FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ISSUED ON BEHALF OF TRINBAGO KNIGHT RIDERS
Port of Spain, Trindad. 19 August 2017

The Trinbago Knight Riders have replaced Mehedi Hasan with Ashley Nurse for the remainder of the 2017 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL). Mehedi Hasan was recalled by the Bangladesh Cricket Board ahead of the home Test series against Australia so was not available for this year’s Hero CPL.

Barbados born Nurse is an off-spin bowler who has played 18 ODIs and four T20 internationals for the West Indies and has played for the Barbados Tridents in previous editions of the Hero CPL. He will join the squad in St Kitts for the match against St Kitts & Nevis Patroits which is taking place at Warner Park on Wednesday 21^st August.

Speaking of Nurse’s selection for the rest of the tournament Simon Katich, Head Coach of the Knight Riders, said: “Ashley gives us another spin option. He has been playing some league cricket in England so he comes fresh to us from there.

“Dwayne Bravo was very keen to get him into the squad given that we have still got some big games coming up against St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, Jamaica Tallawahs and Barbados Tridents. He will have a big role to play giving us another spin option.”

ABOUT THE HERO CARIBBEAN PREMIER LEAGUE: First started in 2013, the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) is a franchise-based T20 format cricket tournament that combines two of the most compelling aspects of Caribbean life – dramatic cricket and a vibrant Carnival atmosphere. Combining broadcast and digital viewership over 149 million fans watched the 2016 season to make it one of the fastest growing leagues in world cricket. Jamaica Tallawahs are the current Hero CPL champions and the other competing teams are Barbados Tridents, Guyana Amazon Warriors, St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots, St. Lucia Stars and Trinbago Knight Riders. The 2017 tournament will run from 4 August – 9 September 2017. For further information visit www.cplt20.com.

-End-

For further information please contact:

Peter Miller

Mobile: +447769119636

Caribbean Mobile: + 1 (758) 729 2012

Head of PR and Communications

Hero Caribbean Premier League

2017 Hero Caribbean Premier League – Match Report 18

 St Lucia Stars 46-1 (Fletcher 27*, Watson 12*, Badree 0-17) – No Result

The St Lucia Stars received their first point of the 2017 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) season after rain caused their match against St Kitts & Nevis Patriots to be abandoned after 8.1 overs of play. Just over half an hour of play was possible before a heavy burst of rain caught the players by surprise. Despite the best efforts of the groundsmen they were unable to ready the ground for play again with further frequent showers complicating their task. 

In the short amount of play that was possible the Patriots had done well to restrict the Stars batsmen. After winning the toss and electing to field first the Patriots bowled six straight overs of spin in the PowerPlay. The Stars have struggled against spin this season and that trend continued with just 33 runs coming from the first six overs bowled by Fabian Allen and Samuel Badree. The pressure of that tight start accounted for Johnson Charles who mis-timed an aggressive shot to long-off against Allen when looking to increase the scoring rate. Badree had time to finish his quota of four overs, conceding just 17 runs from them before the rain arrived.

The initial shower was short but significant and caused a lot of damage to the outfield and square. The groundsmen worked tirelessly for two and a half hours before the match was declared a no result. One point for the Patriots moves them clear of the Jamaica Tallawahs who are third in the table. The Stars meanwhile, remain in sixth position.

Upcoming Fixtures

Sunday: Guyana Amazon Warriors v Barbados Tridents, Providence, 6.00pm

Monday: St Kitts & Nevis Patriots v Jamaica Tallawahs, Basseterre, 6.00pm

For images from this match visit https://mm.gettyimages.com/mm/nicePath/gyisports?nav=pr538082992where they can be downloaded and used for free. Credit: CPL via Getty Images.

For further information please contact:

Peter Miller
Mobile: +447769119636
Caribbean Mobile: + 1 (758) 729 2012
Head of PR and Communications
Hero Caribbean Premier League 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Kingston Jamaica. August 20, 2017

The Jamaica Tallawahs have called Mahmuddulah Riyad into their squad for the remainder of the 2017 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) season as replacement for Imad Wasim who has been recalled to undergo fitness testing by the Pakistan Cricket Board.

