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Cricket

'The Finals is getting ready' - Fans hail Gulf Giants as they beat MI Emirates to reach the ILT20 final

James Vince shone for Gulf Giants giving them a decisive victory over MI Emirates and securing their spot in the final match.

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Sam Abraham
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Gulf Giants

Gulf Giants (Source: Twitter)

James Vince, the captain of Gulf Giants, scored 83 runs in Qualifier 2 of the ILT20 2023 at the Dubai International Stadium on Friday, giving them a decisive victory over MI Emirates and securing their spot in the final match. They will now compete against Desert Vipers for the title at the same on February 12.

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Vince practically carried the team through the innings by scoring an unbeaten 83 off 56 balls with ten boundaries and one six. Kieron Pollard, the skipper for MI Emirates, scored an unbeaten 57 runs off 35 balls, including three boundaries and four sixes, to get his team to a daunting score of 167 for 5. Vince led his team to the target with 11 balls remaining despite wickets tumbling at the other end.

Gulf Giants won the toss and decided to bowl to start the match for a spot in the final game. Andre Fletcher, the opening batter for the MI Emirates, was dismissed for four off the fourth delivery of the second over by Carlos Brathwaite. Fletcher had been unbeaten in the eliminator after scoring 68 against the Dubai Capitals on Thursday.

After joining Muhammad Waseem, Lorcan Tucker scored four boundaries off David Wiese's fourth over for a total of 18 runs. Jordan put a stop to Tucker's innings in the fifth over by having him caught for 21 by Aayan Khan. After the powerplay, MI Emirates had a score of 34 to 2.

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James Vince shines in Gulf Giants' chase

The wickets kept falling for MI at one end. At the very end, Pollard provided his side with a tremendous boost. The West Indies all-rounder, who has been in outstanding form throughout the competition, first faced Qais Ahmed and hit him for back-to-back sixes before facing Jordan and hitting another huge shot over long-on. He continued to hit the boundary frequently and reached fifty quickly in just 31 balls.

Giants quickly reached 35/0 thanks to Vince's quick start, during which he smashed Trent Boult for five boundaries in his first two overs. As they picked up a few wickets in the middle, the MI team recovered. By scoring a boundary off Kieron Pollard, Vince finally reached his half-century and broke a brief boundary drought. At the very end, David Wise and Carlos Brathwaite both hit a six, and Vince was in his element as the Giants advanced to face the Desert Vipers in the final, the team that had defeated them in the first qualifier.

Here is how Twitter reacted

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