Gibraltar cricket ends with draw against Estonia in first of two T20Is

Match 1

Gibraltar won by 2 wickets (with 1 ball remaining)

Estonia 149/6
Gibraltar (19.5/20 ov, T:150) 151/8

In the 1st T20I of the series, Estonia and Gibraltar clashed in a thrilling contest. Estonia won the toss and elected to bat first. They managed to score a total of 149/6 in their allotted 20 overs. Aditya Panwar was the standout performer for Estonia, scoring a well-crafted 62 runs from 45 balls. His innings included three boundaries and four sixes, providing a solid foundation for his team.
However, Gibraltar’s bowling attack put up a disciplined effort to keep the Estonian batsmen in check. Avinash Pai and Richard Hatchman were among the wicket-takers, with Pai claiming 1 wicket for 21 runs in his 4 overs, and Hatchman taking 1 wicket for 21 runs in his 4 overs as well.
Ben Jones also played a crucial role for Estonia, contributing 40 runs from 41 balls. Unfortunately, Estonia couldn’t accelerate as much in the later overs as they would have liked, and they finished with a total of 149 runs on the board.
In response, Gibraltar had a target of 150 runs to chase down. Avinash Pai and Louis Bruce opened the batting for Gibraltar. Pai scored a quick 17 runs from 12 balls before falling to Pranay Gheewala. However, Louis Bruce was the anchor of Gibraltar’s innings, scoring a crucial 52 runs from 48 balls, including seven boundaries.
Despite losing wickets at regular intervals, Gibraltar managed to keep up with the required run rate. Aditya Paul, the standout bowler for Estonia, took 3 wickets for 25 runs in his 4 overs, while Dave Robson chipped in with 2 wickets for 32 runs in 3.5 overs.
The turning point of the match came in the 18th over when James Fitzgerald played a blistering innings, scoring an unbeaten 28 runs from just 10 balls, which included three boundaries and two sixes. This late surge in the innings ensured that Gibraltar reached the target with 1 ball to spare.

Gibraltar won the match by 2 wickets, with Louis Bruce being named the Player of the Match for his crucial innings. This victory gave Gibraltar a 1-0 lead in the 2-match series. The match took place at the Europa Sports Complex on September 30, 2023, as a 20-over contest. Additionally, it marked the T20I debut for several players from both teams, adding an element of excitement to the game.

Match 2

Estonia won by 8 wickets (with 22 balls remaining)

Gibraltar 159
Estonia (16.2/20 ov, T:160) 160/2

In the 2nd T20I match of the Estonia tour of Gibraltar in 2023, Estonia emerged victorious with a convincing 8-wicket win over Gibraltar in a high-scoring encounter.
Winning the toss, Estonia opted to field first, and Gibraltar set a challenging target of 160 runs. Gibraltar’s innings began with Avinash Pai and Louis Bruce at the crease. They contributed 24 and 5 runs, respectively, before being dismissed. Kayron J Stagno was the star performer for Gibraltar, smashing 48 runs from just 20 balls at a remarkable strike rate of 240.00. Iain Latin added valuable runs, scoring 46 from 33 balls.
Estonia’s bowling effort was led by Aditya Panwar and Kalle Vislapuu, who picked up 3 wickets each, restricting Gibraltar to a total of 159 runs in 19.1 overs. Dave Robson and Aditya Paul also made important contributions with the ball.
In response, Estonia chased down the target with ease, scoring 160/2 in 16.2 overs. Ali Masood and Bilal Masud opened the innings for Estonia. Ali Masood played a steady innings of 27 runs from 26 balls. However, it was Bilal Masud who stole the show with a blistering knock of 82 runs from just 33 deliveries, including five fours and seven sixes. His explosive batting ensured that Estonia achieved victory comfortably.
Estonia reached the target with 22 balls to spare, demonstrating their dominance in the match. Arslan Amjad also contributed with an unbeaten 37 runs.
Bilal Masud was named the Player of the Match for his outstanding batting performance.
With this win, Estonia leveled the 2-match series 1-1. The match was played at the Europa Sports Complex on September 30, 2023, as a day-night 20-over contest. It marked the T20I debut for Ram Krishan, who had a memorable outing, and it was also his T20 debut. Umpires for the match were Steve Mumford and Sunil Chandiramani.

Gibraltar cricket today play against Serbia in their second T20i’s this week.
Already the week has seen Louis Bruce, at just 18, become the most capped T20 international for Gibraltar Cricket. He was also to become the top scorer for Gibraltar in T20Is with 873 runs, going past Avinash Pai’s 825.
Hoping to increase his tally even further today against Serbia.