2020 CPL Thread

[Deeks]

How were these games? Boring ? Exciting ?

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Jamaica Tallawahs secure five-wicket win over Zouks on CPL day 2
JONATHAN RAMNANANSINGH (NEWSDAY).

JAMAICA Tallawahs opened its 2020 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) T20 campaign with a five-wicket victory over St. Lucia Zouks when match three bowled off at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, in Tarouba, on Wednesday.

Batting first St Lucia Zouks got to 158 for seven led by a stern knock of 52 from Roston Chase while Najibuller Zadran chipped in with 25. Majeeb Ur Rahman (2/25) was the pick of the bowlers while Veerasammy Permaul captured 2/34 for the Jamaican franchise team.

In response, Jamaica Tallawahs had a shaky start but was steadied by consistent knocks of 47 and 44 from Man of the Match Asif Ali and Glenn Phillips respectively. The pair, partnered with firm contributions from captain Rovman Powell (26) and Carlos Brathwaite (18), steered the Tallawahs to a victorious 160/5 with seven balls remaining.

Kesrick Williams topped the bowling for the St Lucia Zouks by picking up 2/32.

Match four between the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots and Guyana Amazon Warriors bowl off at the same venue from 5:30pm on Wednesday.

Summarised Scores – JAMAICA TALLAWAHS 160/5 (Asif Ali 47 not out, Glenn Phillips 44, Rovman Powell 26, Carlos Brathwaite 18; Kesrick Williams 2/32, Rahkeen Cornwall 1/9 defeated ST LUCIA ZOUKS 158/7 (Roston Chase 52, Najibullah Zadran 25, Andre Fletcher 22, Mark Deyal 17; Mujeeb Ur Rahman 2/25, Veerasammy Permaul 2/34.

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Hetmyer 71, Paul 4/19 steer Warriors to first CPL win
JONATHAN RAMNANANSINGH (NEWSDAY).

A quick-fire knock of 71 runs from 44 balls courtesy Shimron Hetmyer and dazzling bowling figures of four for 19 from Keemo Paul propelled Guyana Amazon Warriors to a comfortable three-wicket win over St Kitts and Nevis Patriots when action continued in match four of the 2020 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) T20 tournament on Wednesday.

At the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, in Tarouba, inspiring performances from both Guyanese players saw the Warriors bounce back after losing this year’s opening fixture to the Trinbago Knight Riders.

Batting first, St Kitts and Nevis Patriots was restricted to a low score of 127 for eight after their 20-over duration. Opening batsman Evin Lewis top scored for the Rayad Emrit-led squad as he smashed two sixes and four fours in his knock of 30 from 18 balls.

Australian cricketer Ben Dunk chipped in with 29 runs, skipper Emrit scored 17 but veteran CPL player and wicketkeeper/batsman Denesh Ramdin could only tally nine runs.

Paul, however, wreaked havoc throughout the Patriots batting line-up as he claimed the scalps of Emrit, Ramdin, Dominic Drakes (eight) and New Zealander Nicholas Kelly (five) for just 19 runs.

South African spinner Imran Tahir also had a valuable contribution of two wickets for 18 runs.

In reply, the Warriors showed early intent as opener Brandon King smacked Sheldon Cottrell for two fours in the first over. Cottrell would taste sweet revenge in his very next over as he had Kind out caught Jahmar Hamilton (12/1).

Hetmyer then joined Chandrapaul Hemraj at the crease they pair carefully constructed a 47-run partnership before the latter was sent packing, run out by Drakes (59/2). Hetmyer though, took a liking to Jon-Russ Jagessar’s spin spanking him for two fours through point and extra cover respectively.

The Guyanese batsman then obliterated pacer Emrit for a consecutive four, six and four in the final three balls of his first over. New Zealand’s Ross Taylor (nine) made little contribution with the bat while wicketkeeper Nicholas Pooran went for a first ball duck courtesy countryman Emrit (96/4).

The former TTEC pacer then shattered the stumps of Sherfane Rutherford (10) before giving Paul a taste of his own medicine, out leg-before without scoring (120/6) after 16 overs.

With the Amazon Warriors’ target within sight and Hetmyer showing class at the crease, he continued to blitz by unearthing Drakes’ low full toss over the bowler’s head for four more.

At 124/6, Hetmyer (71) was then caught by Dunk off Drakes after tallying eight fours and three sixes. In came Romario Shepherd, who carried the Warriors over the line by half-volleying Drakes down the ground to get to a victorious 131/7 after 17 overs.