Bangladeshi all-rounder Mahmuddulah has played 33 Tests, 145 ODIs and 58 Twenty20 internationals for his country and has taken 131 wickets and scoring 5,774 runs in international cricket over his eight-year career. His 102 not out against New Zealand in the recently concluded Champions Trophy helped his team secure a semi-final spot in that tournament.

Mahmuddulah will join the Tallawahs on August 23, 2017 in time to participate in their match against St. Lucia Stars at Sabina Park.

Speaking of Mahmuddlah’s arrival Tallawahs coach, Paul Nixon, said: “We are gutted to be losing Imad Wasim but Mahmuddulah is a great replacement. He is a proven match winner at international level and he is exactly the kind of player we need to claim back to back Hero CPL titles.”

ABOUT THE HERO CARIBBEAN PREMIER LEAGUE: First started in 2013, the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) is a franchise-based T20 format cricket tournament that combines two of the most compelling aspects of Caribbean life – dramatic cricket and a vibrant Carnival atmosphere. Combining broadcast and digital viewership over 149 million fans watched the 2016 season to make it one of the fastest growing leagues in world cricket. Jamaica Tallawahs are the current Hero CPL champions and the other competing teams are Barbados Tridents, Guyana Amazon Warriors, St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots, St. Lucia Stars and Trinbago Knight Riders. The 2017 tournament will run from 4 August – 9 September 2017. For further information visit www.cplt20.com.

-End-

For further information please contact:

Peter Miller

Mobile: +447769119636

Caribbean Mobile: + 1 (758) 729 2012

Head of PR and Communications

Hero Caribbean Premier League

2017 Hero Caribbean Premier League – Match Report 19

Guyana Amazon Warriors 160-6 (Walton 92, Guptill 27, Pollard 4-15) beat Barbados Tridents 150-4 (Smith 100, Williamson 47, Tanvir 3-40) by four wickets

A record run-chase at Providence Stadium by Guyana Amazon Warriors overshadowed a superb century from Dwayne Smith in Match 19 of the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL). After Smith’s brilliance had lifted the Tridents to 159 the Amazon Warriors chased the total with four balls to spare. 

Chasing a record 160 at Providence Stadium demanded efficient use of the Powerplay by the Amazon Warriors and a combination of wayward lines from the Tridents and clean hitting from Chadwick Walton and promoted opener Sohail Tanvir gave them that. After three overs the Amazon Warriors, perhaps assisted by the ball skidding on and emboldened by the size of their task, had blitzed 48 runs.

Their early aggression paid off, and despite losing Tanvir—caught at mid-off for 16 off 9 and Gajanand Singh for 0 off 2—the Amazon Warriors reached a venue-record and team-record 72-2 after six overs. Walton was the star and batted magnificently, hitting the ball notably straight and timing the ball sweetly. After just seven overs the required run rate had been slashed from eight to just six and a difficult chase had been transformed.

Martin Guptill then joined Walton and their calm 81 run partnership took the Amazon Warriors within 15 runs of victory with 26 balls remaining. Four dot balls then followed before Guptill and Walton were caught in the deep off consecutive balls from Kieron Pollard to give the Tridents a glimmer of hope. With eight required off 12 balls Pollard took two more wickets off consecutive balls and conceded just three from the penultimate over, finishing with 4 for 15.

Defending five off the last however was a step too far for the Tridents. A boundary down the ground from Assad Fudadin and a wide next ball sealed a spectacular victory for the Amazon Warriors.

Earlier in the evening the Tridents adopted a markedly different approach to their innings. Smith and Kane Williamson begun circumspectly against some tight bowling. At the end of the Powerplay they were only 27 for 0, thanks largely to the second over from Sohail Tanvir which was taken for 13 by Smith who hit three boundaries. In the other five overs the Tridents, particularly Williamson, struggled to rotate the strike with the field in tight.

