Currently, group stage matches are being played in UAE League ILT20. Its 16th match took place in Dubai between Dubai Capitals and Gulf Giants. In this match held on Thursday 23 January, Dubai team registered a spectacular victory by 5 wickets. Sri Lankan all-rounder Dasun Shanaka played an important role in this. He made his team win easily by playing a stormy innings of 34 runs in 10 balls. During this unbeaten innings, he hit a flurry of sixes and fours. Let us tell you that this is the same cricketer who narrowly escaped the bomb blast in Sri Lanka on the occasion of Easter.

Shanaka's explosive batting

Batting first, the Gulf Giants team had set a target of 154 runs. In response, Dubai team lost 5 wickets in scoring 110 runs. Now he needed 44 runs in 23 balls. It seemed difficult to score these runs on the difficult pitch of Dubai. Then Dasun Shanaka came to bat. There was no batsman left after him. Then he scored a quick 34 runs in 10 balls at a strike rate of 340, which proved to be very important. During this, he also hit 3 fours and 3 sixes and his team easily won the match with 8 balls remaining.

Superb hit for 6️⃣!

Dasun Shanaka absolutely clobbered that! The ball never took flight but traveled the distance for one of the most sweetly timed flat sixes you'll see!#DCvGG #DPWorldILT20 #AllInForCricket pic.twitter.com/NU2pi1Buzm

— International League T20 (@ILT20Official) January 23, 2025

Let us tell you that in the year 2019, there were serial bomb blasts in Sri Lanka on the occasion of Easter. About 300 people were killed and more than 500 were injured. Shanaka's family also became a victim of this incident. His mother and grandmother were injured in this. However, he narrowly escaped this. In an interview, he described it as the scariest experience of his life and said that he can never forget it.

Hope is the hero of the match

However, before Shanaka, Shay Hope played a tremendous innings. Dubai team was in trouble while chasing 154 runs against Gulf Giants. The team had lost the first wicket on the score of 25 runs. The second wicket also fell at 41 and the third wicket at 60. Amidst the batsmen getting out at regular intervals, Hope remained at one end and kept scoring runs.

Hope scored 47 runs in 39 balls and was out after taking the team's score to 110. After this, the remaining work was completed by Shanaka and team captain Sikandar Raza. While Shanaka scored 34 runs in 10 balls, Raza scored 26 runs in 15 balls at a strike rate of 173 to help Phansey win the match easily. Hope was chosen player of the match for his excellent batting.