Twitter reacts as Desert Vipers thump MI Emirates by seven wickets; topple Gulf Giants to become table toppers

Desert Vipers defeated MI Emirates by seven wickets convincingly in the 15th match of the ongoing International League T20 2023 (ILT20) at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium on Tuesday, January 24.

Earlier, Desert Vipers had a great start to their campaign, having won the first three games of the season. However, they failed to continue with the winning momentum and succumbed to defeat at the hands of Gulf Giants.

MI Emirates had followed a similar script in the tournament, having won their first three games and losing the fourth one. When Kieron Pollard & co. took the stage alongside Vipers, they looked to bring their 'A' game into play and get back to winning ways.

Keeping the win-loss result aside, what caught the attention of the spectators in this particular match were some jaw-dropping moments from both the teams. Be it Kieron Pollard's mind-blowing one-handed acrobatic screamer to dismiss Colin Munro, or Tom Curran castling Nicholas Pooran with a toe crushing yorker.

It was all happening there. There wasn't a single moment when the crowd could sit quietly. The match truly lived up to the following - winning and losing are part and parcel of every game, but such fine levels of athleticism is what players from both teams should definitely indulge in, as that is what spectators want to witness. That is what makes a cricket match worth watching.

Also, Desert Vipers bowler Matheesha Pathirana nearly broke the record meter as he clocked what is to be believed the fastest delivery in ILT20 history. He clocked a whopping 149.4 kmph. Also, it was Alex Hales who was the star batter in Vipers' chase, top scoring with an unbeaten 62 of 44 deliveries.

For MI Emirates, Kieron Pollard was their man, top scoring with an unbeaten 67 of 39 balls and taking a catch which had everybody screaming their lungs out, and Nicholas Pooran scoring a half-century to propel MI to 169/5 in their 20 overs.

Here's how Twitter reacted:-

Nicholas Pooran was clueless against Tom Curran. #BTpoint #ILT20 pic.twitter.com/xSGbiKvneS

— Ritwik Ghosh (@gritwik98) January 24, 2023

To think that he’s coming off an injury layoff after 2 months🤩. Beast #ILT20 #DPWorldILT20 https://t.co/IOZDimI1fQ

— Malik (@abdulmm03) January 24, 2023

1️⃣4️⃣9️⃣🔹4️⃣ kmph 💥
Not a bad debut for Matheesha Pathirana for @TheDesertVipers . Bowled a couple of Thunder ⚡ balls tonight. Thihan Chandramohan (Manager - Rehabilitation 🇱🇰 Cricket) deserves plenty of credit for getting him back in action timely. #ILT20 #MIEvDV pic.twitter.com/xTuxpeV4dQ

— Amila Kalugalage (@akalugalage) January 24, 2023

.

What a catch from 🤫 @KieronPollard55 👨🏿‍🦲#catchoftheseason#ilt20#IPL2023 pic.twitter.com/cBU0s9SapA

— BB4TeluguFan🦜 (@mahalaksmi_sita) January 24, 2023

Alex Hales in ongoing #iLT20

Match 1 - 83* (52)
Match 2 - 64* (47)
Match 3 - 110 (59)
Match 4 - 99 (57)
Match 5 - 62* (44)

418 runs at the strike rate over 170. Leading runs scorer of the tournament. Unreal. 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/KLJHz7mlw9

— Ali Shamraz 🇵🇰 (@AliiItss) January 24, 2023

@TheDesertVipers won by 7 Wickets. Desert Vipers at top of the Points Table with 8 points. Fantastic Knock @AlexHales1 62*(44)[Most Runs in #ILT20 - 418 Runs] and S Rutherford 56*(29). Well bowled @TC59 2/38.#MIEvDV @TomMoodyCricket @kieran_cricket @JamesFoster07

— JaayShaan (VaidhyaJayaShankar) (@JaayShaan) January 24, 2023

For a better experience: Download the CricTracker app from the IOS App Store and Google Play Store