Michael Pepper’s 59 off 40 balls, peppered with seven boundaries and three sixes, inspired the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders to outplay defending champions and third-placed Gulf Giants by six wickets in the 16th match of the DP World ILT20 season two at the Zayed Cricket Stadium. The victory has lifted the Knight Riders — who had been tottering at the bottom of the points table — to the third slot while the Giants slipped to fourth. Winning captain Sunil Narine said: “We ticked a lot of boxes. Started with picking up wickets in the powerplay, it sets the tone. We’re getting a bit of momentum, still a bit too close for comfort, we need to win by bigger margins. But a win is a win and we’ll take it.”
The Gulf Giants were restricted to 161 for six despite Chris Lynn’s 67 off 48 balls with six boundaries and three sixes. He had put on 72 runs in 58 balls for the third wicket with Jordan Cox who hit 21 off 27 balls with one boundary and a six. Lynn also added 39 runs for the fourth wicket with Usman Khan (23).
Chasing the target, the Knight Riders needed a good start. Openers Joe Clarke and Pepper provided just that recording their 50-run partnership in just 4.1 overs. —AFP
