GROS ISLET, St Lucia, CMC – A ruthless half century from Umar Akmal helped Trinbago Knight Riders spoil a winning streak by St. Lucia Zouks in the 25th game of the Caribbean Premier League at the Darren Sammy National Stadium here Tuesday.
Akmal blasted an unbeaten 73 from 35 balls to singlehandedly take the game away from the resurgent Zouks who had won their last three matches before attempting to make it four in a row against the Knight Riders.
Chasing 167, Knight Riders crashed to 63 for five wickets inside the first 10 overs and appeared to be headed for a defeat at the hands of Darren Sammy’s rampaging Zouks.
But the Pakistan batsman launched a merciless counter-attack by targeting all of the bowlers to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat with an over to spare in front a packed stadium.
The momentum of the game swung back and forth, triggered by performances from players on both sides.
In-form Sammy top scored for Zouks with 37 from 18 balls to gather crucial runs at the latter stage of the innings after Knight Rider’s bowlers had restricted the batting earlier.
Zouks’ total was also built on a 32-run input from Shane Watson followed by 27 from Johnson Charles and 25 from Andre Fletcher.
Delorn Johnson was the pick of the Zouks bowling with three for 22 including the scalp of Anton Devcich for 25.
Devcich’s dismissal ended a half century stand with Akmal that had brought Knights Riders back into the game after they had imploded to 41 for four.
Akmal’s batting heroics have earned Knight Riders a vital win and have lifted them from fifth to third place on the CPL table, displacing Zouks.
Knight Riders’ play-off hopes seemed in jeopardy until the arrival of Akmal who scored three fours and seven sixes to swing things around.
In the 17th over, Akmal, who was dropped on 64, targeted Jerome Taylor for three sixes in a row and ended with a four which reduced Knight Riders target to 23 off the final 18 balls.
Sunil Narine impressed with a late cameo in which he bashed Watson for two sixes to bring the target down to nine from 12 balls and Kevon Cooper scored the winning runs two balls later to clinch victory with six balls to spare.
Earlier, Charles and Fletcher provided Zouks with a solid start to their innings by posting 60 runs before the fall of the first wicket, after they were sent in by the Knight Riders.
Fletcher, who hit three boundaries in his 22-ball stay at the crease, was first to go in unfortunate run out circumstances.
He dived full length to complete a single after Charles forced a ball down to long-on but television replays showed his bat was in the air as the bail came off the groove.
Charles was dropped in the first over and was given another reprieve in the fourth over when replays showed Devvich overstepped.
The St. Lucian batsmen departed in the next over, deceived by a slower ball from Dwayne Bravo and caught at deep midwicket by Ronsford Beaton.
Watson stuck around for a while to pick up two boundaries in a crucial innings which stabilized the middle order although Zouks struggled to increase the run flow until Sammy arrived.
Sammy triggered a late surge by hitting Kevon Cooper for a four and a six before smashing two more fours and a six in his 37 not out from 18 balls.