Summarised Scores –

GUYANA AMAZON WARRIORS 131/7 - (Shimron Hetmyer 71, Chadrapaul Hemraj 19, Bradon King 10, Sherfane Rutherford 10; Rayad Emrit 3/31, Sheldon Cottrell 1/24, Dominic Drakes 1/28) defeated ST KITTS & NEVIS PATRIOTS 127/8 (Evin Lewis 30, Ben Dunk 29, Rayad Emrit 17, Chris Lynn 16; Keemo Paul 4/19, Imran Tahir 2/18, Chris Green 1/24)

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Zouks steal one over Tridents
by Vinode Mamchan (Guardian).

Mohammad Nabi (2R) of St Lucia Zouks celebrates the dismissal of Shai Hope of Barbados Tridents during the Hero Caribbean Premier League match 5 between St Lucia Zouks and Barbados Tridents at Brian Lara Cricket Academy, yesterday in Tarouba, San Fernando. (Photo by Randy Brooks - CPL T20/CPL T20 via Getty Images)

Randy Brooks - CPL T20

The Duckworth/Lewis method of determining targets in rain-affected matches came in for hammer just as the rain hammered the outfield of the Brian Lara Cricket Academy on Thursday, but the St. Lucia Zouks made no fuss as they ran away seven-wicket victors over the defending champions Barbados Tridents in the fifth match of the Hero Caribbean Premier League T20 tournament.

SCORES: Tridents 131/7 (18.1) versus St. Lucia Zouks 50/3 (4.1) - Zouks won by 7 wkts.

The Tridents were 131/7 when the heavens opened up and soon the outfield resembled the closeby Pointe-a-Pierre Wild Fowl Trust. Brilliant work by the ground authorities under the guide of Haresh Ragoonath ensured that the Zouks got to face five overs. Their target an easy 47 from five overs. They reached it for the loss of three wickets and five balls in the bag.

Tridents were on course for around 140 to 150 which would have given the Zouks some headaches. Add rain and then those two men Duckworth and Lewis and Zouks were smiling. Mohammad Nabi, 35, cracked 15 off six balls, Rakeem Cornwall devoured Jason Holder (14 runs off eight balls) and Andre Fletcher smashed 16 not out off seven balls.


Afghan Nabi, a right-arm off break bowler, was adjudged Man of The Match for his spell of bowling in which he took one wicket for 19 runs of his four overs and then with the bat he provided an invaluable 15 ruuns of just six balls which comprised a four and one six.

The work of Johnson Charles and Holder with the bat held no water, as their 35 and 27 respectively off not many balls were discounted in the end by the DL. Former West Indies fast bowler Anthony Gray who is at the venue doing commentary said it is not the best method to determine targets in a T20 match. "You give the people just 47 runs top chase and they have all 11 batsmen to achieve that. This method is not good for this short format, they need to re-think this and probably allow only five batsmen when the game is reduced to a five-over run chase."

The Zouks gladly took the points, tucked their bats under their arms, and boarded the PTSC Bus for the CPL Bubble at the Hilton Trinidad.

SCORES GAME 5

At BLCA: Tridents 131/7 (18.1) (Johnson Charles 35, Jason Holder 27, Shai Hope 19, Kyle Mayers 16, Ashley Nurse 16no, Roston Chase 2/8, Scott Kuggeleijn 2/28) vs St. Lucia Zouks 50/3 (4.1) (Andre Fletcher 16 n.o, Rakeem Cornwall 14, Mohammad Nabi 15, Rashid Khan 2/24) - Tridents won by 7 wkts under Duckworth/Lewis method.

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Venezuelans: T&T passion for cricket is wonderful
GREVIC ALVARADO (NEWSDAY).

This week the 2020 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) T20 tournament started and T&T fans are once again enjoying one of their passions.

That love of cricket has caught the attention of the Venezuelan refugee community in T&T.

Baseball or football are the sporting disciplines that attract the most followers in Spanish-speaking countries, but in Venezuela, baseball is the one that shuts down the country each season.

Edimer Ordaz, one of the organisers of softball in T&T, commented on similarities between cricket and baseball.

"They are two sports very similar in the way of hitting a pitched ball, running or even uniforms with caps – although the rules are different and confuse Venezuelans," he said.

“The Trinidadians' passion for cricket is wonderful. They go to the stadiums, they watch it on TV, they play it in the streets since they were children. It is a tradition. When there is an important game it reminds me of the baseball games in Venezuela between Magallanes and Caracas, the two teams with the greatest fan base and that paralyse the entire country,” acknowledges Ordaz.

Moisés Mcnish is a soccer coach with dual nationality and is aware that cricket is a sport that requires patience.

