PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC-St. Lucia Zouks edged Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel by four wickets in a rain shortened thriller, the 23rd match of the Caribbean Premier League here Tuesday night.
Zouks chased 91 to pull off victory in the last ball of the innings in a gripping encounter reduced to nine overs a side after rain delayed the start of play by more than two hours at the Queen’s Park Oval.
Opener Johnson Charles returned to form with a responsible knock of 41 for Zouks while an all-round effort from Jacques Kallis who scored 38 and grabbed three wickets, heavily influenced the tide of the match as momentum swung back and forth.
However it was Ross Taylor who came to the party as the match appeared headed for a super over but in dramatic fashion smashed a six of the penultimate ball and a single of the final delivery to take Zouks home and silence a packed partisan oval. Kallis gave Red Steel a flying start by picking up four boundaries and hitting two sixes after they were sent in by Zouks. The Bravo brothers, Darren 19 not out and Dwayne unbeaten on 14, slammed several boundaries late in the innings to help their side to 90 for four.
Charles, leading the chase, smashed three fours and the same number of sixes and kept the momentum with the Zouks even after the early departures of Andre Fletcher and Kevin Pietersen.
But Kallis’ three wicket haul and tight bowling from spinner Sulieman Benn, curtailed the run rate and swung the momentum back to the homeside.
Red Steel tightened the pressure on Zouks with 24 required off 12 balls when Charles was bowled by Kallis first ball of the penultimate over.
Kallis removed Kyle Mayers as well to finish with 3 for 15 in two overs, and Zouks faced the mountainous task of getting 17 going into the last over.
Nathan McCullum hit Dwayne Bravo for two fours and a couple before holing out of the fourth ball of the last over.
Seven runs were needed off the last two deliveries bowled by captain Bravo.
Taylor swung the first over midwicket and picked up a single of the last ball to drag St Lucia Zouks home in sensational style and also secured their first win over Red Steel in CPL history.
