CPL 2020: Trinbago Knight Riders beat Guyana Amazon Warriors to clinch 5th consecutive win

The Trinbago Knight Riders continued their dominance in the 2020 edition of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2020 as they defeated the Guyana Amazon Warriors by seven wickets in the 16th match of the T20 tournament at Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain on Thursday.

Sikandar Raza opened the attack fo Trinbago Knight Rders and turned his first ball sharply but he managed to remove Brandon King on his sixth delivery before Khary Pierre removed Chandrapaul Hemraj (2) and Nicholas Pooran (1) to reduce the Amazon Warriors 12/3. Pollard then put himself under the helmet practically on the batter’s toes. 

Ross Taylor was positive, pulling Raza hard for four. Pollard almost pulled off a blinder at silly-point, just failing to hold as Taylor lunged forward off Pierre. But Taylor found Raza easier, cutting for four, slog-sweeping in trademark fashion for a maximum, and paddle-sweeping for another  boundary to help the Amazon Warriors reach 39/3 at the end of the Powerplay.

Fawad Ahmed then troubled Hetmyer with his googly, but  the latter managed to find singles. Pollard brought himself on, but even someone with his experience couldn’t have expected what happened next, the CPL press release stated.

Taylor took only a few strides before turning around, but keeper Tim Seifert was out of the blocks like a sprinter, got to the ball while taking off one glove, and in mid-air threw down one stump with Taylor still scrambling. It was a spectacular piece of work, and left the Amazon Warriors 44/4 after 8 overs.

Seifert dropped Sherfane Rutherford on 1, but Pollard looked satisfied with the Amazon Warriors 51/4 at halfway. Fawad used the googly well to bowl a maiden 11th over, and in the 12th on came yesterday’s history-maker, DJ Bravo, who also managed to take away singles

Pierre was then bought back into the attack as Rutherford launched the ball into a slog-sweep, only to see Knight Riders display their fielding magic. Tion Webster took the catch as it came over his shoulder, threw the ball millimetres from the ropebefore stopping his momentum in time to run back into the field and re-catch the ball. 

Colin Munro dropped a sitter to gift Hetmyer a maximum and deny Pierre a fourth wicket. But the reprieve didn’t last for much time as Hetmyer hammered  DJ Bravo straight to cover to leave the Amazon Warriors 77/6 off 16.  Keemo Paul punished Fawad for overpitching by launching him over the sightscreen, and Romario Shepherd sent a Bravo length ball out of the ground.

Ali Khan was forced to leave the game early due to back spasm, but Pollard filled in well at the death to pick up his first wicket of the CPL 2020, with Seifert diving to hold a steepling Shepherd top edge. Paul responded with a flat-bat six, but Bravo was as good as ever in the 20th,giving away just five and sending his side into the innings break as favourites.

Amazon Warriors began their poceedings well through Hemraj and skipper Chris Green. But Lendl Simmons smashed Imran Tahir over midwicket for six, and Webster cut Hemraj for four then lofted a straight six. Green was forced to go to Naveen-ul-Haq, who spoiled an otherwise good over by gifting Simmons a four down the leg-side, and at 32/0 off five overs, the Knight Riders were comfortable.

Tahir bowled a googly ripped past Simmons’ slog, next ball a big leg-break did the same to Munro, and though Darren Bravo denied Tahir the hat-trick the Knight Riders needed to reset. 

Green and Paul were accurate, but Webster ended a run of 26 boundary-less balls by spanking a maximum. As a bonus he drove Shepherd for a boundary, and at halfway the Knight Riders were well-set at 51/2.

Green then finished Webster’s charge as Hetmyer took a good low catch. Seifert was lucky not to be bowled at least once by Paul and found a gap at square leg to end the 12th over with a boundary.

Naveen returned and went for just four, and with two overs of Tahir looming Green invited the Knight Riders to attack Shepherd. Seifert and Bravo took the bait, and the over went for 13 to leave the Knight Riders needing 35 off 36 balls.

Green opted to only use one of Tahir’s overs, and it went for just two. A Paul over went boundary-less, and off Naveen Hetmyer very nearly outdid Webster’s earlier effort, leaping athletically to hold and release a Bravo loft before he hit the rope, but Green wasn’t quite close enough to take the release.

Bravo did however clear the ropes in that over as Naveen served him a juicy full toss, and Seifert went after the first ball of Tahir’s last over and hit it miles. With the pressure now off, the over went for 11, and Seifert sealed the win with two crunching fours.

He and Bravo had again finished what the bowlers had started, and the Knight Riders machine rolled on. It’s instructive, and worrying for the other five franchises, that once again Sunil Narine’s absence was hardly mentioned.

It was fifth consecutive win for Tribago Knight Riders in the ongoing edition of the CPL.

Brief Scores: Tribago Knight Riders 115/3 (Seifert 39*, Webster 27, DM Bravo 26*, Simmons 19; Tahir 2/25, Green 1/15) beat Guyana Amazon Warriors 112/7 (Paul 28*, Taylor 26, Hetmyer 26; Pierre 3/18, Pollard 1/15, DJ Bravo 1/23, Raza 1/30) by 7 wickets