After the end of the Powerplay both men appeared to time the ball better once they were able to pick off singles rather than having to hit through the in-field. Williamson hit his first boundary in the seventh over and once Smith struck consecutive boundaries in the ninth the runs started to flow more freely. Williamson’s growing confidence was illustrated by a slapped six down the ground and an outrageous paddle sweep, fetched from outside off stump and threaded to the right of short fine leg for four.

When Williamson was eventually dismissed, caught at long off off Rashid Khan, his partnership with Smith of 107 was the highest ever at Providence Stadium and had laid an excellent platform for the Tridents.

Smith was lucky to be reprieved on 42 when he was caught at long-on only for Keemo Paul to have over-stepped. He certainly made the most of his good fortune in a spectacular final few overs.

Having been at the crease since the start of the innings Smith appeared perfectly attuned to the pace of the pitch and when first Tanvir and then Rayad Emrit narrowly missed their yorkers at the death, Smith was able to capitalise on them carving boundaries over cover point, clubbing them straight and expertly upper cutting a short ball variation.

As the Tridents looked to accelerate at the death they lost Kieron Pollard and Nicolas Pooran and eventually Smith, but not before he reached a century with a two in the last over. The Tridents score of 159 for 4 was the highest CPL score ever made at Providence but less than two hours later it became the second highest as the Amazon Warriors and Walton went one better.

Upcoming Fixtures

Monday: St Kitts & Nevis Patriots v Jamaica Tallawahs, Basseterre, 6.00pm

Tuesday: Guyana Amazon Warriors v St Lucia Stars, Providence, 6.00pm

For images from this match visit https://mm.gettyimages.com/mm/nicePath/gyisports?nav=pr538082992where they can be downloaded and used for free. Credit: CPL via Getty Images.

For further information please contact:

Peter Miller
Mobile: +447769119636
Caribbean Mobile: + 1 (758) 729 2012
Head of PR and Communications
Hero Caribbean Premier League 

Cautiously optimistic that often-repeated plans to improve the infrastructure in the parish will become a reality this time around, residents of Duhaney Pen, St Thomas, are urging the Government to ensure that small businesses are supported in any scheme to grow the economy in the often-forgotten eastern parish.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness earlier this year announced that the parish is slated to get a major boost with the establishment of a new town centre for the capital, Morant Bay.

The town centre is slated to be constructed on the 25-acre lot which previously housed the Goodyear Tyre Factory.

Travelling to the parish is also slated to become easier, with the construction of a four-lane highway from Harbour View to Bull Bay, and the widening and improvement to the road between Bull Bay and Morant Bay.

Last Thursday, several residents of the parish were excited by the proposed developments as The Gleaner‘s On The Corner, with the Economic Programme Oversight Committee (EPOC), made its latest stop in Duhaney Pen.

ECONOMIC TRAIN TO GROWTH

Having listened to co-chairman of EPOC, Keith Duncan, outline the role of the body in monitoring the Government’s performance under the three-year International Monetary Fund standby agreement, the residents urged him to implore the Andrew Holness administration to ensure that small business operators in the parish are not forgotten.

“I believe the economic train to growth is through small business, so while we are clamouring for the big businesses to come, in the interim we should develop the smaller businesses and help those businesses to grow, which in turn will turn into big businesses,” said Denver Howell.

He argued that training is needed to prepare residents of the underdeveloped parish to prepare for developments being planned by the Government.

“While we are clamouring for good road and urban centre around by Goodyear, I don’t want when it comes finally, the people of St Thomas can’t access it. The powers that be need to move now to start training the school leavers from now so they can be ready when the time comes,” added Howell.

While agreeing with the call, Duncan urged the residents not to wait on the Government but to position themselves to be better able to capitalise on the opportunities.