"For the taste of Venezuelans, it is very slow, unlike baseball, which is faster, but the emotion it generates in the locals is very beautiful," Mcnish said..

José Manzano, also a specialist in softball (another sport with similarities), said that in his years living in TT he has learned a little about the rules of cricket.

"I like the T20 mode, where the game lasts less time, I also know that there is a rivalry in the region between Trinidad and Guyana, as well as in the international games between the West Indies, which is the selection of the Caribbean area, and the English, Australians and the Indian team. It's an interesting sport,” he said.

Another Venezuelan athlete in T&T is Jorge Nieves, a professional volleyball player, who admires the way the locals talk about cricket.

“I can see that Trinidadians feel a great sense of belonging to this sport. They are committed for each season and are very aware of the results.

"I don't understand much about cricket – I only know two rules of the game, I hope I can understand it 100 percent one day and be able to enjoy a game in the stadium,” he said.

In Venezuela, both amateur and professional sports have a large fan base. At every baseball, softball, soccer, basketball or volleyball game, the stadiums fill with fans.

However, for the immigrants in T&T it has not been easy to attend a game, especially cricket. Ordaz has lived in T&T for 20 years, but has never been to a professional cricket match.

“There are many things that prevent Venezuelans from going to a professional stadium. Firstly, the ignorance of the days of games, leagues, teams, and before that the legal issue prevented it, since immigrants did not have a legal identification that would allow them calmly to go to an event here. And finally, the financial issue. It is not easy for a refugee to go to a professional cricket game with the expense that this implies," he said..

But at the end of the pandemic, when the cricket grounds open up to fans, perhaps Venezuelans too will support local teams, playing some street games and share with the people of T&T their love for the sport.

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Narine is the man: TKR beat Tallawahs by seven wickets
JELANI BECKLES (NEWSDAY).

ANOTHER half-century by Sunil Narine and a team effort among the bowlers led Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) to its second win in as many matches in the 2020 Hero Caribbean Premier League T20 tournament at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, on Thursday night.

TKR defeated the Jamaica Tallawahs by seven wickets and are now the only undefeated team in the tournament. TKR, who got past Guyana Amazon Warriors in the CPL opener on Tuesday, moved to the top of the table with four points. Tallawahs now have one win and one loss.

Narine, who scored an even 50 on Tuesday, hit 53 to guide TKR to 136/3 in 18.1 overs after Tallawahs posted 135/8 in 20 overs batting first.

After a 30-minute delay because of rain, Tallawahs opener Glenn Phillips held the innings together with a knock of 58 that helped his team to the total.

It was a disastrous start for the Tallawahs as they were reduced to 21/3 after three overs. Fast bowler Ali Khan, who had a disappointing campaign in 2019, grabbed two of the three wickets early on.

Khan first got the wicket of Chadwick Walton (duck) when the right-hander skied a delivery to Fawad Ahmed at short fine leg, before West Indies Under-19 fast bowler Jayden Seales got his second CPL wicket when he trapped Nicholas Kirton (duck) leg before. There have been some spectacular catches already in this year's CPL and Dwayne Bravo continued the standard.

Dwayne, fielding at mid-on, had to run and dive to complete a catch to dismiss Rovman Powell for eight as Khan grabbed another.

Despite wickets falling around him, Phillips looked at ease and he punished Seales with back-to-back boundaries. Phillips found an able partner in Asif Ali as the pair led a fightback by the Tallawahs.

Ali struck left-arm spinner Khary Pierre for a six after being introduced into the attack and then also slammed Narine for six as Tallawahs moved to 46/3 after six overs.

It was not all power by Phillips and Ali as they did an excellent job in picking up the singles.

Ali's cameo came to an end when he was bowled by Narine for 22 off 16 balls. He gave himself some room and attempted a cut shot but got his furniture disturbed.

The fall of Ali slowed down the Tallawahs scoring rate as Carlos Brathwaite joined Phillips. Ahmed, who has returned to TKR this season after representing the St Lucia Zouks last year, bowled Brathwaite for one as the Tallawahs were now reduced to 63/5 in the 11th over.

Other than a poor 13th over in which Ahmed conceded 17 runs, TKR kept Tallawahs at bay despite the destructive pair of Phillips and Andre Russell at the crease. The pair put on 36 for the sixth wicket before Seales got the wicket of Phillips for 58, caught by Dwayne at the square leg boundary. Phillips faced 42 balls and struck five fours and four sixes. Tallawahs were 99/6 now after 15.2 overs and in need of some boundaries to get close to 150.

