GG vs SW

Aayan Afzal Khan (Player of the Match, 3/17 off 4 overs): "It was a turning track! I felt great to bowl all four overs and take wickets! This match has been a really good one. I've been bowling well, but this game has upped the ante. The team has been pretty friendly to me, for sure!"

James Vince (Gulf Giants captain): "Winning the toss and bowling first, the spinners were excellent through the middle. Daws (Dawson) and Aayan, Aayan has done well wherever he has played. They got away from us a little bit in the end. With the bat, we looked to get off to a decent start becuase we wanted to get ahead in the game as it was tricky in the middle.(On Pathum Nissanka's injury) As far as I understand, he should be fine for the next game, it was pretty late (the injury), will leave it to the professionals. Getting there, much better than the last few days (on his own health)."

Tim Southee (Sharjah Warriorz captain): "I think the last two went pretty close! We were able to take it really deep today. We have lost three in a row yes, but, we need to look at the positives. The spinners gave us a chance towards the end by bowling so well through the middle. We will take a look at how things didn't go right and assess accordingly." 

10 PM local time, 11:30 PM IST: MATCH SUMMARY

Gulf Giants (158/4 in 19.4 overs) beat Sharjah Warriorz (157/6 in 20 overs) by 6 wickets

Rahmanullah Gurbaz 50(36) | Ayyan Afzal Khan 3/17(4)
Dwaine Pretorious 36*(17) | Sikandar Raza 2/20(4)

This should not have gone this deep but in the end the better team on the night has come out with the win and the all-important two points.

A highest-ever powerplay of 73/0 for Gulf Giants at the start with opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Jameas Vince going all guns blazing seemed to suggest that Giants would get home with multiple overs to spare. However, Sikandar Raza and Adil Rashid combined in the middle overs to choke the batters with spin and applied the handbrakes on the innings while picking up wickets as well.

The next 10 overs after the powerplay went for just 48/3 and it looked like Sharjah Waariorz could comeback from behind for something special. But a calm and cool head of Azmatullah Omarzai (28 off 21) who struck a couple of crucial timely boundaries ensured that Giants did enough in the end to go past the finish line.

A half-century for Rahmanullah Gurbaz set it up nicely at the start and then his countryman did the job towards the latter half.

With this win, Gulf Giants have now won three out of four while Sharajah Warriorz still remain winless after three matches.

19.4 Tim Southee to Sean Dickson, GULF GIANTS GET TO THE FINISH LINE THEY SHOULD HAVE REACHED MUCH EARLIER. BUT, A WIN IS A WIN! Into the pitch again on off-stump. Pulled off the splice of the bat to the right of short mid-wicket, for a single to finish the match! 

19.3 Tim Southee to Sean Dickson, good length and a bit slow round off. Bunted down to the long-on region off the back foot. The first run was taken quickly and then, scooted for the second to make it in the end! Scores level. 

He was trying to finish it in one blow but has just opened the door ever so slightly for the Warrioraz again, Omarzai walks back and this is till not over

19.2 Tim Southee to Azmatullah Omarzai, WICKET! Into the pitch and at the body. Omarzai still made room and clubbed it over the in-field. But this time, he spliced it. Long-on settled under it to his right and took the catch. 

19.1 Tim Southee to Azmatullah Omarzai, SLOGGED OUT OF SIGHT! SIX RUNS! Hard length around off-stump here with a bit of pace taken off. Omarzai picked it up nicely and smacked it over the right of wide long-on! 

18.6 Adil Rashid to Gerhard Erasmus, into the surface and slow around leg-stump. Bunted off the backfoot with the turn to short cover now. No run again! 

This looks close in replays. The backfoot went up in the air but after the bails where whipped off, was only a matter of frames. Crucial dot ball though