Allround Capitals condemn Giants to fourth straight loss

An allround effort from Dubai Capitals condemned Gulf Giants to their fourth successive loss in the ILT20. Looking to end their losing streak against a side they already defeated before in the season, Giants put up a scrappy batting performance that saw them bowled out for 156. In reply, Capitals overcame a jittery start to complete the chase in the final over.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz gave Giants a flier, hitting David Willey for two sixes in the opening over and another off Mustafizur Rahman in the second, racing to 23 off 8 balls. However, a slog sweep ended his explosive start. The game turned quickly as Mohammad Nabi removed Moeen Ali before Haider Ali bowled Lorcan Tucker, reducing Giants to 49/3.

Azmatullah Omarzai then partnered with skipper James Vince to rebuild the innings. After a quiet period, Azmatullah broke free by hitting Haider for a six and another off Waqar Salamkheil to inject momentum. But against the run of play, Mustafizur Rahman struck three times in four balls to dismantle the Giants' innings. Vince edged a wide delivery behind, Azmatullah was bowled off an inside edge, and Sean Dickson was bowled for a duck. From 116/6, Giants crawled to 156 thanks to Kyle Mayers.

With the ball, Azmatullah struck twice in one over, removing Sediqullah Atal and Jordan Cox to keep the contest balanced. Despite a strong start, Shayan Jahangir retreated after those wickets, but Giants were in a good position at the halfway stage. The momentum shifted when Rovman Powell hammered a six and a four in successive overs. Jahangir fell for 48, but the experienced duo of Powell and Mohammad Nabi absorbed pressure and took the game deep. Both batters hit timely boundaries before Powell's six off Azmatullah in the penultimate over tilted the balance. Nabi then finished the game with a four and a six off the first two balls of the final over.

Brief scores: Gulf Giants 156 in 19.5 overs (Azmatullah Omarzai 43; Mustafizur Rahman 3/34) lost to Dubai Capitals 162/4 in 19.2 overs (Shayan Jahangir 48, Rovman Powell 47*; Azmatullah Omarzai 2/27) by 6 wickets.