Dwayne has been criticised by the TKR fans for conceding runs in the death overs, but he got it right this time. With some help from Seales and Khan, Tallawahs could only reach 135/8 in 20 overs. The quality of TKR's fielding continued as Colin Munro ran to his left from long-off and used the wet outfield to slide on his knees to take the catch to give Dwayne the wicket.

Khan took 2/25 in four overs and Seales snatched 2/21 in three overs. Narine (1/19), Ahmed (1/18) and Bravo (1/32) grabbed one wicket apiece.

In reply, TKR lost Simmons for a duck, before Narine and Munro put on 75 runs for the second wicket to set up an easy run chase.

After moving slowly to 14/1 after four overs, Narine struck spinner Ramaal Lewis for a six and a four in one over as TKR moved to 28/1 after five overs.

Munro was a by-stander as Narine continued to dominate the Tallawahs bowlers. In the eighth over, Narine slammed Russell for two fours and one six.

Brathwaite, who is normally a strong fielder, dropped two catches in quick succession to help TKR's chase.

Narine got a single to bring up his 50 as TKR stayed on top of the contest as they got to 65/1 after ten overs at the innings break.

Narine's innings came to an end when he was caught by Brathwaite at long leg for 53 off 38 deliveries which included seven fours and two sixes.

After Darren Bravo was out for 14, Munro started to show the dominance that has made him one of the top TKR batsmen over the last few years with a flurry of boundaries.

TKR captain Kieron Pollard joined Munro and the pair took TKR to 136/3 in 18.1 overs to seal an easy win. Munro ended unbeaten on 49 off 46 balls with five fours and two sixes and Pollard was five not out.

Mujeeb Ur Rahman was the best bowler for Tallawah with 1/13 in four overs.

SUMMARISED SCORES

Jamaica Tallawahs 135/8 (Glenn Phillips 58, Andre Russell 25, Asif Ali 22; Jayden Seales 2/21, Ali Khan 2/25, Sunil Narine 1/19, Fawad Ahmed 1/18, Dwayne Bravo 1/32) vs Trinbago Knight Riders 136/3 (18.1 overs) (S Narine 53, Colin Munro 49 not out; Mujeeb Ur Rahman 1/13) TKR won by seven wickets

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Patriots lose yet again
By Vinode Mamchan (Guardian).

The two senior bowlers on the St Kitts/Nevis Patriots team went for 90 runs and after this, it was always going to be difficult to keep the St Lucia Zouks from winning their third match of the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2020 tournament at the Brian Lara Academy in Tarouba, San Fernando yesterday morning.

SCORES: St Lucia Zouks 172/6 versus St Kitts/Nevis Patriots 162/8. Zouks won by 10 runs.

West Indies seamer Sheldon Cottrell leaked 49 runs from his four overs while Pakistani Sohail Tanveer gave away 41, although he grabbed two wickets, as the Zouks prospered, due to the duo's poor work.

Au contraire, Zouks off-spinner Roston Chase was brilliant in taking 3/12 off his four overs, to break their batting and restrict the Patriots to 162/8.

Earlier, opener Fletcher smoked 46 off 33 balls with one six and six fours, while Mark Deyal hammered 30 off 17 balls with three sixes. When these two finished their work, the Afghan pair of Najibullah Zadran 28 off 24 balls with three sixes and Muhammad Nabi 35 not out off 22 balls with three sixes and a four, took over.

The final three overs brought 45 runs and this pushed the score well beyond the 150-run mark that looked possible earlier on. Skipper Rayad Emrit was brilliant with the ball in taking 1/14 off his four overs, while spinner Jon Russ Jaggessar took 2/29 but the others struggled. The combined 12 overs from Emrit, Jaggesar, and Ish Sodhi went for 82 runs.

Chase was as tight as the T&T economy and conceded just 12 runs from his four overs and took three wickets for good measure. He adopted a tight line and allowed the batsmen to make the errors. Those who fell for his trap were Evin Lewis who scored a rapid 29, Joshua Da Silva (1) and Australian Ben Dunk (5).

Da Silva dropped after a 41-ball 41 in the opening match, seemed confused and attacked a delivery that was just not there. He will have to sit and have a clear batting plan moving forward. No doubt the drop after his 41 not out would have left him thinking about what was the right approach.

Ramdin, using all his experience then kept his team in the game with 46 runs from 35 balls with two sixes and two fours. However, a slew of wickets from overs 10 to 17 saw their intensity drop and although Cottrell slammed 26 not out off 11 balls with three sixes, they fell 10 runs short in the end. Ramdin was good at manoeuvring the ball and upped the tempo when it was required. He faced 35 balls, striking two sixes and two fours.

