2017 Hero Caribbean Premier League – Match Report 13

Trinbago Knight Riders 161-6 (Ramdin 59*, Munro 36, Nabi 2-12) beat St Kitts & Nevis Patriots 158-7 (Brooks 37, Carter 31, Narine 2-26) by 4 wickets

A dramatic late surge from the Trinbago Knight Riders took them to a stunning four wicket victory against St Kitts & Nevis Patriots and sealed their place in the play off stage of the 2017 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL). Chasing an imposing 159 to win the Knight Riders had been reduced to 89 for 5, requiring a further 70 from just 36 balls, but an unbeaten 59 from Denesh Ramdin took them home with three balls to spare. 

A dramatic last five overs saw the match swing to and fro. Ramdin, who had been dropped on just one by Brandon King, begun the assault by taking 16 off the 15th over bowled by Tabraiz Shamsi. Following a tight 16th over from Hasan Ali the pressure increased once more. Back to-back fours from Dwayne Bravo off Carlos Brathwaite and a slapped six off Hasan kept the Knight Riders in the hunt. A brilliant direct hit to run out Dwayne Bravo from Hasan Ali threatened to derail the comeback but a six from Ramdin the following ball turned the match once more.

The penultimate over was bowled by Brathwaite and after Javon Searles had clubbed two boundaries, Ramdin struck a third to leave the Knight Riders requiring just three off the last. Ramdin hit the third ball of the over for a straight four to complete a stunning turnaround.

The Knight Riders had been brilliantly restricted by the Patriots for the first two thirds of the innings. Both Sunil Narine and Brendon McCullum were dismissed in the Powerplay and after six overs they had only 42 on the board. More tight overs followed and when Colin Munro, Darren Bravo and Shadab Khan were dismissed in quick succession as they looked for quick runs hope looked to be lost for the Knight Riders. Ramdin, however, had other ideas.

Earlier in the evening, after winning the toss and electing to field, the Knight Riders kept the Patriots very quiet in the Powerplay with some accurate bowling and well executed plans. With Gayle opening the batting the Knight Riders adapted their spin-strategy and started with two overs of full and fast pace bowling. They then turned to Narine who nearly had Gayle caught sweeping before dismissing him next ball with a sharp turning off break that took his outside edge. At the end of the Powerplay the Patriots were 34 for 1.

The Knight Riders tight bowling was matched by their fielders in the eighth over when a superb throw from Searles was brilliantly collected at the base of the stumps by Kevon Cooper, running Mohammad Hafeez out by inches.

The Patriots threatened to get going in the ninth over when they took 21 from Shadab’s second over with King striking a spectacular six against the spin over mid-wicket. His innings was short-lived however. The first ball after the drinks break he charged Narine and was caught at slip. Shamarh Brooks had worked hard for his 37 but never looked fluent and when he was bowled attempting an audacious paddle sweep off Shadab the Patriots had slid to 95 for 4 after 13.2 overs.

An explosive final five overs brought the Patriots 49 runs and elevated them to the highest first innings score at Queen’s Park Oval this season of 158 for 7. The Patriots strong finish owes a lot to Brathwaite who dared to take on the sixteenth over bowled by Narine, scoring six, two, four and one which alleviated some pressure on the remaining overs. A sparky cameo from Nabi of 17 off 8 balls capitalised on the good work of Brathwaite. In the end, it was not quite good enough.

Upcoming Fixtures

Tuesday: St Lucia Stars v Jamaica Tallawahs, Gros Islet, 6.00pm

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

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 

Mobile: +447769119636

Caribbean Mobile: + 1 (758) 729 2012

Head of PR and Communications

Hero Caribbean Premier League

HERO 2017 Caribbean Premier League – Match Report 12

Guyana Amazon Warriors 153-4 (Mohammad 38, Gajanand 35*, Mayers 1-22) beat St Lucia Stars 152-8 (Charles 53, Watson 32, Rashid Khan 2-9, Emrit 4-35) by six wickets

An assured team performance from the Guyana Amazon Warriors produced a six-wicket victory against St Lucia Stars in Match 12 of the 2017 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL). After pulling the Stars back from 91 for 2 to 152 for 8, a calm cameo from Gajanand Singh guided the Amazon Warriors to the target, despite a late blip which took the match deep into the last over. 

