Remember the game: Carlos Brathwaite helps Gulf Giants to first ILT20 title

Barbadian all-rounder and Chris Lynn combine to beat Desert Vipers at packed Dubai International Stadium

Giants celebrate the win against the Desert Vipers in the final of the International League T20 at the Dubai International Stadium. All pictures Chris Whiteoak / The National

Giants' Chris Lynn and Shimron Hetmyer (R) celebrate the win.

Gulf Giants' Carlos Brathwaite and Shimron Hetmyer (L) celebrate victory against the Desert Vipers in the final of the International League T20 at the Dubai International Stadium on February 12, 2023.

Giants' Carlos Brathwaite celebrates the wicket of Vipers' Tom Curran.

Giants' Carlos Brathwaite celebrates the wicket of Vipers' Rohan Mustafa.

Giants' Carlos Brathwaite breaks the stumps to dismiss Vipers' Rohan Mustafa.

Giants' Gerhard Erasmus plays a pull shot.

Vipers' Luke Wood takes the wicket of Giants' James Vince.

Vipers captain Colin Munro.

Giants' Chris Lynn bats.

Giants' Gerhard Erasmus plays a shot.

Giants' Qais Ahmad celebrates the wicket of Vipers' Luke Wood.

Vipers captain Colin Munro watches from the dugout.

Vipers' Ali Naseer bats.

Giants' David Wiese takes a stunning catch to dismiss Vipers' Sam Billings.

Vipers' Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva hits a four.

Giants' Chris Jordan celebrates the wicket of Vipers' captain Colin Munro.

Vipers' Sam Billings bats with Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva.

Giants' Carlos Brathwaite (M) celebrates with Shimron Hetmyer (R) after taking the wicket of Vipers' Alex Hales.

Vipers' Sam Billings bats. The Desert Vipers take on the Gulf Giants in the final of the International League T20 at the Dubai International Stadium.

Desert Vipers owner Avram Glazer.

Vipers' Rohan Mustafa walks off after being run out.

Everyone already knew the name from that time he demolished England to win the T20 World Cup for the West Indies in India.

But, just in case anyone needed a reminder, Carlos Brathwaite provided a vivid recap wearing brilliant orange at a packed Dubai International Stadium on Sunday night.

This time with the ball, the bravura Barbadian all-rounder bowled Gulf Giants to the DP World International League title.

Thanks to the inroads he made in dismissing Alex Hales and Rohan Mustafa in his first over, the first ILT20 final was as good as over before it had really begun.

Brathwaite took three for 19 as the Giants limited the Desert Vipers to 146 for eight from their 20 overs. It scarcely represented a challenge to chase, and they coasted to a seven-wicket win.

Brathwaite dismissed Hales, the tournament’s leading run-scorer, with his first ball, which was just the seventh of the match.

Four balls later he might well have had Mustafa, too, had he needed to resort to a review for an lbw shout which had been turned down. The Giants need not worry about that, though, seeing as Qais Ahmed and Brathwaite affected a run out of Mustafa anyway.

Sam Billings set about rebuilding the innings, but became Brathwaite’s second victim when he fell to a brilliant tumbling catch by David Wiese.

Tom Curran was Brathwaite’s third, as the wheels came off a Vipers comeback, which had been set up by a plucky half-century by Wanindu Hasaranga.

Top-order batting has not been easy in the latter stage of this competition, and the Giants did not have it easy as they started their reply.

Sheldon Cottrell was thrifty with the new ball, before Luke Wood and Tom Curran, with a wicket apiece, reduced the Giants to 26 for two in the fifth over.

Chris Lynn and Gerhard Erasmus calmed their nerves, though, with a 73-run stand over the next 10 overs, before Hasaranga accounted for the latter.

Once the Namibia captain departed, caught by Tom Curran at long on, Lynn found a willing and able partner in the form of Shimron Hetmyer.

The Guyanese left-hander had free rein to have a dash, and he was helped by some loose bowling. He made a rapid 25 not out from 13 balls.

Fittingly, it was left to Lynn to to smash the winning runs, which he did with eight balls to spare when he crunched Cottrell for four, taking his own score to 72 not out in the process.