Desert Vipers vs Lahore Qalandars Match 3 Full Commentary

The players are back out in the middle. It will be Andries Gous and Kyle Mayers to open for Desert Vipers. Mohammad Imran has the new ball in his hand and he will charge in to Kyle Mayers. 177 to get for one team, 176 to defend for the other. Here we go again!

... THE RUN CHASE ...

2 in 2? That's what Lahore would be hoping. But as Pierre stated, if the Vipers can take advantage of the new ball and keep wickets in hand, they can make a fist of this chase.

Just taking my opportunities - Desert Vipers' KHARY PIERRE comes up for a chat with the on-air commentators. Thanks the Almighty for his blessing. Admits that the ODI series against NZ before this tournament was very helpful for him. Adds that he just tried to utilize the conditions. On being given the opportunity to play for the Vipers, Pierre says that he was given a call and was told that he was wanted in the bowling setup. So he just tried to take the opportunity. On the score, Khary says that his batters have to do whatever it takes. Ends by saying that partnerships are key and one batter has to bat deep.

Excellent batting depth - That's what the Qalandars are showing. They lost their way on Thursday and lost their way on Friday again. But on both days, it was a couple of batters who rescued them. In this match, it was the turn of Parvez Hossain Emon and Michael Bracewell, who staged an unbeaten stand of 83 (42) for the fifth wicket. It is the biggest 5th wicket stand in the history of the Global Super League. Emon was playing well from the start, but had to slow down in the middle. It was Bracewell who came out and looked good from the word go, literally blasting the ball to all parts. No batter scored a half century, but still, the team got to a big total.

Good start, but not sustained - That's what the Vipers will feel. They were keeping the Qalandars on the leash but just lost the plot in the second half of the innings. The first 10 overs went for just 65 runs but the next 10 went for 111 runs! It was all thanks to Michael Bracewell's power but have to say, the Vipers let themselves down as well. The three spinners put a kind of watch on Lahore, but Ramon Simmonds was way too expensive. And towards the end, Nathan Smith was taken to the cleaners by his national skipper as well. Smith had conceded just 10 in his first 2 overs, but finished with 43 runs in his 4. Khary Pierre was the pick of the bowlers, with 2/14 in 3 overs and wonder whether Shadab could have taken the gamble of bowling him out and saving an over of the pacers.

Action replay - That's what it felt like. The Qalandars got off to a slow start, lost their way in the middle, but then powered themselves to a commanding total at the end. 67 runs came in the last 5 overs and this looks like a really massive total on this deck.

Final over then. Anything around 10 and under will do good for the bowling side.

A well-deserved break - Having played 2 games in 2 days and won both, Lahore Qalandars now get some rest, before they meet Guyana Amazon Warriors in their next match on Sunday night, as per Caribbean local time. The Vipers meanwhile, get ready to play their next match immediately, against the home side Guyana as well. Warriors vs Vipers is scheduled to start at 11 pm GMT on Saturday, 25th July, 2026, but our buildup will begin well in advance. ADIOS! TAKE CARE!

Used the conditions and varied pace - The victorious skipper of Lahore Qalandars, MICHAEL BRACEWELL, comes up for a second chat. On being asked what pleased him the most in this match, he replies saying that his team gave a good performance on Thursday but that got even stronger in this match. Appreciates it as he opines that it is not easy to do it in such hot conditions in a day game. The next question asked is how does his team avoid complacency. To this, Bracewell admits that it is challenging. However, he adds that when you are winning, you need to keep on winning. Feels that his batters batted better in this game through the top order and managed to preserve wickets. That, he reckons, helped the side get plenty at the end and in the bowling, praises Usama Mir for picking up wickets. On his seamers' success mantra on a deck which is assisting spin, the skipper answers saying that they just used the conditions and varied their pace. Adds that they targetted the hard length for a long period of time, hoping that one would have inconsistent bounce and it worked wonders. On Usama Mir, Michael says that he has played with and against Usama for a few years now. Details that Mir spins the ball both ways and has a great heart. Ends by saying that the leggie is bowling beautifully and that is great to see.