New Zealander Scott Kuggeleijn was brilliant towards the end in taking 4/33 to hasten the Patriots' demise.

Emrit, speaking after the loss, said: "We lost the plot in the last two overs. A score of 160 would have been within our reach. The pressure is now on us but we have been in this position before, so I see no reason why we can't make it to the semis."

Zouks skipper Darren Sammy said: "We don't have superstars but skill level is right up there. Good mix, boils down to execution, did that really well."

SCORES GAME 7

At BLCA: St Lucia Zouks 172/6 (20) (Andre Fletcher 46, Muhammad Nabi 35no, Mark Deyal 35, Najibullah Zadran 28, Jon Russ Jaggesar 2/29, Sohail Tanvir 2/41, Rayad Emrit 1/14) vs St Kitts/Nevis Patriots 162/8 (20) (Denesh Ramdin 46, Evin Lewis 29, Sheldon Cottrell 26no, Roston Chase 3/12, Scott Kuggeleijn 4/33) - Zouks won by 10 runs.

Man of the match: Muhammad Nabi.

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TKR batting clicks in third victory
JELANI BECKLES (NEWSDAY).

A DESTRUCTIVE display of power hitting in the last five overs by Darren Bravo and captain Kieron Pollard propelled Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) to victory over defending champions Barbados Tridents in the 2020 Hero Caribbean Premier League T20 tournament at Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, on Sunday.

TKR, top of the standings, have won three matches on the trot to start the tournament -- the only unbeaten team in the tournament. Bravo and Pollard took TKR from 108/3 after 15 overs to 185/3 in 20 overs. Tridents could only muster 166 for six in reply, to lose by 19 runs.

Bravo, who hit a six off the final delivery to get his half century, ended on 54 not out off 36 deliveries which included four fours and four sixes. Pollard's strike rate was even more impressive as he slammed 41 not out off 17 balls with one four and four sixes. Earlier, Colin Munro gave TKR some impetus in the middle overs with 50 off 30 balls with seven fours and two sixes.

Off spinner Ashley Nurse had figures of 1/20 in four overs, left-arm medium pacer Raymon Reifer took 1/47 in his four and Tridents captain Jason Holder grabbed 1/37 in his four-over spell.

Johnson Charles got Tridents off to a quick start racing to 64 without loss after seven overs. When Charles fell for 52 off 33 balls with four fours and three sixes, the Tridents innings lost steam. Shai Hope struck a sedate 36 at the top of the innings and Holder played a cameo, but his knock of 34 not out off 19 balls was not enough to get Tridents over the line. Five TKR bowlers grabbed one wicket apiece with Sunil Narine ending with 1/17 in four overs.

SUMMARISED SCORES: Trinbago Knight Riders 185/3 (20 overs) (Darren Bravo 54 not out, Colin Munro 50, Kieron Pollard 41; Ashley Nurse 1/20) vs Barbados Tridents 166/6 (20 overs) (Johnson Charles 52, Shai Hope 36, Jason Holder 34 not out; Sunil Narine 1/17, Fawad Ahmed 1/14). TKR won by 19 runs.

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Surging Zouks hold off Guyana
JELANI BECKLES (NEWSDAY).

ROSTON Chase, more known for his ability in the longer formats of the game, continued to show his quality in the 2020 Hero Caribbean Premier League T20 tournament to help St Lucia Zouks to their third win in four matches.

Chase struck 66 and made scoring tough for the Guyana Amazon Warriors by going for just seven runs an over from his four overs. Chase's knock led Zouks to 144/7 in 20 overs batting first, before Amazon Warriors struggled to 134/8 in response. Chase is currently the second leading run scorer in the tournament with 122 runs in three innings which includes two half centuries. Zouks are now second on the standings behind Trinbago Knight Riders on net run rate.

The match was hanging in the balance with Amazon Warriors needing 30 in 18 balls, but disciplined bowling by the Zouks fast bowlers sealed the win.

Fast bowler Scott Kuggeleijn broke the 56-run fifth-wicket stand between Nicholas Pooran and Keemo Paul when the latter was caught at deep mid wicket for 20 off 18 deliveries.

Sherfane Rutherford settled quickly at the crease as he struck a six over mid wicket as Amazon Warriors were now in search of 21 off 12 balls.

The match swung in the Zouks favour when West Indies fast bowler Kesrick Williams got the crucial wicket of Pooran, as the left-hander chopped a delivery onto his stumps. He scored 68 off 49 balls which included seven fours and one six.

