Tim Robinson struck an unbeaten half-century to guide the San Francisco Unicorns into the Global Super League final with a comfortable eight-wicket victory over the Desert Vipers on Friday night at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence.
Chasing 123 for victory, the Unicorns reached 126 for two in 16.1 overs, with Robinson carrying his bat for an unbeaten 68 from 54 deliveries. His match-winning innings included eight fours and one six and earned him the Player-of-the-Match award.
The Unicorns will now face defending champions Guyana Amazon Warriors in Saturday evening’s final at the same venue from 7:00 p.m.
After winning the toss and choosing to field, the Unicorns restricted the Vipers to 122 for seven from their allotted 20 overs.
Fabian Allen led the bowling effort with three wickets for 20 runs from four overs. Hassan Khan, Anirudh Immanuel and Karima Gore each collected one wicket, while the disciplined Unicorns attack conceded only two extras.
The Vipers struggled to build momentum after losing wickets at regular intervals. They slipped to 38 for three in the ninth over before Kyle Mayers and captain Shadab Khan added 23 runs for the fourth wicket.
However, both batters were dismissed soon after, with Mayers making 15 from 18 balls and Shadab scoring 14 from 24.
Vriitya Aravind produced the Vipers’ best innings, finishing unbeaten on 29 from 20 balls with five fours. Zachary Carter, Mayers and Bevon Jacobs each contributed 15, but the Vipers were unable to post a more challenging total.
The Unicorns began their chase positively, with Robinson and Connor Esterhuizen adding 29 for the opening wicket. Esterhuizen made a brisk 17 from 10 balls before he was bowled by Khary Pierre.
Pierre struck again two deliveries later when Hassan Khan was caught without scoring, leaving the Unicorns on 29 for two.
Robinson and Oliver Peake then took control with an unbroken 97-run partnership. Peake finished unbeaten on 33 from 31 balls, hitting two fours and two sixes, as the pair completed the chase with 23 balls remaining.
Pierre was the Vipers’ only successful bowler, claiming two wickets for 22 runs from his four overs. Shadab conceded 41 runs from four overs as the Unicorns secured their place in the championship match with little difficulty.
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