After winning the toss and electing to bat the Stars innings was given a quick start by Johnson Charles and Andre Fletcher. Fletcher only lasted eight balls however, before being beaten for pace by a back of a length ball from Sohail Tanvir.

Fletcher’s demise did not seem to perturb his partner Charles who clattered a four and a six off the two balls immediately after the wicket and then hit an enormous Hero Maximum off Rayad Emrit which bounced off the roof of the stadium and down the road.

A scratchy innings of 2 off 7 balls by Marlon Samuels was ended with a top-edged pull off Emrit and a tight sixth over, bowled by Rashid Khan meant the Stars ended the Powerplay 47 for 2.

Two driven fours from Shane Watson gave the innings fresh impetus before Charles tore into some full tosses from Keemo Paul, taking the 9th over for 21. At the half way stage the Stars were 90 for 2, thanks largely to Charles who batted with typical belligerence, muscling the ball across the line, scoring 50 of his 53 runs on the leg side.

His dismissal off the second ball of the tenth over by Rashid Khan changed the complexion of the innings. Kamran Akmal was stumped for 2 off 4 balls, charging down the pitch to Khan. Some tight overs and two more wickets – Watson for 32 and Kyle Mayers for 1 meant the Stars had lost 4 for 19.

More quiet overs followed as Darren Sammy and Rahkeem Cornwall struggled to get the ball away, particularly from Rashid Khan who finished with 2 for 9. With 12 balls remaining the Stars were just 122 for 6.

Those 12 balls brought the Stars 30 runs as Sammy finally found his range, slamming two sixes over mid-wicket and one straight before he was dismissed looking for a fourth for 26 off 24 balls. The Stars finished with 152 of 8 – well below the two previous first innings at this venue of 196.

Chadwick Walton gave the Amazon Warriors chase a frantic beginning by hitting four boundaries in the first two overs. However, the Stars pulled things back in the next three overs, conceding just 15. After Walton was dismissed by a good short ball from Jerome Taylor the Amazon Warriors ended the Powerplay 42 for 1 with Martin Guptill being kept quiet on 4 off 12.

Once the field dropped back the Stars bowled accurately, giving the Amazon Warriors very few boundary balls. After a brief but unspectacular partnership, Babar Azam was caught and bowled by Shane Shillingford for 12 off 14. At the halfway stage the Amazon Warriors required 84 more runs to win.

When Guptill was eventually dismissed, well caught at deep point by Samuels off the bowling of Mayers, the Stars will have sensed a way back into the match. Although the required run rate of 8.93 was not steep it required an acceleration that the Amazon Warriors had shown little sign of giving.

It did however eventually come with 48 required from 30 balls as Jason Mohammad and Gajanand Singh took Shillingford’s final over for 16 putting them back in charge of the contest. A brilliantly flicked six and two slapped drives from Gajanand further reduced the equation.

Despite the boundaries the Amazon Warriors never truly pulled away and a tight penultimate over from McClenaghan ended with the wicket of Mohammad and left them requiring 8 from the last over. After only two runs came from the first three balls, bowled by Sammy, the Stars had come from nowhere to stand on the brink of winning. Roshon Primus’ heaved four and a scampered two ensured that didn’t materialise and the Amazon Warriors recorded their first victory of the season.

Upcoming Fixtures 

Monday, Trinbago Knight Riders v St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, Port of Spain, 20:00

Wednesday, St Lucia Stars v Jamaica Tallawahs, Gros Islet, 18:00

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

 

St Kitts and Nevis Patriots 196-6 (Lewis 92, Nabi 24*, Taylor 3-44) beat St Lucia Stars 163-8 (Fletcher 48, Nabi 3-15, Hafeez 3-22) by 33 runs

A powerful innings from Evin Lewis of 92 off 52 balls and a good all-round performance from Mohammad Nabi headlined the Patriots 33 run victory against St Lucia Stars in Match 10 of the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL). 

