West Indies batsman Shimron Hetmyer endured a forgettable outing with the bat as Gulf Giants slumped to a five-wicket defeat against Desert Vipers in their DP World ILT20 encounter at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.

Hetmyer, known for his explosive stroke play, managed just five runs off seven balls, failing to provide the spark his team desperately needed after being sent in to bat.

Gulf Giants struggled to find momentum, losing wickets at regular intervals in a dismal batting display as they mustered only 129-8, which the Vipers surpassed at 130-5 with an over to spare.

The Giants’ innings never quite got going, as Sam Curran (3-28) and Wanindu Hasaranga (3-10) wreaked havoc with the ball. By the 15th over, they were reeling at 61-8, staring at an embarrassing total.

It took a sensational unbeaten 64 off 34 balls from Tom Curran, featuring nine fours and a six, to give them some respectability. His late onslaught pushed them beyond the 120-run mark, but it was still a well-below-par total on a decent batting surface.

In reply, the Vipers found themselves in early trouble, losing Alex Hales (9), Fakhar Zaman (14), and Dan Lawrence (7) inside the powerplay to slump to 49-3. However, Max Holden played a mature knock, steering the innings with an unbeaten 70 off 52 balls, laced with nine fours and one six.

Holden found brief support from Sam Curran (16) in a 45-run fourth-wicket stand, and although the Vipers lost a couple of quick wickets, Holden and Adam Hose (12 not out) ensured they secured victory with six balls to spare.

For the Giants, Blessing Muzarabani (3-25) was the standout bowler, but his efforts were in vain as the total proved too small to defend.