“If we know where the economy is going; if we know the economy is going towards tourism, business processing outsourcing or call centres, or manufacturing; and we know the resources that you have in St Thomas, you have to seek out those resources, and as a group of businessmen get together and build partnerships,” encouraged Duncan.

But a fired-up Howell was adamant that governmental support is needed to help the residents of St Thomas enjoy economic success.

“St Thomas has tried agriculture for many years and I don’t see where agriculture is growing in the parish,” said Howell.

“I believe the parish can shift dimension and go into health tourism. We have the Blue Mountain and we have clean water and we have Bath Fountain. What we need to do is upgrade our facilities like the Princess Margaret Hospital and invite the tourist to come and access the various natural resources.”

He was supported by business operator Hansel Whyte, who argued that the Government needs to engage the residents to identify ways to empower them to help themselves so small businesses such as his can thrive.

ryon.jones@gleanerjm.com

I Fight Promotions founder Chris Joy has said that he has two fights lined up for two-time Wray and Nephew Contender champion Sakima ‘The Mauler’ Mullings if he is interested in them.

Joy said that Mullings can face DeMarcus ‘Chop Chop’ Corley in late January or Guyanese former World Boxing Association Super Lightweight champion Vivian Harris.

Mullings and Corley have both shown interest in facing each other recently, but Corley said the bout could only happen if Mullings, who is 35 years old, comes down in weight from 154lbs to 140lb. Mullings, who said he would be honoured to face Corley because of his reputation, said he would meet his requirement.

However, Joy said that Harris, who is 39 years old, presents another option at 147lbs.

“If he (Mullings) cannot make the weight of 140lb or he needs a tune up fight before he gets to Chop Chop, then he can actually fight Harris before the epic fight of Chop Chop,” Joy told The Gleaner. “If Sakima can work the weight down, he can fight Vivian Harris and then if he does well, he can come to Chop Chop. Chop Chop has already proven that he can beat Harris, who is a former World Champion, so Chop Chop has already passed that test.”

Mullings said he is also interested in facing Harris.

“Yeah, 100 per cent, definitely man!” he exclaimed. “It’s the perfect situation for me because if they said they’ll give me Vivian Harris at 147lb, and then Chop Chop at 140, then based on my circumstances, coming from a 154 tournament (the Contender Series which ended last month), it’s a natural maturation of things for me to get back down to my proper weight division. By doing that, I’ll take my time to get back down to 147, and from 147, I can work my way down to 140 instead of overworking and getting myself to 140 on the jump.

“In fact, they put everything back in my favour by allowing me to take the weight back off properly.”

Mullings is the first two-time Contender champion, having won the tournament last month and previously in 2014, while Corley claimed the title in 2016.

Mullings’ record stands at 23 wins, 15 by knockout, three losses, and no draws, while Corley, 43 years old, has 50 wins, 28 by knockout, 28 losses, and one draw.

Harris has a record of 32 wins, 19 by knockout, 12 losses, and two draws.

Source: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/sports/20170819/sakima-mull-over-options

DeMarcus ‘Chop Chop’ Corley has said that he is not only happy to hear that Sakima ‘The Mauler’ Mullings is willing to come down to 140lbs to face him, but that he is willing to make the match happen in late January.

However, Corley, the 2016 winner of the Contender Series, said that the bout, which the public has been calling for since last year, could take place no sooner because of his calendar.

“A fight wouldn’t be able to happen this year because we already got two fights scheduled,” Corley told Star Sports.

His promoter, Chris Joy of I-Fight Promotions, said that he wants to take his time to build anticipation for such a bout.

“This fight would be so much of an epic fight, I think it’s fine if both guys got two fights to build up to the mega fight. So that when this fight does happen. It’s going to be the biggest anticipation of a match in Jamaican history,” Joy said.

“I think we could use the end of this year to promote this fight to let everyone know that something’s happening. The perfect time is that it should take place right before the Contender starts.”

Mullings said that he is willing to take the fight at that time, but he will also consider other options should they become available.