Lewis’ innings helped establish a platform from which the Patriots posted 196-6 after some late hitting from Nabi. It was a total that proved too many for a struggling Stars team who have now lost all four of their matches this season. Nabi and Mohammad Hafeez in particular proved difficult for the Stars to get away and took six wickets between them.

After being put into bat the Patriots innings was given a quick start by the dangerous opening pair of Chris Gayle and Lewis. After 35 runs had come from the first 16 balls of the innings Gayle was bowled by an excellent yorker from Jerome Taylor. In the same over Taylor removed Mohammad Hafeez, trapped lbw for a first ball duck. A tight fourth over meant the Patriots had been pulled back at 38 for 2.

It was then that Lewis stepped up his assault, clattering Taylor’s third over for eighteen before back-to-back sixes off the last two balls of the Powerplay propelled the Patriots to 73 for 2, with 45 of them coming from Lewis who scored heavily on the leg side.

In the six overs after the Powerplay the Patriots appeared happy to consolidate their good start while the Stars, particularly Shane Shillingford, bowled accurately. Just 36 runs and the wicket of Brandon King—caught despite a collision between Andre Fletcher and Johnson Charles—took the Patriots to 109 for 3 after 12 overs.

The introduction of Marlon Samuels in the thirteenth over sparked Lewis into life once more as he hit four boundaries in three overs—two slog sweeps and two cuts through backward point. A brief rain delay brought a halt to proceedings and when they returned Lewis was caught at a wide slip for an excellent 92.

The job was then left to the Patriots lower-order hitters Carlos Brathwaite and Nabi to capitalise on Lewis’ good work, which they did emphatically. 46 runs came from the last 19 balls of the innings, including eight boundaries with Brathwaite scoring 21 (14) and Nabi scoring 24* (9).

Like the Patriots innings the Stars’ was given a quick start by their famed opening pair Andre Fletcher, who played late and delicately, and Johnson Charles, who played with muscular power – together they took 31 from the first three overs.

The introduction of Mohammad Hafeez put the brakes on the Stars innings and in his first two overs he dismissed Charles, top-edging a slog and Kamran Akmal, mis-timing a drive. Those two wickets and some tight bowling put the Stars behind the rate at 58 for 2 after eight overs.

Fletcher and Samuels briefly threatened a resurgence, striking four boundaries in eight balls but when Samuels was caught and bowled by Hafeez off a leading edge the Patriots moved clear once more.

With Fletcher and Shane Watson at the crease and Darren Sammy to come, hope was not lost for the Stars but some excellent spin bowling by Nabi restricted their scoring and saw the rate spiral. When Fletcher was bowled by a seam-up yorker from Nabi and then Sammy was bowled by Shamsi that spiralling rate suddenly became insurmountable.

Upcoming Fixtures 

Sunday, St Lucia Stars v Guyana Amazon Warriors, Gros Islet, 18:00

Monday, Trinbago Knight Riders v St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, Port of Spain, 20:00

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 

Mobile: +447769119636

Caribbean Mobile: + 1 (758) 729 2012

Head of PR and Communications

Hero Caribbean Premier League

HERO 2017 Caribbean Premier League – Match Report 11

Trinbago Knight Riders 155-8 (Narine 79, Bravo 25, Springer 3-32) beat Barbados Tridents 152-9 (Malik 51, Williamson 30, Beaton 2-24) by two wickets

A maiden Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) fifty for Sunil Narine guided the Trinbago Knight Riders to a two-wicket victory against Barbados Tridents in Match 11 of the this year’s tournament. 

Narine’s career highest score of 79 was aided by some good fortune: three simple catches to dismiss him were put down and multiple edges flew into vacant regions. The nature of his innings belied the stability it offered the Knight Riders who lost regular wickets but Narine’s boundary-hitting ability ensured they stayed on top of the rate.