A mix up between Rutherford and Amazon Warriors captain Chris Green could've lead to a wicket, but Williams could not collect the ball to complete the run out.

Fast bowler Chemar Holder, who recently toured England with the West Indies Test team, was given the job to bowl the last over with 13 required for victory.

The youngster did not disappoint as he only conceded two runs as Zouks pulled off an exciting win. He also bowled Rutherford for 15 and also sent Green packing when he was caught by a fired-up Zouks wicketkeeper Andre Fletcher for one. Kuggeleijn ended as the best bowler with 3/24 in four overs and Holder and Williams had identical figures of 2/32 in four overs.

The Zouks seem to be a cohesive unit this year as they all got together in the middle of the field to have a short discussion before leaving the field. The best finish for the Zouks in the history of the CPL was fourth place in 2016.

Earlier, Chase steered Zouks to 144/7 in 20 overs. Chase, who came to the crease with the Zouks in a spot of bother on 19/2 in the third over, held the innings together as he was only dismissed in the penultimate ball of the innings.

Chase, who has been a consistent member of the West Indies Test and ODI teams, scored 66 off 51 deliveries with five fours and two sixes. After being reduced to 42/4 in the seventh over, Chase found an able partner in Mohammed Nabi as the pair put on 57 runs for the fifth wicket. Nabi was dismissed for 27 off 24 balls by leg spinner Imran Tahir to leave the Zouks on 99/5 in the 15th over.

Javelle Glen made an impact when he came to the crease with a few boundaries that helped push the Zouks total close to 150. Glen and Chase were dismissed in consecutive deliveries by fast bowler Odean Smith. Glen was out for 19 off 17 balls. Tahir was the top bowler for Amazon Warriors with 3/22 in four overs and Odean Smith had figures of 2/33 in his four overs.

SUMMARISED SCORES: St Lucia Zouks 144/7 (20 overs) (Roston Chase 66, Mohammed Nabi 27; Imran Tahir 3/22, Odean Smith 2/33) vs Guyana Amazon Warriors 134/8 (20 overs) (Nicholas Pooran 68, Keemo Paul 20; Scott Kuggeleijn 3/24, Chemar Holder 2/32, Kesrick Williams 2/32). Zouks won by ten runs.

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TKR remains perfect
By Vinode Mamchan (Newsday).

The Trinbago Knight Riders continued to show their depth on Wednesday after they defeated the St Lucia Zouks by six wickets in a rain-affected Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) clash by six wickets at the Queen's Park Oval in Port-of-Spain.

SCORES: St Lucia Zouks 111/6 (17.1) versus TKR 75/4 (4) - TKR won by six wickets.

Brilliant work by the TKR bowlers left them in a great position when the heavens opened up and the drench the Oval. When the rain came, the Zouks being sent in were struggling on 111/6 off 17.1 overs.

Dwayne Bravo was the star act and in addition to bowling beautifully and removing the dangerous Rakeem Cornwall for his 100th CPL wicket and 500th overall in T20s, he stifled the opposition. His three overs cost just seven runs and he took two wickets. Bravo became the first bowler to take 500 T20 wickets and it came in his 459th match. Also brilliant on the day was leg-spinner Fawad Ahmed who took 1/21 off four overs.


After the rain and the mopping up, the Zouks were left to defend 72 runs from nine overs. Given their poor batting performance, the rain actually gave them an outside chance of getting a win and after taking four early wickets to have the TKR 34/4 - they were probably starting to believe.

However, any team chasing a small target is just a few lusty blows of getting back on track and this was the case when Darren Bravo opened up.

He struck a huge six over mid-wicket off Kesrick Williams that turned the tide. He would finish with 23 not out off 13 balls with two sixes. Giving good support was Tim Seifert who made 15 not out off 16 balls.

With the win, TKR now has four wins from four matches and remain at the top of the standings with eight points. The Zouks remain on six points from five matches.

Earlier, the Zouks struggled on a slow track and TKR bowlers were on target. Using great variation they were able to outfox the opposition to keep runs to a minimum. The only player to break free was Muhammad Nabi who was unbeaten on 30 off 22 with two fours and a six.

Dwayne Bravo collected the "Man of the Match" award and was very happy with his team's performance.

"It's a great result for us. Zouks got off to a very good start in the tournament. We're happy with the win, 'Man of the Match, but it's important for the team. As the rain was falling, (Darren) Sammy and I were talking, every time we play, it's a rain-affected game. I guess I have to say congratulations to myself. I think the entire nation, a lot of people have been saying congratulations. It's a great journey. I want to stay fit, to keep taking wickets, and to keep enjoying the game," said Bravo.

