Published: Aug 11, 2017, 01:04 PM (IST)
Edited: Aug 11, 2017, 01:03 PM (IST)
In a rain-marred match, Barbados Tridents secured a close 21-run win (DLS method) against St Lucia Stars at Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Match 8 of CPL 2017. With this win, Tridents have taken the No. 2 spot in the points table while the Stars are languishing at the bottom, losing all the matches so far. Chasing 197 was going to be difficult for the Stars. However, skipper Darren Sammy’s blistering knock of 29-ball 60 made the task look easier until rains decided to play a spoilsport and hand Tridents their second win. There was display of big-hitting in the game between Sammy and Kieron Pollard. But it was Pollard who took the cake away with his blazing unbeaten score of 35-ball 83.
Stars’ openers Andre Fletcher and Johnson Charles began on a high. However, Wahab Riaz hit the right notes and removed the openers in the same over keeping the opposition on back foot. The game was going out of sight for Stars’ as they lost Kamran Akmal, Marlon Samuels and Shane Watson in a span of next two overs. Wayne Parnell was also on a brink of getting a hat trick after removing Watson and Samuels, but was denied one. Stars’ were tottering at 53 for 5. Tridents were on a wicket-taking spree when they got Jesse Ryder, leaving the Stars’ 6 down. However, the rains made their way again and the game was reduced to 19 overs with revised target of 193. Sammy’s knock saw boundaries galore, taking him to the fastest fifty of this edition.
Sammy’s rampage was halted with rains entering in the 16th over, ending the Stars’ game. The Stars’ had reached 129 at the stage, falling just 21 short of a DLS par score.
Earlier, Trident’s openers Kane Williamson and Dwayne Smith boosted the innings with a 72-run opening stand in 9 overs. Smith was targeting Kyle Mayers, hitting him for the big shots. Mayers who was the pick of bowlers for Stars’ got the wickets of Smith for 36 and Shoaib Malik for nought.
It was then over to the Pollard’s show who took the centre stage in the death overs. He smashed Shane Shillingford for 14 runs in the 15th over. Jerome Taylor was not spared either as Pollard smashed him for 20 and 28 runs in the final and penultimate overs. Pollard showed no mercy on his Mumbai Indians (MI) teammate Mitchell McClenaghan, who leaked 14 runs. Pollard’s carnage took Tridents to match-winning score of 196 for 4.
Brief scores:
Barbados Tridents 196 for 4 in 20 overs (Kane Williamson 46, Kieron Pollard 83*; Kyle Mayers 2 for 30) beat St Lucia Stars 129 for 6 in 15.2 overs (Johnson Charles 19, Darren Sammy 60*; Wayne Parnell 3 for 28) by 21 runs (DLS method)
