MI Emirates booked their place in the playoffs with a commanding eight-wicket victory over Gulf Giants at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Tuesday. A disciplined bowling display set up the chase before Nicholas Pooran and Muhammad Waseem stitched an unbeaten 140-run partnership off just 89 balls to seal a fourth successive win with 21 deliveries remaining.Chasing 142, MI Emirates were reduced to 2/2 early after Mark Adair removed Jonny Bairstow and Azmatullah Omarzai dismissed Tom Banton. From 58/2 at the halfway stage, Pooran and Waseem took control, adding 84 runs in 6.3 overs. Waseem finished unbeaten on 59 off 42 balls, while Pooran smashed 69 not out off 49, striking six sixes. Moeen Ali’s 51 off 48 proved insufficient for the Giants.
Pooran accelerated after the 10th over, reaching his fifty in 43 balls, while Waseem brought up his maiden half-century of the season in just 38 deliveries. With 27 required off 30 balls, the pair wrapped up the chase comfortably, Pooran striking consecutive sixes before Waseem guided the side home.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Earlier, MI Emirates’ bowlers kept the Giants in check from the outset. Romario Shepherd struck twice in the powerplay, while Fazalhaq Farooqi and Arab Gul maintained pressure through the middle overs. Moeen Ali and Romario Shepherd struggled to break free initially before Ali and Andre Russell added late momentum. Despite Ali’s half-century and a brisk cameo from Mayers, the Giants were restricted to 141/6.
Romario Shepherd of MI Emirates bowls during Match 26 of the ILT20 between the MI Emirates and the Gulf Giants
Player of the match Muhammad Waseem said the plan was to weather the early movement before capitalising on loose deliveries. Waseem said: “We spoke in the middle about the movement early on. The focus was simply to survive the first three or four overs and build a partnership. Once we got through that phase, we were able to settle into our natural game and wait for the loose deliveries.”
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Giants skipper James Vince admitted his side struggled to judge par scores after losing early wickets yet again. He said: “We were short of runs again. Batting first, we’re struggling to assess the right tempo and what a competitive total looks like. Losing early wickets really knocked the momentum out of our innings. That said, I thought we finished better than we have in recent games, but the damage was done upfront.”Brief Scores Gulf Giants: 141/6 in 20 overs (Moeen Ali 51, Kyle Mayers 28 not out; Fazalhaq Farooqi 2/17, Romario Shepherd 2/36)MI Emirates: 142/2 in 16.3 overs (Muhammad Waseem 59 not out, Nicholas Pooran 69 not out; Azmatullah Omarzai 1/20, Mark Adair 1/30)