His captain Pollard chimed in: "When T20 cricket started, we thought it was a joke but now, everyone wants to play it and Bravo is at the top, with 500 wickets. We as West Indians are very very proud of him.

"And now he's at the stage of his career where he's mentoring the next generation."

On Bravo dismissing Pollard, the most of all batsmen amongst his 500 wickets, the latter's response was: "Oh it's good, sometimes you'll have to help your friends as well."

SCORES

Zouks 111/6 (17.1) (Muhammad Nabi 30 no, Najibullah Zadran 21, Dwayne Bravo 2/7) vs TKR 75/4 ( (Darren Bravo 23 no, Colin Munroe 17, Tim Seifert 15 no, Kesrick Williams 2/17) - TKR won by 6 wkts.

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Zouks win behind Nabi magic
JELANI BECKLES (NEWSDAY).

MOHAMMED Nabi snatched the third best bowling figures in the eight-year history of the Hero Caribbean Premier League T20 tournament to help St Lucia Zouks move closer to booking a place in the play-offs.

Nabi's 5/15 in four overs led the Zouks to a six-wicket win over St Kitts and Nevis Patriots at the Queen's Park Oval in St Clair, on Thursday. Zouks now have four wins and two losses and are currently second in the standings behind Trinbago Knight Riders.

Nabi's spell destroyed the Patriots top-order and they never fully recovered as they could only post 110/9 in 20 overs. Ben Dunk hit 33 and some entertainment at the end of the innings by Alzarri Joseph (21 not out) helped Patriots past 100.

In reply, the Zouks were 30/1 after 2.5 overs when rain stopped play for approximately 30 minutes. Zouks were restricted to 52/3 after seven overs, but a 47-run partnership between Roston Chase and Najibullah Zadran helped set up the comfortable win. Zadran was dismissed for 33 and Chase ended unbeaten on 27. Earlier in the innings Rahkeem Cornwall lashed 26. Leg spinner Imran Khan was the best bowler for Patriots with 3/23 in four overs.

SUMMARISED SCORES

St Kitts and Nevis Patriots 110/9 (20 overs) (Ben Dunk 33, Alzarri Joseph 21 not out; Mohammed Nabi 5/15) vs St Lucia Zouks 111/4 (14.4 overs) (Najibullah Zadran 33, Roston Chase 27 not out, Rahkeem Cornwall 26; Imran Khan 3/23) Zouks won by six wickets

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TKR continues to roll
By Vinode Mamchan (Guardian).

The Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) continued their merry way on Thursday as they defeated the Guyana Amazon Warriors by seven wickets to record their fifth successive victory as the 2020 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) unfolded at the Queen's Park Oval in Port-of-Spain.

SCORES: Guyana Amazon Warriors 112/7 (20) versus TKR 115/3 (18.2)

An inadequate score of 112/7 was met with intelligent batting and an appreciation for the situation by the TKR batsmen. They knew that a good start was imperative and openers Lendl Simmons and Tion Webster defended stoutly and attacked carefully. They arranged 34 for the first wicket close to the end of the powerplay. Simmons counted a run-a-ball 19 and Webster carried on a bit longer for 27 off 32 that included two sixes and two fours.

The livewire Imran Tahir saw the bails light up off successive balls as Webster and the consistent Colin Munro, left. The experience of Darren Bravo then told as he kept his team in the match by ensuring they didn't lose any further wickets. It was all about staying within striking distance of the required rate and keeping stocks in the dugout.

In the end, the victory was formalised by the dapper left-hander and New Zealander Tim Surfeit with 10 balls to spare. Bravo scored 26 not out off 28 balls, while the energetic Surfeit finished the match with two successive fours scoring an unbeaten 39 runs off 30 balls.

Another slow and low pitch put the bowlers at an advantage and the TKR men used it better than their opponents. The mayhem started from the second over by Sikandar Raza and Khary Pierre followed-up with a double strike in the other over.

Brandon King (6), Chandra Hemraj (2), and Nicolas Pooran (1) all had to enjoy the Port-of-Spain sunset from the dugout as Warriors slipped to 12/4 after just 16 balls of the match.

They never recovered the way they would have wanted and in the end, they were restricted to 112/7. Ross Taylor looked positive with 26 off 23, Shimron Hetmyer worked hard for 26 off 30 and the Warriors got some big hitting in the end by Keemo Paul (28 not out) and Romario Shepperd (11). Pierre ended with 3/18 and Fawad Ahmed although not taking a wicket went for only 18 off his four overs, including 10 in the last.

