Latest update January 17th, 2025 6:30 AM
Eliminator 1 Hero CPL T20…. TKR advance to Qualifiers with six-wicket win over Patriots
Chris Jordon picked up four wickets for Trinbago Knight Riders.
By Sean Devers
Defending Champions Trinbago Knight Riders will have to do it the hard way if they hope for a successful title defence and began their journey to a fourth possible final with a six-wicket win over St Kitts & Nevis Patriots yesterday at Providence in the first Eliminator of the 2019 Hero CPL T20 tournament.
Led by a one man show from Englishman Laurie Evans who stroked eight fours from 47 balls in his 55 the Patriots were restricted to 125-7 as Bajan Chris Jordon who has played eight Tests and 31 ODIs for England, finished with 3-30.
He was supported by Man-of-the-Match Sunil Narine (2-10) and American Pacer Ali Khan (2-22). TKR in reply reached 128-4 with eight balls to spare to win by six wickets as Lendl Simmons hit three fours and three sixes in a 47-ball 55.
Skipper Kieron Pollard, whose nine-ball 26 was decorated with a four and three sixes and Denish Ramdin who ended on 32 from 38 balls with two fours and a six, featured in a 50-run unbroken fifth wicket stand off 19 balls.
TKR began their chase positively with Narine pounding Sheldon Cotterell for two boundaries with Simmons dispatched Alzarri Joseph for four in the second over. Narine (8) clipped Joseph to deep square leg at 15-1 and Colin Munroe was bowled for a duck by Cotterell at 16-2.
Simmons dumped Skipper Carlos Braithwaite for six before Daren Bravo (1) pulled Cotterell to backward square at 31-3 before Simmons chipped into Braithwaite and smashed him past mid-off for four. But after 10 overs TKR were 43-3 as the Patriots kept them contained.
Simmons soon reached 47th T20 fifty but he was soon removed by Braithwaite at 78-4 in the 16th over and the crowd fully against TKR danced in the stands. Pollard arrived to chorus of boos but he and Ramdin took TKR when Pollard dumping Braithwaite for two sixes before finishing the game with a bullet-like four as Braithwaite’s final four balls leaked 18 runs.
Earlier, TKR invited the Patriots to bat in overcast conditions and watched by a small crowd, 38-year-old Mohammed Haffiz got going with a cover driven boundary off left arm spinner Khary Pierre off the day’s first ball.
After a boundary from Evin Lewis off Pierre, Ali Khan removed Mohammed for 11 at 22-1 to bring Shemar Brooks to the crease. Brooks (5) was bowled by Jordon at 30-2 which was the score at the end of the power-play. Without addition to the score, Lewis (9) was caught and bowled by Narine, back in the TKR team after recovering from a finger injury.
Devon Thomas joined Evans and 50 came up in the 10th over; 30 was scored in the next three overs as Evans put his foot on the gas. Thomas (10) played back to Narine and was LBW at 81-4 in 14 overs as the sunshine returned in all its glory.
Evans kept going with a spanking square driven boundary off Jordon but soon lost Brathwaite (3), taken in the deep off Jordon at 102-5 – his poor run with the bat continued.
After posting his 21st T20 fifty, Evans was removed by Ali Khan at 108-6 in the penultimate over to the dismay of the crowd which had built up nicely and most of which were supporting the Patriots. Keron Cottoy (16*) hit Ali Khan for a couple of boundaries before Fabian Allen (6) was taken at long-off to Jordon his third wicket in the final over.
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