ILT20 2025: Lockie Ferguson hails team’s ‘excellent effort’ after win against Gulf Giants

Desert Vipers captain Lockie Ferguson lauded his team’s excellent effort after a six-wicket win against Gulf Giants in the ongoing ILT20 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai on Tuesday. 

After Ferguson decided to bowl first, Gulf Giants posted an under-par score of 119 runs with their captain James Vince top-scoring 76 runs. Apart from Vince, Aayan Khan could only manage a double-digit score and thus the Giants could not get any impetus in their batting innings.

Ferguson was the pick of the bowlers, returning with impressive figures of 3-22 in his quota of four overs. The New Zealander accounted for Rehan Ahmed, Mark Adair, and Shimron Hetmyer in his fine spell. 

On the other hand, Sam Curran scored an unbeaten 40 runs, whereas Sherfane Rutherford scored an undefeated 42 runs to help DS register an easy win in the run-chase.

Lockie Ferguson said in the post-match presentation, “A tough wicket to bat on that. Excellent effort from the boys, first with the ball and the way Sam played with the bat, it was amazing. The guys are very clear which makes my job easier and as a group we are really confident.”

On the other hand, Gulf Giants captain James Vince admitted that the conditions were difficult to bat in the first innings and they needed the rub of the green on their side.

Vince said after the loss, “It was a tough gig batting first, there seemed to be a bit more moisture in the wicket than the last game. 120 is always going to be tough to defend. We needed a bit of luck going our way on a wicket like that, if we had held onto our chances it could have been a bit tricky for them.”

Desert Vipers will next take on MI Emirates at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai on Thursday.