The Knight Riders’ run chase got off to a bad start with Brendon McCullum, bowled fourth ball by a Wayne Parnell yorker. Things got worse shortly after when Colin Munro was caught on the boundary off Shoaib Malik, leaving the Knight Riders 28 for 2 after 3.3 overs.

A partnership of 47 off 39 balls between Darren Bravo and Narine arrested the Knight Riders’ slide but when Bravo was dismissed on the cusp of the drinks break by Wahab Riaz and Denesh Ramdin was caught in the deep immediately after it the Tridents moved into the ascendency once more.

Through all of this Narine endured; batting deeper into the innings than in any match in which he had opened the batting. Between ball 6.2 and 13.2 Narine faced 19 balls and only failed to score off one of them. He regularly found the boundary during his innings, hitting five sixes and six fours; 54 of his runs came on the leg side. Single-handedly, despite wickets falling at the other end, he hauled his team to the total.

When he was finally dismissed, caught off a top edge at mid-wicket, the Knight Riders were just eight shy of their target with 11 balls remaining. Despite another wicket falling, which reduced the Knight Riders to eight wickets down, Kevon Cooper drove a four to seal the match with five balls to spare.

Earlier in the evening, after being put into bat, the Tridents innings got off to a frenetic start with Dwayne Smith and pinch-hitter Wayne Parnell both dismissed inside the first two overs with 19 runs scored.

The wicket of Parnell meant Malik joined Kane Williamson at the crease and together the pair combined in a busy partnership of 71 off 61 balls. Against the excellent bowling of Shadab Khan, Narine, Kevon Cooper and Dwayne Bravo the experienced pair rotated the strike expertly – at one stage going 23 deliveries without a dot ball.

When Williamson was dismissed—top edging a sweep off Shadab—for 30 off 35 balls he and Malik had laid a platform for the lower order to capitalise on.

However, Pollard struggled where Malik and Williamson thrived. Immediately after the wicket, Pollard faced 11 of the 18 remaining balls from Shadab and Narine, scoring just four runs. The pressure on him to make up for a cautious start was palpable.

After moving past 7000 career T20 runs Malik was dismissed for 51 off 38 balls as he looked to kick on, caught at mid-off against Beaton, leaving the Tridents 102 for 3 after 15.3 overs.

Malik’s demise brought Nicolas Pooran to the crease who assumed Pollard’s role as he himself struggled to, by hitting back to back sixes and a four off Cooper to finally accelerate the innings before holing out when attempting to hit a fourth.

A superb eighteenth over from Beaton saw the run out of Christopher Barnwell and just five runs conceded, leaving the Tridents looking short at 128 for 6 with 12 balls remaining. Four lusty blows—one from Shamar Springer, one from Pollard and two from Akeal Hosein helped propel the Tridents beyond 150. With the final ball of the innings Bravo bowled Pollard with a perfect yorker, dismissing him for 14 off 22 balls. Despite the late boundaries the Tridents had struggled to accelerate.

Upcoming Fixtures 

Sunday, St Lucia Stars v Guyana Amazon Warriors, Gros Islet, 18:00

Monday, Trinbago Knight Riders v St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, Port of Spain, 20:00

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 

Mobile: +447769119636

Caribbean Mobile: + 1 (758) 729 2012

Head of PR and Communications

Hero Caribbean Premier League

Newly crowned Wray and Nephew Contender Series Champion Sakima ‘The Mauler’ Mullings says that he still has a lot left to offer to boxing and aims to compete at the highest level for another number of years.

Mullings defeated Canadian Phil Rose in the competition’s grand final last month and said after the bout that his conditioning was unmatched throughout the competition and in the island.

The 35-year-old said that his age means nothing in deciding how long he can continue in the sport and that he still aims to reach the heights of other top Jamaican boxers such as Nicholas ‘The Axeman’ Walters, if possible.

“At the end of the day, I believe that a boxer’s age can’t be judged chronologically,” he said. “A boxer is like a car. You age based on how many miles are on the speedometer. You judge the age based on whether it’s ever been in an accident. It’s whether you’ve really been damaged or hurt in a fight. I see myself still as a young fighter and I believe that physically, I’m not damaged goods. I don’t have a lot of miles on my speedometer and I’ve never been beat up. I’ve lost a fight before, but Sakima Mullings has never been beat up. I have very minimal wear and tear.”