Attitude needs to be better - The captain of Desert Vipers, SHADAB KHAN, says that his team lost the game in the first innings itself. Explains that they gave 20 runs too many. Details that the bowlers leaked around 70-odd runs in the last 5 overs and on this surface, it is too much. On his team's learnings from this game, Shadab minces no words in saying that the fielding needs to be better and the attitude to win has also to be there. But also adds that sometimes, the first game is difficult to adjust. Asserts that his team has a lot of talent and it will bounce back for sure. On being asked as to why is boundary scoring so difficult on this pitch, Khan replies saying that this was the third game on this pitch and the ball was getting softer as well. Adds that the Qalandars were bowling beautifully, so overall, it was getting difficult to score. On their next match against the defending champions, Guyana Amazon Warriors, the captain believes that it is always exciting to play the home team, because the crowd will be there and the pressure will be on the hosts to perform in front of their own crowd.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH - MICHAEL BRACEWELL. The Lahore Qalandars' skipper gets this award for his all-round show. An unbeaten 46 (23) with the bat and a frugal bowling spell of 4-0-19-0. Not to forget, he took a blinder to dismiss Vriitya Aravind as well. Bracewell says that it is very enjoyable to get the award. Adds that playing a day before and also an ODI series for New Zealand against the West Indies prior to this tournament helped. Asked about his batting first, the skipper says that this was slightly different from the ODIs. Adds that it is nice to be in a position when the top order sets the platform. Feels that everyone batted well with Shayan Jahangir giving a platform. Thinks that the total was slightly above par, which gave the bowlers a nice cushion to defend. On his terrific catch to dismiss Arvind, Michael jokes that he is getting older, but getting used to diving these days. Humbly says that he just stuck his hand out and the ball stuck!

... THE INTERVIEWS ...

Knowledge of conditions - Have to admit, Lahore Qalandars did have the advantage of playing their second game on the same pitch. They struggled a bit with the bat, but showed improved display from game 1. However, with the ball, they were simply superb once Rossouw fell. The batting showcased its depth with two different batters turning out this time while the bowling was a total team effort. Please hang around for the interviews.

Excellent bowling display - Lahore Qalandars would be extremely happy with the way their bowlers bounced back after a sluggish start. At 96/1, with the Vipers needing 81 runs from 46 balls, it did seem like the match would go down to the wire, but once Rilee Rossouw fell, the wickets just kept tumbling one after the other. Usama Mir was the orchestrator of that collapse, picking up 4/23, but in truth, everyone bowled well.

Massive capitulation - That was the story for the Desert Vipers. They began superbly, enjoying a wicketless Powerplay and scoring 45 runs. In fact, they were 70/0 in the 9th over. But after that, once the first wicket of Kyle Mayers fell, the rest just got dislodged like a pack of cards. Only the openers managed to get past 25 in a batting lineup which had only 4 double-digit scorers. Andries Gous was looking at his supreme best but the rest, including Mayers, never really got going on this used deck.

2 in 2! Excellent start to this year's edition for the Lahore Qalandars. They faced a difficult proposition of playing 2 matches in the first 2 days, but have managed to pull both games off with convincing wins. The first one was a bit of a close one but this match was by all means, massively comprehensive. That net run rate is looking really healthy, reading a positive 1.35.

Drama on the last ball! Lahore Qalandars have won the match, but they want the last wicket and have taken a review for LBW on this final ball. Seems to be going down the leg side. Yes, Ball Tracking confirms.

Vitel Lawes is the last batter in, replacing Ramon Simmonds.

Ramon Simmonds walks in next, at number 10, replacing Nathan Smith. Shahab Khan will finish things off. 2-0-14-1 so far.