Exxon Mobil Guyana Global Super League: Victoria pull off nail-biting 4-wicket win over GAW

The ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League (GSL) T20 tournament continues to bring the best thrills of the shortest format with another last-ball thriller at the Guyana National Stadium on Friday night.
The battle between the Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW) and Victoria Cricket of Australia went down to the wire with an even run-a-ball required off the last over. However, it was Victoria’s game to lose and with the dew on their side, the visitors trumped the beloved local franchise.
The Amazon Warriors were forced to take first strike after their opponents, Victoria, won the toss and opted to field first.

The new opening pair of Moeen Ali and Roston Chase were proactive from the very first over, but Chase’s attempt at first strike was short-lived, as he perished for a run-a-ball 10.
There was no love lost for the Amazon Warriors however, as Shai Hope comfortably kept up with Ali’s aggression.
The duo combined for an entertaining 74-run partnership that, on many occasions, lifted the exuberant ‘Warrior Nation’ fans to their feet in the stands. Ali smashed four maximums and three fours for a well-played 51 off 33 deliveries before Jackson Smith claimed his second wicket of the night.

Hope unfortunately didn’t last much longer after Ali departed, missing out on his half-century with 40 off 30 balls.
At 115-3 in 13.4 overs, that was the point at which the runs began to slow up for the Amazon Warriors. Keemo Paul, attempting a big shot very early in his innings, found himself caught near the boundary and heading back to the dugout for a duck in the over following Hope’s wicket. Two overs later, Shimron Hetmyer mishit another delivery and had to depart for 18.

The three wickets in quick succession caused some caution in the Amazon Warriors camp, evidenced by Romario Shepherd’s uncharacteristically low strike rate, as he tried to hold one end of the pitch up. At the other end, Hassan Khan was the polar opposite, smashing three huge sixes, including a massive one that sailed over the roof of the players’ pavilion.
Although Shepherd perished for 10 from 17 deliveries in the last over of the Warriors’ innings, Khan remained unbeaten on 25 from just 12 balls. As such, the hosts managed 162-6 in their 20 overs.
Though taking the most wickets for the Australia-based outfit (2), Smith was on the expensive side, conceding 38 runs in his four overs. Four other bowlers had one scalp each.

It was a rocky start to the innings for Guyana’s pacers, Dwaine Pretorius and Tanzim Hasan Sakib, who were dispatched to the boundary on several occasions in the first three overs.
However, Gudakesh Motie’s introduction into the bowling attack brought favour almost immediately as he trapped Blake McDonald (6) lbw in his second ball. The subsequent over, Hassan Khan sent Joe Clarke back to the dugout in the same fashion for 17 off 14 balls.
Misfields plagued the Amazon Warriors’ fielders, but the bowlers did just enough to contain their opponents, keeping them just behind the required eight runs per over.
Then, Captain Imran Tahir was given reason to sprint to the boundary in his now renowned celebratory form, after effecting a double-wicket over. Tahir ensured that two new batters in Scott Edwards and Corey Anderson would come to the crease, but this did not solve the Amazon Warriors’ problems as the duo kept their team teetering along.
Ali found a reprieve to dismiss Anderson after what the hosts thought was the fall of his wicket was disallowed due to a no-ball. On the free hit, Anderson sent the ball out to the boundary which was caught and quickly sent in to Hope, who wasted no time in finding Anderson short of his ground for the run-out.
Backed by Karima Gore, Edwards kept the visitors going in a handful of quiet overs that followed.
The first ball of the 17th over caused the Guyana National Stadium to erupt in cheers as Sakib castled Edwards for 31 off 25 balls. But the wicket brought little relief to the Warriors who had to watch Gore and Dominic Drakes explode to bring down the required rate to a run-a-ball by the last over.
Gore sent Pretorius’s first ball of the 20th over the ropes to make his intentions clear and hit the game-winning shot two balls later, to seal the four-wicket victory for the Australian side.
Tahir had returns of 2-34 from four overs while Sakib, Motie and Khan snared one wicket each.
The ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League continues today with the Hampshire Hawks and Lahore Qalandars battling from 10:00h.