Good Shape

Mullings added that apart from still being in the physical shape he wants to be, his passion and hunger for excelling in the sport have also not waned.

“It’s something I still want to do,” he said. “I still love waking up and boxing. I still love training and going to the gym. My mind and my heart are still in it.”

But Mullings said that although he expects to be around for the next few years, he does not intend to be around long enough to be considered “washed up”.

“I also don’t want to be one of the fighters that overstays their welcome and fights past their prime. Based on the years I have yet, I believe I have five years left in me, so I don’t want to overstay my welcome,” Mullings shared.

Source: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/sports/20170812/mullings-age-just-number

2017 Hero Caribbean Premier League – Match Report 8

Barbados Tridents 196-4 (Pollard 83*, Williamson 46, Mayers 2—30) beat St Lucia Stars 129-6 (Sammy 60*, Charles 19, Parnell 3-28) by 21 runs (DLS Method)

A brilliant innings by Barbados Tridents captain Kieron Pollard led the way in a 21 run victory (DLS method) for his team against St Lucia Stars in Match 8 of the 2017 Hero Caribbean Premier League. 

Pollard powered his way to a brutal 83 not out off 35 balls to help the Barbados Tridents to a total of 196 for 6, the second highest score at the Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, and a total that proved too many for the St Lucia Stars in a rain-affected chase.

After winning the toss and electing to bat first the Tridents were given a solid, albeit unspectacular, start by their opening pair of Kane Williamson and Dwayne Smith. Their partnership of 72 came at a healthy rate of 7.84 runs per over and included eight fours and two sixes.

It took an excellent piece of fielding by Jesse Ryder, diving forward at short third man off the bowling of Kyle Mayers, to remove Smith for 36 who had edged a wide yorker. The very next ball the Tridents lost their second wicket when Shoaib Malik cut a wide ball straight to Ryder at point.

After the double-blow the Tridents appeared happy to consolidate but Williamson struggled to move out of first gear and eventually fell to another excellent catch in the deep on the leg side with Marlon Samuels running in and athletically diving forward. After 14 overs the Tridents were 96 for 3.

It was then that Pollard kicked into gear. Off the final six overs of the innings the Tridents plundered an astonishing 100 runs, with Pollard scoring 77 of them. Pollard’s innings was one of typical muscular power, with boundaries clubbed straight, clipped over mid-wicket or heaved through square leg.

Nicolas Pooran briefly threatened to match Pollard’s onslaught, hitting consecutive sixes off Jerome Taylor in the 17th over before being caught attempting a third the very next ball. That left Pollard to take on Taylor alone, and take him on he did.

Through a mixture of poor bowling, indifferent fielding and awesome power Pollard seized an incredible 36 runs off Taylor’s last eight deliveries including 28 off the last over as the St Lucia Stars wilted in the face of Pollard’s might.

The Stars required a record run-chase at the venue to win the match and were given an encouraging start by Andre Fletcher and Johnson Charles who took 36 off the first three overs. The Tridents were fortunate to get the breakthrough when they did, Charles mis-timing a loose first delivery from Wahab Riaz straight to deep mid-wicket.

It was then that things begun to dramatically unravel for the Stars. In the space of 16 balls they lost five wickets, sliding from 36 for 0 to 53 for 5. Fletcher was caught pulling off Wahab by Pollard at square leg; Kamran Akmal was caught pulling off Imran Khan by Pollard at mid-wicket and both Marlon Samuels and Shane Watson fell driving loosely outside off stump to consecutive balls from Wayne Parnell. Ryder was also gone shortly after—caught mis-timing a pull off Parnell and in a matter of moments the Stars middle order had been gutted.

A rain shower delayed proceedings but when the players returned the match was sparked into life by Darren Sammy who razed the fastest fifty of the season – off just 23 balls. Yet just as it seemed that the Stars had found a way back into the contest the rain returned once more and with the Stars 21 runs shy of the DLS target the match was completed.

