Guyana Amazon Warriors defended just 85 to beat San Francisco Unicorns by six runs in the Global Super League final at Providence on August 1, sealing back-to-back titles. San Francisco were bowled out for 79 in 18.3 overs after being set 86, with Dwaine Pretorius delivering a decisive all-round performance.
The final was the lowest-scoring match of the 2026 Global Super League season, producing only 164 runs across both innings. It also marked the lowest successful defence in a T20 tournament final, as Amazon Warriors turned a total that had appeared insufficient into a title-winning score.
From 25 for 5 to a defendable target
Amazon Warriors chose to bat but immediately found scoring difficult. Their top five had been dismissed by 6.2 overs, when the score stood at 25 for 5. Rahmanullah Gurbaz was the leading scorer among those first five batters with 8, while Peter Siddle claimed three wickets in the early collapse.
The innings continued to slide and Amazon Warriors were 29 for 8 before Pretorius and Matthew Forde joined for the ninth wicket. Their partnership added 41 runs, giving the bowlers something to work with after the innings had threatened to end in the 30s.
Forde, batting at No. 10, finished as Amazon Warriors’ top scorer with 28 from 23 balls. Pretorius remained unbeaten on 17 from 30 deliveries. For San Francisco, Anirudh Immanuel returned 3 for 7 from four overs with his legspin, while Siddle finished with 3 for 18. Amazon Warriors were eventually dismissed for 85.
The chase began with San Francisco ahead of the required rate, but the low target offered little margin for error. Pretorius struck twice and Gudakesh Motie took one wicket inside the first three overs, leaving the Unicorns at 28 for 3.
Oliver Peake then provided the most productive innings of the final. He dominated the scoring in a 22-run partnership with Hassan Khan that came in ten balls, before adding a further 25 with Sanjay Krishnamurthi. Peake made 31 from 28 balls, but San Francisco’s progress slowed sharply with Krishnamurthi scoring 9 from 24 balls in their 43-ball stand.
Nabi, Tahir and Pretorius finish the defence
Mohammad Nabi shifted the contest when he dismissed Krishnamurthi and Peake in back-to-back overs, the 10th and 12th. Imran Tahir struck twice in the 11th over between those breakthroughs, leaving the Unicorns under mounting pressure despite the modest chase.
Nabi finished with 3 for 12, Tahir took 2 for 16 and Pretorius returned 3 for 24. Those figures ensured that San Francisco could not rebuild after losing Peake, even as the match remained alive into the closing overs.
The Unicorns reached the final wicket needing 14 from 14 balls. With seven runs required to pass Amazon Warriors’ total and ten balls remaining, Callum Stow pushed Matthew Forde to mid-off and attempted a quick single. The scramble ended when Shimron Hetmyer knocked down the stumps at the bowler’s end, completing the run-out and confirming the six-run victory.
Pretorius was named Player of the Match after his unbeaten 17 and three wickets. Nabi collected the Player of the Series award, having finished the tournament with 53 runs and 10 wickets. The result gave Guyana Amazon Warriors two Global Super League titles in three seasons and completed one of the competition’s most unlikely final defences.
