai Capitals showed their disposition in both halves of the game. They restricted the Vipers during their batting phase and chased down the target with relative ease, thus confirming their status in the tournament. The victory came by 6 wickets, which raised not only the performance tier but also gave them the confidence to carry on in the rest of the competition.