“If they’re saying that the fight can’t be made until January, I’m patient and I’ll wait, but in the same breath, I’m not gonna sit around and wait for Chop Chop. I’m gonna explore other opportunities that are out there,” Mullings said.

A bout in late January would be just over four months out from Corley’s 44th birthday, but he said that he is not concerned about what form he may be in at the time.

“Age is not a factor in this. My birth certificate says I’m 43, but I don’t fight like 43,” said Corley.

Mullings agrees: “Him, at 43, has proven that he’s rolling back the clock and he’s been getting more wins than losses lately, but I don’t believe that it’s the same Chop Chop that fought Floyd Mayweather and Miguel Cotto. He’s still a very good fighter and a very experienced fighter. I could gauge where I am on the world stage from my performance against him.”

Source: http://jamaica-star.com/article/sports/20170819/chop-chop-eyes-january-date-challenge-mauler

2017 Hero Caribbean Premier League – Match Report 15

Jamaica Tallawahs 128-7 (Phillips 51, Foo 20, Jacobs 2-18) beat Guyana Amazon Warriors 126-4 (Walton 37, Guptill 33, Williams 3-30) by two runs

The Jamaica Tallawahs edged home against Guyana Amazon Warriors in an engrossing match on a challenging pitch in Providence Stadium in Match 15 of the 2017 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL). 

A thrilling final over saw Kesrick Williams defend three runs off the last ball as Roshon Primus skied a ball high into the sky and was caught by the substitute fielder Jon-Russ Jaggesar giving the Tallwahs a two run victory.

Chasing 129 to win on a slow pitch the Amazon Warriors were in control of the chase for much of its course but never took command. Requiring eight from the last over Jason Mohammad was dropped in spectacular fashion off the third ball when Rovman Powell juggled a boundary catch and threw it to Lendl Simmons who could not hang on, allowing the batsmen to run three. The very next ball Babar Azam was caught at long off before a single off the following delivery meant three was required from the last.

The Amazon Warriors had begun their run-chase very carefully, taking time to familiarise themselves with conditions. The Tallawahs gave very little away early on and it wasn’t until the end of the 5th over that Chadwick Walton struck the first boundaries of the innings. At the end of the Powerplay the Amazon Warriors were 33 for 0.

A productive eighth over, fuelled by good running and a precious four from Walton lifted the Amazon Warriors up with the rate. After Martin Guptill was dropped twice in six balls he expertly cut his first boundary off the spin of Garey Mathurin to take Amazon Warriors to 61 for 0 at the halfway stage.

Within three overs of the second half of the innings Walton had been deceived by a slower ball from Kesrick Williams and Guptill had been bowled playing across the line against Garey Mathurin. The demise of both openers brought two new batsmen to the crease with 50 required off 44 balls.

For 27 balls of the partnership between Jason Mohammad and Babar Azam the Amazon Warriors remained relatively in control of the run-chase without playing a shot in anger. However, the equation had shifted slightly to 26 being needed off 18, requiring the Amazon Warriors to find the boundary. In the last three overs they only managed to do that once and despite some indifferent fielding gifting additional runs they never got on top of the rate.

In the first innings the Tallawahs battled hard to reach 128 for 7. Within a few balls of the match the nature of the pitch became clear. Historically it has been slow and low, producing an average first innings score of just 125 – the lowest of all CPL venues, and this pitch was clearly no different. It took the Tallawahs ten balls to score their first runs off the bat with the pitch offering nothing to the batsmen and forcing them to generate their own pace.

Although Simmons managed to get the first three boundaries of the innings away he struggled other than those shots and faced 15 dot balls before being bowled by a Rashid Khan googly for 20. Glenn Phillips hit his first boundary two balls later to take the Tallawahs to 35 for 1 at the end of the Powerplay.

By taking pace off the ball spin proved harder to score against than pace and for eight consecutive overs after the end of the Powerplay the Amazon Warriors bowled their three spinners: Rashid, Veerasammy Permaul and Steven Jacobs. In that period the Tallawahs lost two wickets, both to Jacobs: Andre McCarthy, bowled looking to slog sweep and Kumar Sangakkara bowled driving outside off stump.

