BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – South African AB de Villiers proved his worth in gold with a sensational half-century, to help power Barbados Tridents to a 25-run victory over the luckless St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in the Caribbean Premier League here late Wednesday night.
The right-hander top-scored with 82 from 54 balls as Tridents, sent in at Kensington Oval, recovered from a poor start to post a challenging 180 for six off their 20 overs.
Left-hander Nicholas Pooran made a cameo 38 off just 19 deliveries and captain Kieron Pollard chimed in with 27 from 21 balls. Left-arm fast bowler Sheldon Cottrell was the best bowler with three for 25.
In reply, Jonathan Carter top-scored with 46 off 38 balls and captain Faf du Plessis got 42 off 34 deliveries but Patriots failed to find the acceleration required to keep up with the required run rate, and slumped to their fifth defeat in six outings.
Leg-spinner Imran Khan (2-26), left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein (2-27) and fast bowler Ravi Rampaul (2-30) picked up two wickets each.
The win for Tridents, meanwhile, was a much needed one especially after their no-result against Jamaica Tallawahs on Monday, and it moved them to five points and into second.
De Villiers’ innings was required after Tridents found themselves stumbling on 29 for three in the sixth over and in danger of total collapse.
He emerged from a careful start to produce a stunning display of hitting as he belted nine fours and three sixes, putting on 60 for the fourth wicket with Pooran and another 83 for the fifth wicket with Pollard.
Left-hander Raymon Reifer (1) was first to perish when he top-edged a short, quick one from 19-year-old speedster Alzarri Joseph and presented a simple catch to Lendl Simmons at short over, with the score on three in the second over.
Reifer’s opening partner Steven Taylor was lbw to a full length delivery from Cottrell for two in the following over as the hosts slipped to 12 for two, and when Pakistani Shoaib Malik top-edged a pull at leg-spinner Samuel Badree and was caught at short square leg by Cottrell, Tridents were up against it.
Pooran first led the revival, smashing three sixes in the 11th over sent down by left-arm spinner JJ Smuts which cost 20 runs.
When he was bowled in the next over by left-armer Tabraiz Shamsi, giving himself room to hit through the off-side, de Villiers took over the role of the main run-scorer. He took two consecutive boundaries off Badree in the 13th over and hammered another two off Shami’s final over, the 16th of the innings which leaked 15 runs, as he raised his half-century off 39 balls. Both de Villiers and Pollard fell in the last over from Cottrell but by then, the damage had been done. In reply, Simmons (18) and Smuts (13) threatened to get Patriots off to a flyer, adding 35 off 18 balls for the first wicket but Hosein accounted for both in successive overs to peg back the scoring.
When Australian Brad Hodge was bowled by Imran Khan for two in the eighth over, Patriots were losing their way at 59 for three.
Carter and du Plessis came to their side’s rescue in a crucial 56-run, fourth wicket stand that kept Tridents on their toes. The left-handed Carter struck a four and two sixes while du Plessis counted five fours.
With the required run rate climbing to over 13 per over at the start of the 16th, du Plessis fell to left-arm seamer Reifer bowled by one that kept low and Carter added another 27 with Devon Thomas (8) for the fifth wicket before holing out to long-off off Rampaul in the 18th over.
Scoreboard
TRIDENTS
S Taylor lbw b Cottrell 2
R Reifer c Simmons b Joseph 1
Shoaib Malik c Cottrell b Badree 16
AB de Villiers c Joseph b Cottrell 82
+N Pooran b Shamsi 38
*K Pollard c Shamsi b Cottrell 27
D Wiese not out 1
W Parnell not out 1
Extras (lb3, w9) 12
TOTAL (6 wkts, 20 overs) 180
Did not bat: Imran Khan, A Hosein, R Rampaul
Fall of wickets: 1-3, 2-12, 3-29, 4-89, 5-172, 6-178.
Bowling: Cottrell 4-0-25-3 (w1), Joseph 4-0-30-1 (w4), badree 4-0-41-1 (w1), Carter 3-0-29-0 (w2), Shamsi 4-0-32-1 (w1), Smuts 1-0-20-0.
PATRIOTS
L Simmons st Pooran b Hosein 18
JJ Smuts c Reifer b Hosein 13
F du Plessis b Reifer 42
B Hodge b Khan 2
J Carter c de Villiers b Rampaul 46
+D Thomas c Parnell b Rampaul 8
S Cottrell b Parnell 6
S Badree not out 3
T Shamsi st wkp Pooran b Khan 1
A Joseph not out 2
Extras (b5, lb4, w3, nb2) 14
TOTAL (8 wkts, 20 overs) 155
Did not bat: K Powell.
Fall of wickets: 1-35, 2-44, 3-59, 4-115, 5-142, 6-142, 7-150, 8-151.
Bowling: Parnell 4-0-26-1 (w1), Rampaul 4-0-30-2 (w1), Hosein 4-0-27-2, Imran Khan 4-0-26-2, Wiese 2-0-19-0 (w1, nb2), Reifer 2-0-18-1.
Result: Tridents won by 25 runs.
Points: Tridents 2, Patriots 0.
Man-of-the-Match: AB de Villiers.
Toss: Patriots.
Umpires: J Cloete, P Gustard; TV – Z Bassarath.
