PROVIDENCE, Guyana, CMC – The Trinbago Knight Riders’ bowlers produced a stifling performance and captain Keiron Pollard delivered the finishing blows to the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots to lead the defending champions into the semifinals of the Caribbean Premier League here yesterday.
While Chris Jordan was the main destructor snatching three wickets, Sunil Narine, who played with a broken finger, strangled the Patriots’ batsmen – his four overs costing just 10 runs – as the Patriots were restricted to a below-par score of 125 for seven from their 20 overs.
Englishman Laurie Evans was the only batsman to put up any fight, topscoring with 55 runs from 47 balls.
In their run chase the Knight Riders struggled early on, but Lendl Simmons’ half-century and Pollard’s late game heroics took them to 128 for four with eight balls remaining.
But the foundation for the Knight Riders’ victory was set by their bowlers, which allowed them to control the contest from the get-go.
Openers Mohammad Hafeez and the dangerous Evin Lewis were back in the pavilion courtesy early strikes from fast-bowler Ali Khan and Narine respectively.
When Chris Jordan bowled Shamarh Brooks for just five runs, the Patriots found themselves in a spot of bother at 30 for three in the seventh over.
A 51-run partnership between Evans and Devon Thomas threatened to repair the early damage, but even then runs were hard to come by.
When Thomas became Narine’s second victim, leg before wicket for 10, Patriots were still in trouble on 81 for four after 14 overs.
Things went from bad to worse after Jordan dismissed the dangerous Carlos Brathwaite and Fabian Allen, but a late assault led by Evans and Keron Cottoy who scored 14 from seven balls, catapulted them to their final total.
Evans eventually lost his wicket in the penultimate over. He blasted eight fours during his knock.
Jordan was the pick of the Knight Riders’ bowlers with three for 30 from his four overs, while Khan claimed 2-22 from three overs.
The Knight Riders endured a shaky start, losing Narine for just eight and Colin Munro for a four-ball duck, to find themselves 16 for two.
Darren Bravo faced 10 balls for just one run before he was dismissed by Rayad Emrit as the Patriots looked to be seizing control of the game.
But Simmons struck three sixes and three fours in a 47-run partnership with Ramdin who looked out of sorts early in his innings.
Simmons was eventually dismissed soon after scoring a half-century for 51, bringing skipper Pollard to the crease with the score on 78 for four in the 16th over.
At that stage, they required 50 runs from 27 balls for victory.
However, Ramdin soon changed gear and, after scoring nine from his first 25 deliveries, he finished unbeaten on 32 from 38 balls.
Pollard was the hero though, blasting 26 runs from just nine balls, compliments of three towering sixes and one boundary, to seal the deal for the Knight Riders.