While his partners were dismissed, at the other end Phillips battled hard to survive and hitting just two more fours before the end of the 14th over, but his continued presence provided the innings with stability.

The return of pace in the 15th over brought a change in approach with Phillips striking a leg side six before edging a four. Rovman Powell was keen to capitalise on the change of pace but was well caught in the deep by Rashid to leave the Tallawahs 86 for 4 off 15 overs.

Some powerful hitting from Jonathan Foo, who scored a valuable 20 off 12 balls, and Phillips who finished with a well-earned 51 off 47 helped lift the Tallwahs to 128 – a total that ultimately proved fractionally too many for the Amazon Warriors.

Upcoming Fixtures

Friday: St Kitts & Nevis Patriots v Barbados Tridents, Warner Park 9.00pm

Saturday: Guyana Amazon Warriors v Trinbago Knight Riders, Providence, 12.00pm and St Kitts & Nevis Patriots v St Lucia Stars, Basseterre, 9.00pm.

For images from this match visit https://mm.gettyimages.com/mm/nicePath/gyisports?nav=pr538082992 where they can be downloaded and used for free. Credit: CPL via Getty Images.

For further information please contact:

Peter Miller 

UK Mobile: +447769119636

Caribbean Mobile: + 1 (758) 729 2012

Head of PR and Communications

Hero Caribbean Premier League

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Georgetown, Guyana. 17 August 2017

The Hero Caribbean Premier League are delighted to welcome Repsol as a lead sponsor for the Guyana leg of the 2017 tournament. Repsol will be partnering CPL for the Guyana Amazon Warriors four home matches, all of which will be played at the Providence Stadium between the 17^th and 22^nd August 2017.

Repsol is one of the top companies in the oil and gas industry. They are present across the entire value chain: exploration and production, transformation, development, and marketing of energy that is efficient, sustainable, and competitive for millions of people.

As a global brand with a Caribbean presence they are a perfect fit for Hero CPL who play in six different Caribbean countries.

Speaking about the partnership Pete Russell, Hero CPL Chief Operating Officer, said: “Repsol is a world-leader in what it does and it is always a pleasure to be associated with a brand of such stature.  Repsol also plays a vital role in Guyana where CPL has been so wonderfully supported over the years. This is perfect place to begin what we hope will be a long-term relationship.”

ABOUT THE HERO CARIBBEAN PREMIER LEAGUE: First started in 2013, the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) is a franchise-based T20 format cricket tournament that combines two of the most compelling aspects of Caribbean life – dramatic cricket and a vibrant Carnival atmosphere. Combining broadcast and digital viewership over 149 million fans watched the 2016 season to make it one of the fastest growing leagues in world cricket. Jamaica Tallawahs are the current Hero CPL champions and the other competing teams are Barbados Tridents, Guyana Amazon Warriors, St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots, St. Lucia Stars and Trinbago Knight Riders. The 2017 tournament will run from 4 August – 9 September 2017. For further information visit www.cplt20.com.

-End-

For further information please contact:

Peter Miller

Mobile: +447769119636

Caribbean Mobile: + 1 (758) 729 2012

Head of PR and Communications

Hero Caribbean Premier League

2017 Hero Caribbean Premier League – Match Report 14

Jamaica Tallawahs 179-5 (McCarthy 61*, Phillips 32, Samuels 1-19) beat St Lucia Stars 173-7 (Fletcher 84*, Samuels 54, Sami 3-27) by five wickets

A composed fifty from Andre McCarthy guided Jamaica Tallawahs to a five wicket victory chasing 174 against St Lucia Stars in Match 14 of the 2017 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL). McCarthy was present at at the crease from the seventh over onwards and marshalled a steep run-chase with busy running and boundaries all around the ground despite wickets falling regularly. 

