BASSETERRE, St Kitts, CMC – Barbados Tridents beat Guyana Amazon Warriors to capture the 2014 Caribbean Premier League title, after rain spoiled an absorbing contest that appeared headed for an enthralling end of here yesterday.
Set 153 for victory, Amazon Warriors were fighting back at 107 for four in the 16th over, when the rains arrived at Warner Park to end the game prematurely, with Denesh Ramdin’s side eight runs behind on the Duckworth/Lewis method. At that stage, Amazon Warriors would have fancied their chances of still getting the 46 runs required of 25 deliveries left, but the wesather never cooperated and Tridents were left to celebrate their maiden capture of the premier Caribbean Twenty20 title.
For Amazon Warriors, it was their second straight year of heart-break after they lost in the final of the inaugural tournament last year to Jamaica Tallawahs.
The game was set up for a grand finish once Tridents, sent in by Amazon Warriors, gathered 152 for six off their 20 overs, thanks to half-centuries from opener Dwayne Smith who top-scored with 59 and Shoaib Malik, who stroked an unbeaten 55.
Left-arm seamer Krishmar Santokie was the main wicket-taker with three for 19 while off-spinner Sunil Narine claimed two for 20.
Tridents were eight for two in the third over but recovered through good work from Smith and Shoaib, the latter voted Man-of-the-Match.
In reply, Amazon Warriors innings stalled after they lost their two most prolific run-scorers, Lendl Simmons for 20 and New Zealander Martin Guptill for seven.
Fast bowler Jason Holder bowled magnificently to pick up two for 18 from his four overs, a spell that rocked Amazon Warriors and accounted for top-scorer Mohammed Hafeez for 28.
The signs were there that Amazon Warriors would not run away with the game when openers Simmons and Guptill gathered just five runs from the first 12 balls of the run chase.
Guptill broke the shackles with a straight boundary off seamer Kyle Mayers in the third over but then missed a heave next ball and had his leg-stump knocked back.
Simmons, the tournament’s most prolific scorer, then carefully repaired the damage with 37 for the second wicket with Mohammed Hafeez, but the partnership was slow and consumed 38 balls.
The right-handed Simmons, in particular, was unusually pedestrian, with just a four and a six off 26 balls before driving seamer Rayad Emrit to Raymon Reifer at cover, at 49 for two in the ninth over.
Mohammed Hafeez then carried the fight but again, found himself stifled by accurate Tridents bowling, and faced 27 balls while striking a four and a pair of sixes.
He was one of two wickets to fall to Holder in the lanky seamer’s final over as Tridents took a control of the game in the 13th over. He was caught at fine leg by Emrit after being forced into a false shot on the pull.
Jimmy Neesham departed a few balls later for 17, edging one behind as Amazon Warriors stumbled to 76 for four in the 13th over.
Chris Barnwell, 17 not out, and Ramdin, 14 not out, then hammered a six each before the rains broke their hearts. Earlier, Smith and Shoaib held the innings together after a nightmare start, as William Perkins and Holder, batting at number three, both failed to score.
But Smith, with six fours and three sixes off 52 balls, and Shoaib, who struck four fours and two sixes off 42 balls, posted 88 for the third wicket to rescue the innings.
Smith and captain Kieron Pollard (0) fell to Narine off successive deliveries in the 13thover but Shoaib expertly saw the innings to its end.
Scoreboard
BARBADOS TRIDENTS
D Smith c Guptill b Narine 59
+W Perkins c Mohammad Hafeez b Santokie 0
J Holder b Santokie 0
Shoaib Malik not out 55
*K Pollard c & b Narine 0
R Reifer b Santokie 5
J Mendis run out 15
Extras (b4, lb7, w6, nb1) 18
TOTAL (6 wkts, 20 overs) 152
Did not bat: K Mayers, A Nurse, R Emrit, R Rampaul.
Fall of wickets: 1-5 (Perkins, 1 over), 2-8 (Holder, 2.5), 3-96 (Smith, 12.5), 4-96 (Pollard, 13), 5-111 (Reifer, 16.1), 6-152 (Mendis, 20)
Bowling: Santokie 4-0-19-3 (w1), Permaul 4-0-30-0 (w1), Beaton 2-0-33-0 (w2, nb1), Narine 4-0-20-2, Mohammad Hafeez 4-0-21-0 (w1), Stewart 2-0-18-0 (w1).
GUYANA AMAZON WARRIORS
L Simmons c Reifer b Emrit 20
M Guptill b Mayers 7
Mohammad Hafeez c Emrit b Holder 28
J Neesham c wkp Perkins b Holder 17
*+D Ramdin not out 14
C Barnwell not out 17
Extras (b1, lb1, w1, nb1) 4
TOTAL (4 wkts; 15.5 overs) 107
Did not bat: N Stewart, V Permaul, S Narine, K Santokie, R Beaton.
Fall of wickets: 1-12 (Guptill, 2.2 overs), 2-49 (Simmons, 8.4), 3-74 (Mohammad Hafeez, 12.2), 4-76 (Neesham, 12.5)
Bowling: Mayers 2-0-9-1 (w1), Rampaul 2-0-10-0, Holder 4-0-18-2, Emrit 3-0-25-1 (nb1), Mendis 1-0-8-0, Pollard 3-0-25-0, Reifer 0.5-0-10-0.
Result: Barbados Tridents won by eight months (D/L method).
Series: Barbados Tridents win CPL title.
Man-of-the-Match: Shoaib Malik.
Toss: Guyana Amazon Warriors.
Umpires: Gregory Brathwaite, Joel Wilson; TV – Leslie Reifer.