NEW DELHI: Dubai Capitals star Shai Hope expressed his delight with the team’s record-breaking chase of 207 runs against the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the ILT20 tournament.
The Capitals have won three consecutive matches, solidifying their position at the top of the points table and strengthening their bid for the tournament title.
The highlight of the match was the 135-run partnership between Hope and Gulbadin Naib, which set up the successful run chase for the Capitals.
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Hope, who remained unbeaten with a score of 74 from 53 balls, shared his approach to batting, emphasizing the importance of not overreaching and playing according to the situation.
“I always tell the guys in the dressing room to try not to fight that white line too often. Actually, hit the ball where they want you to hit. Try to get some twos. If you hit it well enough, you get a four, maybe a six in between,” he said.
Hope praised Naib’s performance, scoring 80 runs off 47 balls, and acknowledged the excellent communication and understanding between them during the chase. He also expressed satisfaction in regaining the “green belt” for the tournament’s leading run-scorer.
“Gulbadin obviously had hold on that partnership pretty well in the middle which made the chase a lot easier. He got a lovely 80 in the tournament, so it’s good to see his form continuing and understanding the situation very well. We were communicating very, very well about what was required for the chase,” Hope added.
Reflecting on the quality of the ILT20 tournament, Hope acknowledged the presence of numerous international high-calibre players and praised the UAE players for their contributions.
“There’s so many international high calibre players here and they also have some great UAE players as well. So, it’s a massive tournament in terms of skill level. It’s great to see Dubai Capitals on a bounce. Hopefully, we can continue this for the next few games and make it to the playoffs,” the batter shared.
Looking ahead, the Dubai Capitals aim to extend their winning run against the Sharjah Warriorz on January 28, in what promises to be an exciting encounter.
