Caribbean Premier League 2020: Kieron Pollard guides Trinbago Knight Riders to narrow win over Barbados Trindents

Skipper Kieron in the 17th match of the ongoing 2020 edition of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain on Saturday.

With the win, Trinbago Knight Riders have shown that they are capable of winning rest of the tournament not only without Sunil Narine, they can do it without DJ Bravo. 

Pollard hammered nine maximums in his quick fire knock of 72 off 28 balls, and though Khary Pierre still had work to do to finish the job, it was the team’s captain who led from the front.

Johnson Charles began the innings aggressively for Barbados Trindents, cutting Akeal Hosein and whipping Pierre for a boundary and then lofting Hosein for a maximum. However, Hosein managed to strike in his second over, Shai Hope caught at slip trying to cut a quicker ball, just before rain briefly held things up.

Charles smashed another boundary off Hosein to take the Tridents to 37/1 off the Powerplay. While Fawad Ahmed and Pollard kept Kyle Mayers quiet, Charles swept well off Fawad by paddling for a boundary and lofting for a maximum. At halfway, Charles had scored 44 of the Tridents’ 59/1, the CPL press release stated.

Pollard then handed Tion Webster his first T20 over. Webster started his over well but eventually ended up conceding nine runs. Mayers sent a Seales full toss for a maximum, but Charles smashed the ball straight to point

Pierre had a chance to dismiss Tridents captain Jason Holder but Webster dropped a low chance at long-off. Mayers finally got hold of Fawad for a pulled four as the Tridents reached  92/2 after 14 overs. Hosein though recovered from Sikandar Raza dropping a simple catch off Mayers to bowl Holder as he tried to launch him over midwicket.

Mayers and Corey Anderson combined to notch up eight off Pollard, but Raza managed to dismiss both with drift and turn. While Mayers was taken at long-off, Anderson was stumped to leave the Tridents on 107/5 afte the 17th over.

Ashley Nurse and Rashid Khan responded emphatically. Nurse then get off the mark by sweeping cut Raza for four, and Rashid smacked Fawad for a boundary first and then pulled him for a maximum.

Fawad though recovered to dismiss Rashid when Raza took a diving catch at cover. Nurse brilliantly manoeuvred a Seales yorker over point for six, but then a pull went high rather than long and Seifer held the skier.

Pollard decided to bowl the last over of the innings, only to see Mitchell Santner pull him for a wonderful six. The skipper recovered to concede just singles off the rest, but the Tridents had managed to put a good score on the board.

Chasing the target, Webster drilled Santner for four runs to get off the mark, but Holder’s extra bounce did for both him, splicing a pull to mid-on, and the dangerous Colin Munro, edging a cut to Ashley Nurse at slip. The Knight Riders were reduced to 6/2 after just two overs.

The Tridents went to the off-spin of Nurse to target the left-handed Darren Bravo, but the right-handed Lendl Simmons got himself on strike and hammered two contrasting Hero Maximums – the first got barely head high, the second almost cleared the stand.

Holder introduced Rashid into the attack and the Afghan answered with a wicket-maiden. Bravo survived a leg before wicket shout playing forward but then fell in that manner playing back. The Knight Riders finished at 27/3 after the Powerplay.

Hayden Walsh Jr started nicely, and Raymon Reifer struck with a cutter that Seifert edged to the keeper. Hosein guided a four past third man, but at 48/4, the Knight Riders were well behind the game at halfway.

Santner conceded just two, nearly having Hosein stumped twice. Off the returning Rashid, Simmons barely cleared deep midwicket with a sweep and Hosein was lucky his loft didn’t carry to long-on. But the luck did not last, as Hosein sliced a Walsh Jr googly far enough for Holder to take low at long-off. Thus, when Pollard strode to the middle, his team needed 87 off 39 balls.

The captain served notice of what was to come, launching Walsh into the scoreboard first ball. Holder brought back Rashid, but Pollard attacked him too, hammering a flat Hero Maximum over long-off. Simmons then ran past one to give Hope an easy stumping off Santner. Rashid gave away only four off his last over, and with four overs left the Knight Riders needed 66.

Amid sending Walsh Jr to all parts of the Queen’s Park Oval for four sixes in one game-turning over, Pollard turned down a single, and next over Raza sacrificed himself to ensure he was run out and Pollard regained strike. Reifer started the 18th well, but Pollard somehow managed two fours.

The Knight Riders still needed 31 off 12, but Pollard punished Holder for missing his yorker with two brutal Hero Maximums. Reifer got the nod for the 20th, with 15 to defend, and Pollard again started with a six.

Holder appeared to have swung the game back the Tridents’ way, running out Pollard as he desperately sought a second, but Reifer’s length deserted him and Pierre kept his cool, levering a full toss over point for a score-levelling Hero Maximum.

The Tridents were done, and the winning runs came next ball with a slice past third man. The Knight Riders surely cannot afford to be without players of the class of Narine and DJ Bravo for long, but they still had someone capable of winning the un-winnable. 

Brief Scores: Trinbago Knight Riders 149/8 (Pollard 72, Simmons 32, Pierre 10*; J Holder 2/27, Santner 1/13, Rashid 1/21) beat Barbados Tridents 148/7 (Charles 47, Mayers 42, Nurse 19, Rashid 12; Raza 2/11, Seales 2/21 Hosein 2/30) by 2 wickets