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 

Mobile: +447769119636

Caribbean Mobile: + 1 (758) 729 2012

Head of PR and Communications

Hero Caribbean Premier League

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ON BEHALF OF ST LUCIA STARS

Gros Islet, St Lucia. 10 August 2017

The St Lucia Stars will be working closely with the local community over the coming week to encourage, energize, and inspire the future Stars of the island. The press are invited to attend the following events in which the Stars franchise will be focusing on further cementing already strong relationships with the St Lucian public.

August 11th (5pm-7pm) – Rising Stars Award Ceremony (Hospitality Suite at Daren Sammy Cricket Ground)

Six Stars players will be awarding the top 16 cricket players on island (14 male, 2 female) for their exemplary performance on the field during the past season. There will be an MC along with canapes and refreshments for all attendees. This will follow practice which takes place from 2pm-4pm on the 11th. More players may attend this function.

1. Daren Sammy
2. Johnson Charles
3. Shane Watson
4. Andre Fletcher
5. Marlon Samuels
6. Mitchell McClenaghan

August 14th (9am-11am) – Beach Olympics (Bay Gardens Beach Resort)

Six Stars players will compete in a series of games set on the beach with 30 local students. Each player will have five students on their team identified by different colored wristbands. This event will promote teamwork, sportsmanship, and will allow interaction with the Stars players. Refreshments will be provided for all participants.

1. Daren Sammy
2. Eddie Leie
3. Kyle Mayers
4. Shane Shillingford
5. Keddy Lesporis
6. Obed McCoy

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.

 

-ENDS-

 

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 7

Jamaica Tallawahs 149-6 (Sangakkara 47, Narine 2-21) beat Trinbago Knight Riders 147-10 (Munro 41, Williams 3-21) by four wickets and with four balls to spare

A brilliant bowling recovery from the Jamaica Tallawahs that instigated a dramatic batting collapse from the Trinbago Knight Riders was the key to the Tallawahs recording a four-wicket victory in Match 7 of the 2017 Hero Caribbean Premier League.

After the Knight Riders had been sent into bat by the Tallawahs a sensational opening half of the innings saw them race to 109 for 2 after just 9.5 overs. However, they scored just 38 from the next ten overs and were bowled out with one ball to spare. The target of 148 proved too few for the Tallawahs who calmly managed a tight run chase, edging to the target with four balls to spare.

In the first half of the Knight Riders innings the new ball appeared to come onto the bat nicely and their powerful top-order of Brendon McCullum, Sunil Narine, Colin Munro and Darren Bravo feasted on some full bowling.

That should take nothing away from the brilliance of the Knight Riders batsmen whose stroke play was breathtaking early on. McCullum’s fast hands, Narine’s nonchalant flicks and drives, Munro’s strength and Bravo’s elegant power plundered an astonishing 12 fours and six sixes in the first ten overs of the innings.

In a sign of things to come both Narine and McCullum were dismissed by off-cutters. After Munro was caught on the long-on boundary from the penultimate ball of the first half of the innings the pace of the match was transformed.

Suddenly the Tallawahs pulled things back with a series of tight overs. Given their fast start the Knight Riders initially seemed content to regroup, but when they looked to push on once more they found runs far harder to come by. It seemed that as the innings progressed the dew on the ground made the ball softer and harder to hit.

In the latter half of the innings the Knight Riders batsmen struggled to time the ball as the Tallawahs bowlers—led by Kesrick Williams, Mohammad Sami and Odean Smith—dragged their lengths back and resorted to cutters and slower balls.

As the runs dried up the Knight Riders batsmen only swung harder but with little reward: in the second half of their innings they only hit two boundaries—one of them a top-edge over the wicket-keeper’s head. While runs were in short supply, wickets were not: seven of them fell in the second half of the innings as TKR desperately hit-out.

The Tallawahs—like the Knight Riders before them—made an excellent start to their innings, finding the new ball easier to hit. Lendl Simmons and Kumar Sangakkara’s 61-run opening partnership came in just 5.3 overs.

