The Sharjah Warriorz suffered a narrow defeat to the Gulf Giants in their ILT20 clash on Sunday, falling short despite posting a competitive total of 171-6. The Giants chased down the target with three balls to spare, courtesy of a composed unbeaten 85 from Tom Alsop, sealing a six-wicket victory.
Batting first, the Warriorz made a promising start, with Johnson Charles leading the charge with a brisk 30 off 19 balls, including four boundaries and a six. He partnered with Tom Kohler-Cadmore (29 off 25) for an opening stand of 57 in just under six overs before Charles fell to a sharp catch by Mark Adair off Daniel Worrall.
Jason Roy contributed a fluent 44 off 30 balls, maintaining the scoring tempo through the middle overs, while Ashton Agar provided a late flourish with an unbeaten 23 off 13 deliveries, including two sixes. However, the Warriorz struggled to build momentum against a disciplined Giants attack, with Blessing Muzarabani leading the way with figures of 3 for 32.
The Warriorz finished with 171-6, a decent total on a good batting surface but one that left little room for error in defending.
In reply, the Gulf Giants made an explosive start, with James Vince hitting five boundaries in a quickfire 24 off 14 balls before being caught by Ethan D’Souza off Dilshan Madushanka. Tom Alsop, however, anchored the innings brilliantly, striking seven fours and two sixes in his match-winning 85 off 60 deliveries.
The Warriorz bowlers applied pressure during the middle overs, with Adam Zampa and Tim Southee each claiming a wicket to leave the Giants at 107-4 after 13.4 overs. But Alsop found an able partner in Tom Curran, who smashed an unbeaten 26 off 17 balls to ensure the chase was completed smoothly.
The winning runs came with three balls remaining, as the Giants finished on 172-4, handing the Warriorz their fifth defeat of the season.
The result keeps the Gulf Giants in the playoff hunt with six points from seven matches, while the Warriorz remain at the bottom of the standings. With just three games remaining in the league stage, the Warriorz face an uphill battle to stay in contention.
The loss highlighted the Warriorz' continued struggle to defend totals despite promising starts with the bat. Meanwhile, the Giants will take confidence from Alsop’s innings and Muzarabani’s bowling performance as they aim to build momentum in the closing stages of the group phase.
Both teams will look to make improvements as the race for playoff spots heats up in the ILT20.