HYDERABAD, India, CMC – Dwayne Bravo struck an unbeaten 58 from 34 balls, as Trinidad & Tobago reached the Final of the Champions League Twenty20 yesterday, when they completed a seven-wicket victory over the Cape Cobras of South Africa.
The West Indies all-rounder hit four fours and three sixes in his knock, as the Calypso Warriors, chasing 176 for victory from their allocation of 20 overs, reached their target with four balls to spare in the second semifinal at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
Bravo formalised the victory, when he swung the second ball of the final over from Rory Kleinveldt through mid-wicket for his last four, after he and T&T captain Daren Ganga put on 93 – unbroken – for the fourth wicket.
Ganga got 44 not out from 31 balls, and the result meant that his side will face New South Wales Blues in the Final on Friday at the same venue for a chance to win US $2.5 million.
T&T’s dream run in the competition looked under threat, after Jean-Paul Duminy hit four fours and three sixes in an 61 not out from 40 deliveries, and fellow South Africa international Herschelle Gibbs made 42 from 27 balls to lead the Cobras to 175 for five from their 20 overs.
But Adrian Barath – in particular – and William Perkins again gave T&T a sound platform of 53 from the first five overs for the first wicket.
Perkins was unnecessarily run out for 20 in the fifth over, when Barath played Kleinveldt to point, failed to respond to his fellow opener’s call for a single, and both batsmen ended up at the same end, as Gibbs threw the ball to the bowler to complete the dismissal.
T&T suffered another setback, when Barath was adjudged lbw to Duminy for 29 in the seventh over, but Ganga entered and settled things down with Lendl Simmons taking charge of the scoring.
Simmons was twice fortunate that nerves seemed to overcome Cobras’ Henry Davids, when he dropped him on 11 at deep mid-wicket off Claude Henderson in the eighth over, and next over, floored him on 14 at deep cover off Duminy.
But Simmons failed to make the most of his chances, and was caught at mid-wicket, when he pulled a long-hop from Justin Ontong straight into the lap of the fielder.
T&T still faced a tall order. They needed 91 from 59 balls, but Bravo joined Ganga, and they made it look like a cakewalk the rest of the way, scoring freely against the steady, if not menacing Cobras attack.
Bravo had the pleasure of reaching his 50 from 31 balls in the penultimate over, when he drove Charl Langeveldt inside-out over extra cover for his third four before his last
SCOREBOARD
CAPE COBRAS
*A Puttick b S Ganga 10
H Gibbs b Pollard 42
H Davids c & b Mohammed 7
JP Duminy not out 61
R Kleinveldt c Pollard b Simmons 21
J Ontong c Stewart b Simmons 7
V Philander not out 13
Extras (lb 4, w 10) 14
TOTAL (5 wkts, 20 overs) 175
Did not bat: +R Canning, C Henderson, M Zondeki, C Langeveldt.
Fall of wickets: 1-30 (Puttick, 4.1 ovwea), 2-57 (Davids, 6.4), 3-82 (Gibbs, 9.1), 4-116 (Kleinveldt, 13.1), 5-130 (Ontong, 15.2)
Bowling: S Ganga 4-0-28-1 (w1), Rampaul 3-0-19-0, Bravo 3-0-46-0, Mohammed 3-0-27-1 (w2), Pollard 3-0-24-1 (w2), Stewart 1-0-10-0, Simmons 3-0-17-2 (w1),
T&T
W Perkins run out 20
A Barath lbw b Duminy 29
L Simmons c Kleinveldt b Ontong 20
*D Ganga not out 44
D Bravo not out 58
Extras (w6, nb1) 7
TOTAL (3 wkts, 19.2 overs) 178
Did not bat: K Pollard, +D Ramdin, S Ganga, N Stewart, D Mohammed, R Rampaul.
Fall of wickets: 1-53 (Perkins, 5 overs), 2-58 (Barath, 6.1), 3-85 (Simmons, 10.1).
Bowling: Langeveldt 4-0-27-0 (w1), Zondeki 2-0-30-0 (w2, nb1), Kleinveldt 2.2-0-31-0, Henderson 4-0-32-0, Duminy 4-0-30-1 (w3), Ontong 2-0-14-1, Philander 1-0-14-0.
Result: T&T won by seven wickets.
Series: T&T advance to final.
Man-of-the-Match: Dwayne Bravo.
Toss: Cape Cobras.
Umpires: D Harper, R Koertzen; TV – A Saheba.