When Simmons and then Andre McCarthy were dismissed in quick succession the match threatened to take another turn as Knight Riders spin-twins, Narine and Shadab Khan, were deployed in the middle overs. However, after Sangakkara was dismissed off a no ball against Narine he put on 59 for the next two wickets with Rovman Powell and Shakib Al Hasan to keep the Tallawahs in control.

The increasingly softer ball meant that boundaries were hard to come by and even with a run-a-ball needed it seemed that a series of dots could turn the match. When Sangakkara was caught at long off with the Tallawahs still 25 shy of the target the Knight Riders, buoyed by vocal home support, seemed to believe that they could still win.

While boundaries were indeed harder to come by they were not impossible to find and when Jonathan Foo inside edged a four and then slammed a six over long-on that was parried over the rope by Shadab Khan the Tallawahs finally got home.

-End-

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 

Mobile: +447769119636

Caribbean Mobile: + 1 (758) 729 2012

Head of PR and Communications

Hero Caribbean Premier League

 

2017 HERO CARIBBEAN PREMIER LEAGUE – MATCH REPORT 6

Trinbago Knight Riders 120-6 (Shadab 30*, Searles 29*, Shillingford 4-22) beat St Lucia Stars 118-4 (Fletcher 40, Sammy 25, Cooper 3-21) by six wickets

An innings of great maturity on a testing pitch by the 19-year-old Shadab Khan alongside Javon Searles guided Trinbago Knight Riders to a thrilling four wicket victory against St Lucia Stars in Match 6 of the 2017 Hero Caribbean Premier League. 

After the Knight Riders had restricted the Stars to 118 for 9 it seemed as if they had the match won. However, a fantastic spell of bowling from Shane Shillingford reduced the Knight Riders to 52 for 5 on a turning pitch that demanded a partnership of great responsibility from Shadab and Searles who inch-by-inch, marshalled the Knight Riders towards their target.

Eventually, they got there in a flourish as Searles clubbed back-to-back sixes before two balls later guiding a four to complete the chase, but they were made to work bitterly hard before then by some tight bowling.

Brendon McCullum and Sunil Narine had got the Knight Riders off to a typically quick start, Narine slamming a straight six before McCullum hit three of his own with some scintillating shots. After three overs they had 35 runs on the board but the trouble was their aggressive approach had cost them three wickets: Narine, McCullum and Colin Munro all back in the dugout.

It was not until the Knight Riders lost two more wickets: Darren Bravo—bowled when trying to cut and Denesh Ramdin—bowled by a quicker one, that the home team appeared to adjust their approach. By that point they had been reduced to 52 for 5 and Shillingford had taken four wickets.

When Dwayne Bravo’s brief resistance was ended by a searing yorker from Mitchell McClenaghan, the Knight Riders were 75 for 6 and the Stars were favourites for the first time in the match.

However, it was that wicket that brought together Shadab and Searles who combined brave boundary attempts with sensible placement and busy running to take the Knight Riders home.

Earlier in the evening, Trinbago bowled brilliantly after winning the toss to restrict the Stars to just 118 for 9.

Slow left arm spinner Khary Pierre opened the bowling and started with a maiden to Johnson Charles. With the first ball of the third over Pierre trapped Charles lbw with one that didn’t turn.

After Pierre had bowled his four overs straight through—finishing with 1 for 15—it was the medium pace of Kevon Cooper that made the second breakthrough, finding Kamran’s edge with an off cutter.

Two boundaries from Fletcher off Dwayne Bravo’s first over—the ninth—were the last moments of joy for the Stars before a brilliant middle-over squeeze begun. It took the Stars 52 more balls to find the boundary again as Shadab, Narine and Cooper bowled with exemplary control.

The final four overs of the innings brought 35 runs and four wickets as the Stars desperately hit-out. That only ten of those runs came from boundaries was indicative of the nature of the pitch. The TKR spinners—Pierre, Shadab and Narine—finished with 3 for 48 across their 12 overs, while Cooper took 3 for 21. Bravo and Ronsford Beaton’s four overs cost 43. Little did they know quite how challenging a target 119 would prove to be.

