HYDERABAD, India, CMC – Trinidad and Tobago’s cricketers held their nerve to deliver the knockout punch to the fancied Deccan Chargers in their Champions League Twenty20 match yesterday.
Needing to win to avoid elimination, Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Deccan Chargers could only muster 146 for nine off their 20 overs replying to Trinidad and Tobago’s 149 for seven at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
The result confirmed T&T as Group A champions and let English county Somerset in as runners-up for a spot in the second round.
Needing eight runs off the last over, bowled by Dwayne Bravo, the Deccan Chargers lost two wickets and were limited to just four runs as T&T burst into celebration for the second time in three days.
“A great team effort, we beat the IPL champions and it’s a great feeling for us,” man-of-the-match Bravo said moments after the match.
Batting first, T&T took 11 runs off the first over by fast bowler Fidel Edwards but the West Indies speedster returned at the start of his next over to remove Lendl Simmons (7) leg before wicket as the right hander played across the line at 19 for one.
Darren Bravo, Dwayne’s younger brother, fell for 14 at 53 for two in the sixth over when he smashed a return catch to Tirumalasetti Suman and captain Daren Ganga fell immediately after, run out by Andrew Symonds without scoring.
William Perkins stroked a well measured 38 off 32 balls with six boundaries before falling lbw to Edwards, the second of three key wickets snared by the fiery Barbadian pacer.
Dwayne Bravo was run out for 11 and Symonds had Denesh Ramdin (15) stumped at 125 for six in the 17th over before Edwards sent back Keron Pollard.
The big-hitting Pollard thumped 31, laced with one four and four sixes in a 14-ball innings that ended when he was bowled off his pads by an Edwards yorker at 135 for seven in the 18th over.
Sherwin Ganga (13) and Dave Mohammed (2) were not out at the end.
Edwards finished with three for 32 off his four overs.
Spirited T&T, who had upset Somerset in their opening game on Monday, played diligently for the victory that appeared to be slipping away from them in the middle of the Chargers’ innings with their explosive Australian left-hander Adam Gilchrist scoring fluently.
Gilchrist lost top order batsmen VVS Laxman (4), Abhinav Kumar (1) and Symonds (2) cheaply but blasted a shot-filled half century that threatened to thwart T&T’s victory bid.
Gilchrist struck 51 off 36 balls including six fours and two sixes before departing to a superb diving catch on the mid-wicket boundary by Pollard off Simmons at 85 for four in the 12th over.
Venugopal Rao cracked a quick 30 and helped push Deccan Chargers to the verge of victory, needing eight runs off the last over.
Simmons had delivered a tight penultimate over, conceding just five runs, and Bravo finished the job in a tense last over.
After giving up just three runs from his first three deliveries, Bravo spectacularly bowled RP Singh (5) with a leg-stump yorker with the fourth ball, and fielded from his own bowling to run out Edwards (0) with the fifth ball.
Needing five runs to win off the last ball and four to tie the game and force a “Super Over”, Suman could only get a single to long-off.
“If I had 10 runs to defend in the last over, I’d back myself to defend it. Lendl Simmons bowled a very good previous over as well,” Bravo said.
“I hope I continue to lead from the front with the ball. As a unit we are very happy,” Bravo added.
Winning captain Ganga was thrilled with the result although his side did not play their best game.
“We didn’t play our perfect game but I’m sure things will improve. Dwayne has all the experience of a senior player, all the bowlers contributed. It was a total team effort,” Ganga said.
