Chris Lynn fires Gulf Giants to ILT20 title after Carlos Brathwaite rips through Desert Vipers

Lynn crashed a brutal half-century to propel the Giants to a seven-wicket victory with eight balls to spare, after Desert Vipers had been restricted to 146 for 8

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Dubai: Desert Vipers 146-8, Gulf Giants 149-3 - Gulf Giants won by seven wickets

Chris Lynn played the headline innings as Gulf Giants won the inaugural International League T20 title.

Lynn crashed a brutal half-century to propel the Giants to a seven-wicket victory with eight balls to spare, after Desert Vipers had been restricted to 146 for 8. 

The Australian hit nine fours and a six in his unbeaten 72, made from 50 balls, to hand his side a deserved triumph. The Giants lost just once all season.

Lynn partnered with first Gerhard Erasmus and then Shimron Hetmyer to get his team home after the Giants lost James Vince (14) and Colin de Grandhomme (1) cheaply. 

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Gulf Giants are ILT20 champions [screengrab/ILT20]

He and Erasmus (30) put on 73 in 10.2 overs for the third wicket to stabilises the innings after the Giants had stumbled to 26 for 2, before a fourth-wicket stand of exactly 50 with Hetmyer (25*) got the job done.

Earlier, De Grandhomme and Carlos Brathwaite shone with the ball as the Vipers found fluency tough to come by at the Dubai International Stadium.

De Grandhomme's four overs went for just 18 runs, and included the wicket of Adam Lyth, while Brathwaite returned terrific figures of 3 for 18 from his four.

Brathwaite's victims - the destructive Alex Hales, plus England duo Sam Billings and Tom Curran - made the performance just that bit more important.

Vipers slipped to 44 for 4 midway through the ninth over, and looked like capitulating. But for the fifth-wicket partnership of Billings and Wanindu Hasaranga, they may have. The pair added 72 before Billings departed for 31.

Hasaranga went on to complete his half-century but was dismissed with the first ball of the 16th over, by Qais Ahmad.

It was a critical moment. Had the Sri Lankan remained at the crease, a score of considerably more substance would have been possible. 

As it was, even another 30 runs might not have been enough.

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