The Tallawahs innings was given a rapid start by Glenn Phillips who struck three off side fours in the first over and two leg side sixes in the third over, taking the Tallawahs to 34 for 0. Shane Shillingford pulled things back for the Stars however, conceding three from his first over and two from his second, dismissing Phillips with the last ball of the Powerplay, bringing McCarthy to the crease. Shortly after both openers were gone as Lendl Simmons was caught at extra cover of the bowling of Timil Patel.

Kumar Sangakkara briefly threatened to get going, striking two fours in an over off Patel but he was dismissed in the 10th over when he picked out a boundary fielder after slog sweeping Samuels. When Rovman Powell followed shortly after, run out pushing for an unlikely second, the Tallawahs were in strife at 92 for 4.

McCarthy had been ticking along steadily with 20 off 18 when he was joined by Jonathan Foo with 82 required off 42. Foo wasted no time in getting going, striking back to back fours off his second and third balls and a six off his sixth ball reducing the equation to 63 off 36. Boundaries from McCarthy in each of the next two overs kept the Tallawahs in the hunt.

A quiet 16th over from Jerome Taylor, which cost just four, meant 40 was required from 18. With the first ball of the seventeenth over Mitchell McClenaghan bowled Foo with a brilliant yorker.  McCarthy responded in emphatic fashion, striking two sixes at the end of the over, dispatching a low full toss and picking a slower ball.

With 20 required from 12 Imad Wasim punished two short and wide balls from Jeromy Taylor for boundaries through point. The Stars thought they had Imad trapped lbw with the last ball of the penultimate over only for a no-ball to be called. When two were scored from the additional ball the Tallawahs had all but sealed victory with just four required from the last over. It was fitting of a spectacular lone effort that McCarthy finished the match with a six.

Earlier in the evening, the Stars powerful opening pair of Andre Fletcher and Johnson Charles were well restricted by the Tallawahs in the first three overs of the innings with just 13 runs scored. The pressure of that tight start told in the fourth over when Johnson Charles dragged a wide ball onto his stumps looking to hit through mid-wicket. In the same over Shane Watson fell for just one, caught behind after edging a brilliant delivery from Mohammad Sami that pitched and deviated away. At the end of the Powerplay the Stars were 39 for 2.

After a brief period of consolidation in which Fletcher and his partner Marlon Samuels scored at a run-a-ball for three overs, they launched a stunning attack on the Tallawahs bowlers, blitzing 85 in the following 7.2 overs before Samuels was eventually dismissed. Their final partnership was 103 off 64 balls. Both men hit powerfully but without panic, timing the ball beautifully and hitting notably straight. Fletcher reached his fifty off 35 balls, Samuels reached his off 36.

When the partnership was eventually ended as Samuels picked out a fielder on the deep mid-wicket boundary the Stars experienced a mini-collapse losing three wickets for seven runs and four wickets for 22 runs. Mohammad Sami was the pick of the bowlers for the Tallawahs, taking the big wickets of Charles, Watson and Darren Sammy. Imad was also economical, conceding just five runs from his two overs.

The Stars innings was given a late surge thanks to back-to-back fours from Jesse Ryder in the eighteenth over and back-to-back sixes in the twentieth over from Fletcher, who finished on 85 not out off 54 balls. Ultimately it wasn’t enough for the Stars to avoid a sixth defeat of the season.

Upcoming Fixtures 

Thursday: Guyana Amazon Warriors v Jamaica Tallawahs, Guyana, 6.00pm

Friday: St Kitts & Nevis Patriots v Barbados Tridents, Basseterre, 9.00pm

For images from this match visit https://mm.gettyimages.com/mm/nicePath/gyisports?nav=pr538082992 where they can be downloaded and used for free. Credit: CPL via Getty Images.

For further information please contact:

Peter Miller 

UK Mobile: +447769119636

Caribbean Mobile: + 1 (758) 729 2012

Head of PR and Communications

Hero Caribbean Premier League