Hero CPL t20 cricket…TKR beat Tallawahs by 19 runs on D/L system

Aug 07, 2016 Sports

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Clash with Warriors in today’s final

In the longest t20 game ever, a less than capacity crowd watched Jamaica Tallawahs beat Trinbago Knight Riders by 19 runs on D/L system in a rain interrupted Hero CPL t20 eliminator which started at 20:00hrs on Friday evening and ended at 03:02hrs yesterday morning at the Warner Park ground to advance to this evening’s final against the Guyana Amazon Warriors.
The Warriors have reached the final trice in the four-year history of CPL but have never won the title.

Man-of-the-Match Andre Russell smashed a blistering maiden ton from just 44 balls with four fours and 11 sixes and shared in a 101-run fifth wicket stand with Shakib Al Hassan (19).  The 28-year-old Russell got support from Chris Gayle’s 26-ball 35 with three sixes and two fours as the Tallawahs powered to the third highest total this season, 195-7 off 20 overs. Russell’s ton is the fastest in CPL cricket and shares the record for most sixes in a game with Gayle. Kevin Cooper had 3-45 for TKR.
Set a revised target of 130 from 12 overs, TKR reached 110-7 despite 38 from 26 balls with six fours a six from Colin Munroe and Hashim Amla who made 37 from 28 balls with two fours and a six. Russell crowned a dream game by ending with 2-27, while Shakib Al Hassan had 3-23.
After Umar Akmal (6), who survived a confident caught behind appeal when he had clearly ‘nicked’ Russell, was run out at 9-1 and it was always going to be a hard task to conjure a win.
At 18-1 after three overs, rain sent the players scurrying off the field and when the game eventually resumed at 02:00 hrs they needed 112 from 54 balls.
Amla and Munroe, who along with Russell and Gayle is the only batsmen with a hundred this season, added 58 in 6.5 overs with Amla who played the supporting role but despite Munroe’s urgency the job was just too much for TKR.
Earlier, after an 88-minute late start due to rain, Tallawahs were asked to bat and Chadwick Walton was dropped off Guyanese pacer Ronsford Beaton in the first over but responded by lofting him down the ground for six.
Gayle cut Sunil Narine’s first ball gloriously behind point for four before repeating the shot and getting the same result as eight runs came from the second over.
Walton hit Beaton for four as the ball landed just in front of Umar Akmal who misjudged the catch while Kevin Cooper, who replaced Narine was hammered for two mighty sixes by the pugnacious Gayle who went on the attack from the word go and was already looking ominous.
But Cooper soon broke the 38-run stand when Walton (15)  touched one that left him for Keeper Denesh Ramdin to hold a sharp catch on the second attempt. Kumar Sangakkara got an inside edge to Cooper for four to end the fourth over with the Tallawahs on 41-1.
Gayle, who turns 37 next month, pulled a slower ball from Bravo over the boundary and the 50 was posted in five overs in a strong breeze.
Sangakkara (5) tried to go over the top but only managed to find Akmal at long-off who took a brilliant low catch diving forward as Narine reaped success at 55-2 in the sixth over.
But Gayle, who has struggled for form in his last few games, tried to hit his fourth six but Cooper had the last laugh when the offering was accepted by Colin Munroe as Tallawahs wobbled from a great start slipping to 58-3 in the eighth over and TKR fans were dancing in the stands.
Things got progressively worse for the team for Reggae County when Rovman Powell (2) flicked Bravo, who has the best bowling figures this season (4-13), off his legs and was well taken at short square-leg at 67-4 to take the TKR Skipper past Warrior’s Sohail Tanvir’s 20 wickets.
Al Hasan was joined by Russell who took his eyes off the ball and ducked into one from Bravo that didn’t bounce as he anticipated.
But 28-year-old Russell, who played with an injury in Florida, clobbered teenager Anderson Phillip for a couple of explosive sixes in the 11th over which leaked 15.
Narine returned and looked threatening despite Russell’s audacity. Russell, who got married during the Florida leg, dumped Beaton into the stand over long-off before clipping the pacer to the square-leg ropes next ball.
Al Hassan played the supporting role but at 99-4 after 12.3 overs rain halted proceedings for a second time.
When play resumed 62 minutes later, Russell brought up the 100 with six off Beaton in an over which cost 19 and jumped on Cooper like a cat upon a mouse and deposited him for consecutive sixes and the Jamaican supporters were making ‘a whole heap’ of noise in the stands.
Russell galloped to his 13th 50 from just 23 balls with six sixes and a four but again fended at a short ball from Bravo and was struck on his glove.
Narine confused Russell who edged him to the third man for four as Al Hassan was the silent partner. Russell continued to hit the ball brutally and a six off Beaton cleared the small 67-yard boundary by ‘miles’ and followed it up with one that went even further to post the 150. He celebrated with another six that sailed towards Nevis as Beaton’s over cost 22.
Al Hassan was bowled by Cooper at 168-5 but Russell continued to rain sixes on the hapless TKR bowlers by dumping Bravo for his 10th six.
Guyanese Jonathon Foo, in his first CPL match joined Russell, who raced to his 100 with a six off of Phillip before he fell in the last over while Foo (8) was run out off the last ball.
Scores: Jamaica Tallawahs 195 for 7 (Russell 100, Cooper 3-45, Narine 1-22) beat Trinbago Knight Riders 110 for 7 [12 overs] (Munro 38, Shakib 3-23, Russell 2-27) by 19 runs (D/L method).  (Sean Devers)

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