-End-

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 

Mobile: +447769119636

Caribbean Mobile: + 1 (758) 729 2012

Head of PR and Communications

Hero Caribbean Premier League

2017 HERO CARIBBEAN PREMIER LEAGUE – MATCH REPORT 5

Jamaica Tallawahs 154-5 (McCarthy 60, Shakib 44, Wahab 3 for 32) beat Barbados Tridents 142-10 (Pollard 62, Sami 4 for 12) by 12 runs

A sensational lone-hand from Kieron Pollard was not quite enough to take Barbados Tridents home in a thrilling match in Lauderhill. Chasing an improbable 155 to win on a slow pitch the Tridents slid to 54 for 5, requiring a further 101 off 48 balls when Pollard played one of the great Hero CPL innings. 

Pollard’s 62 off just 33 balls single-handedly took the Tridents to the brink of victory but a lack of support from his team-mates meant that when he was dismissed off the last ball of the 19th over, the Tridents hopes of victory went with him.

After a cautious start Pollard’s power took the slow pitch out of the equation and he muscled six sixes and two fours in an astonishing assault. He was aided by some wayward bowling from the Tallawahs but the enormity of the task at hand demanded more than just poor bowling.

Every time the match seemed to be slipping away from the Tridents Pollard responded with muscular power, heaving boundaries over the leg side and clubbing them down the ground. When he took 18 off the 18th over, bowled by Shakib, reducing the equation to 25 off 12 balls the match finally seemed within the Tridents grasp.

However, a superb over of death bowling from Mohammad Sami, who finished with 4 for 12, stopped Pollard at the last hurdle. After conceding just five from the first five balls, Sami dismissed the key man as he attempted an audacious ramp shot off the last ball of the over.

Until Pollard’s assault the Tallawahs had been in control of the game for the majority of the match—a middle-order blip notwithstanding.

After winning the toss the Tallawahs innings started brightly with Kumar Sangakkara hitting three sumptuous boundaries square on the off side before an attempted fourth was brilliantly plucked out of the air by Kane Williamson at backward point.

Despite the loss of Sangakkara the Tallawahs continued onwards unperturbed with Lendl Simmons using his feet to manufacture three boundaries. At the end of the Powerplay the Tallawahs had scored 45 for 1.

Once the field dropped back the Tridents reined the Tallwahs in with four tight overs of spin, costing just 20. The pressure of that period told in the 11th over when Wahab Riaz struck three times in four balls, dismissing Simmons – caught at mid-wicket, Imad Wasim, trapped leg before wicket, and Rovman Powell, chopping onto his stumps. The over ended up as a triple-wicket maiden and threatened to derail the Tallawahs effort with nine overs to go.

The gutting of the Tallawahs middle order brought together Andre McCarthy, who was unbeaten on a run-a-ball 20 and Shakib Al Hasan. Their critical partnership of 81—dominated by McCarthy but culminating in a Shakib cameo—owed a fair bit to the poor fielding of the Tridents who dropped McCarthy twice.

The Tallawahs’ total of 154-5 was the highest of the season to date, and on a sluggish pitch the Tridents were faced with a tough task.

That task became significantly more difficult after a tight opening two overs ended with Imad bowling Williamson with a ball that turned past the outside edge to take the top of off stump. The Tallawahs maintained the pressure through the Powerplay and when Shoaib was run out in the fifth over, leaving the Tridents 23 for 2, the odds were firmly stacked against them.

Another run out—a direct hit from Sami—saw the back of Hosein and when in his following over Sami removed the struggling Dwayne Smith for 21 off 31 and Nicolas Pooran for a first ball duck the match rested solely on the broad shoulders of Pollard. In the end, even his best was not enough.

Upcoming Fixtures

Monday 7 August, Trinbago Knight Riders v St Lucia Stars, Trinidad

Wednesday 9 August, Trinbago Knight Riders v Jamaica Tallawahs, Trinidad

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