Abu Dhabi Knight Riders opens ILT20 campaign with comfortable six-wicket win over Desert Vipers

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders kicked off their International League T20 2024 campaign with a comfortable six-wicket win over Desert Vipers on Sunday. A sensational half-century from Andries Gous and his 50-run partnership with Laurie Evans paved the way for Knight Riders' triumph at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. 

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After being asked to bat first, the Vipers were restricted to 164-8 in 20 overs. Colin Munro and Alex Hales got them off to a flying start but the latter was sent packing in the third over. They kept losing wickets at regular intervals but Adam Hose played a crucial knock to give his team something to fight in the second innings. The English batter scored 45 off 30 balls before getting dismissed in the 14th over. 

There was no significant contribution from the rest of the batters and as a result, they had to settle for a moderate score. Ali Khan and spin wizard Sunil Narine were the pick of the bowlers for Knight Riders, picking three and two wickets respectively. 

Andries Gous propels Knight Riders to easy win 

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Chasing 165, Knight Riders had a horror start as they lost opener Alishan Sharafu cheaply in the second over. However, Andries Gous and Michael-Kyle Pepper ensured that did not affect their momentum and added 80-plus runs for the second wicket. The wicketkeeper batter looked in fluent touch from the word go and went on to smash an unbeaten 95 off 50 deliveries, including 5 fours and 7 sixes. 

Kyle Pepper and Sam Hain were dismissed in quick succession but Evans (21 off 18 balls) came in and provided the support for Gous. Pakistan all-rounder Imad Wasim hit the winning boundary in the fourth ball of the 18th over to seal a convincing win after a dreadful outing in the 2023 season. South African cricketer Gous was awarded Player of the Match for his outstanding knock. 

Speaking after the match, Gous said: "I think this innings will be right up there among my best as they've got an extremely good bowling attack. Very special feeling tonight! It's been a great experience being a part of this squad and they're one of the most successful IPL franchises. I hope that I can play the World Cup for the USA in the coming days and we will have to see how that plays out."