McCullum, Lil Bravo fire TKR past Gayle, Patriots

McCullum, Lil Bravo fire TKR past Gayle, Patriots – 22nd match

Aug 25, 2017 Sports

Basseterre, St. Kitts, CMC — Rapid-fire, unbeaten knocks from Brendon McCullum

Bravo launches another six at Warner Park in St Kitts. Getty Images

and Darren Bravo upstaged an explosive 93 from Chris Gayle to lead Trinbago Knight Riders to an eight-wicket victory over St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots under the Duckworth/Lewis/Steyn Method in the Caribbean Premier League on Wednesday.
McCullum, the former New Zealand captain, was not out on 40 and West Indies left-hander Bravo was not out on 38, as the Knight Riders successfully chased a DLS-revised target of 86 from six overs in a thrilling finish to their rain-affected 22nd match of the tournament at Warner Park.
In an explosive conclusion, McCullum and Bravo smashed one four and eight sixes, sharing an unbroken 54 off 13 balls for the third wicket to catapult the TKR over the finish line with four balls remaining.
The embattled Bravo concluded the showpiece with successive sixes off the first two deliveries of the final over — bowled by Jonathan Carter — to finish the match in grand style and hand the visitors their seventh victory of the competition.
The result meant the Trinbago Knight Riders remained riveted at the top of the standings on 14 points, three more than the Patriots, with both having two matches left. Gayle had set the tone for the day with a five fours and eight sixes from 47 balls in a typically fiery knock that drove the Patriots to 162 for three from their rain-reduced 13 overs.
Fellow left-handed opener Evin Lewis supported with 39 and Shamarh Brooks gathered a run-a-ball 20, as the Patriots defied a light outage and two stoppages for rain to post a competitive total.
After the target was revised to 169 from 13 overs under the DLS Method and in between some early pyrotechnics from McCullum, former Australia fast bowler Ben Hilfenhaus bowled Sunil Narine for five and West Indies leg-spinner Samuel Badree bowled Colin Munro for one to leave the Knight Riders 34 for two in the fourth over.
But a 30-minute stoppage for rain, lopped seven more overs off the innings, leaving TKR with their final, highly improbable, if not impossible target which Bravo, in particular, and McCullum made look like a walk in the park.
Earlier, SKN Patriots started slowly, but things took off in the third over, when Lewis hit Narine’s off-spin for a six and a four off consecutive balls before he and Gayle took toll on Ronsford Beaton in the following over which cost 19 runs.
After being struck four two fours and a six from the first four deliveries, Narine had Lewis caught behind in the fifth over, but a tight sixth over from Dwayne Bravo was interrupted when the lights failed and coupled with rain forced a near 1 1/2-hour long delay.
Just 13 balls were possible — during which Gayle, on 25, added the insult of two sixes to the injury of Ashley Nurse putting down a hot return chance – before another rain delay forced the players off for 45 minutes.
With six overs remaining, Gayle went into overdrive, smashing Dwayne Bravo over mid-wicket for six to reach his 50 from 34 balls and formalised a 50-run stand with Brooks. He and Brooks continued merrily before they were dismissed in the final over.
Remaining schedule:
Friday, 25 August Jamaica Tallawahs v St. Lucia Stars (Jamaica)
Saturday, 26 August Jamaica Tallawahs v Trinbago Knight Riders (Jamaica)
Tuesday, 29 August Barbados Tridents v Guyana Amazon Warriors (Barbados)
Wednesday, 30 August Jamaica Tallawahs v St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots (Jamaica)
Thursday, 31 August Barbados Tridents v St. Lucia Stars (Barbados)
Friday, 1 September Jamaica Tallawahs v Guyana Amazon Warriors (Jamaica)
Saturday, 2 September Barbados Tridents v Trinbago Knight Riders (Barbados)
Sunday, 3 September Barbados Tridents v St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots (Barbados)
Tuesday, 5 September Play-Off (venue tbc)
Wednesday, 6 September Eliminator 1 (venue tbc)
Thursday, 7 September Eliminator 2 (venue tbc)
Saturday, 9 September Hero CPL Final (venue tbc)