Man of the match Pierre said: "I'd like to thank Almighty God. It was a good all-round team performance and I'm happy for the win. I was watching the games before and the spinners were getting some purchase. It was an easy gameplan, just keeping things disciplined."

He has been very happy with his teammates, saying: "It's a family. Everyone looks out for each other. I'm happy that I'm part of this team. Guyana are a really good team, with a lot of upcoming T20 stars. We wanted to keep it simple."

SCORES:

GUYANA AMAZON WARRIORS 112/7 (20)(Keemo Paul 28, Shimron Hetmyer 26, Ross Taylor 26, Khary Pierre 3/18) vs TKR 115/3 (18.2) (Tim Surfeit 39 no, Darren Bravo 26 no, Tion Webster 27, Imran Tahir 2/25) - TKR won by seven wickets.

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Pollard's masterful 72 extends TKR unbeaten run
JONATHAN RAMNANANSINGH (NEWSDAY).

A monstrous knock of 72 (nine sixes and two fours) from 28 balls from skipper Kieron Pollard launched the Trinbago Knight Riders to an emphatic two-wicket victory over reigning champions Barbados Tridents in a thriller at Queen's Park Oval, St Clair on Saturday.

Sent in to bat, Barbados Tridents piled on 148 for seven after their 20 overs with Johnson Charles (47) and Kyle Mayers (42) topping the batting.

Shikandar Raza (2/11) was the pick of the bowlers for the Dwayne Bravo-led team while Jayden Seales (2/21) and Akeal Hosein (2/30) also did damage with the ball.

In reply, Trinbago Knight Riders had a shaky start and struggled at 62/5 until Pollard's entry.

The burly batsman took no prisoners and poisoned the Tridents' bowling attack with a barrage of huge shots around the ground to steer his team within reach of the target before getting run out with four balls to spare.

In the end, Pierre smashed a four if the penultimate ball to lead TKR to 149/8 and maintain the squad's perfect start to the 2020 CPL.

Tridents skipper Jason Holder topped the bowling bagging two for 27.

Summarised Scores

TRINBAGO KNIGHT RIDERS 149/8 - Kieron Pollard 72, Lendl Simmons 32; Jason Holder 2/27 defeated BARBADOS TRIDENTS 148/7 - Johnson Charles 47, Kyle Mayers 42; Sikandar Raza 2/11, Jayden Seales 2/21, Akeal Hosein 2/30

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Patriots sink to another loss
By Vinode Mamchan (Guardian).

The St. Kitts/Nevis Patriots lost their fifth match of the 2020 Hero CPL as they went under to the Jamaica Tallawahs by 37 runs at the Queen's Park Oval in Port-of-Spain on Saturday.

SCORES: Jamaica Tallawahs 147/6 versus St. Kitts/Nevis Patriots 110 all out (19.4).

On a better pitch at the Queen's Park Oval, the Patriots would have fancied their chances of getting 148 runs for victory after skipper Rayad Emrit grabbed 3/32 to restrict the Jamaicans to 147/6 but they couldn't get over the ropes. It means that have now lost five out of their six matches and will need to defeat the Guyana Amazon Warriors today to have an outside chance of making the final four.

While Glenn Phillips scored an unbeaten 79 carrying his bat through the innings for the Tallawahs, no one stayed around long enough to achieve that for the Patriots.

They lost wickets at regular intervals and could not build a proper foundation to challenge the target. Carlos Brathwaite was again great with the ball taking 3/11, while there were two wickets apiece for Sandeep Lamachanie, Veersammy Permaul and Fidel Edwards.

Earlier, the Tallawahs innings was centred around the batting of New Zealander Glenn Phillip. The right-hander who opened the batting stayed the course to remain 79 not out off 61 balls with six sixes and two fours.

He struck the ball cleanly and also showed great restraint to those deliveries that could have potentially taken his wicket.

Jermaine Blackwood looked at east with 27 off 26 balls but the innings tapered away towards the end and had Phillips gotten support the final total could have been bigger. Emrit continued his fine tournament with the ball taking 3/32.

SCORES

Jamaica Tallawahs 147/6 (20) (Glenn Philips 79no, Jermaine Blackwood 26, Rayad Emrit 3/32) vs St. Kitts/Nevis Patriots 110 all out (19.4) (Evin Lewis 21, Keiran Powell 21, Nick Kelly 16, Carlos Brathwaite 3/11, Veerasammy Permaul 2/20, Fidel Edwards 2/39, Sandeep Lamachanie 2/27) - Tallawahs won by 37 runs.

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Patriots sink to another loss
By Vinode Mamchan (Guardian).

The St. Kitts/Nevis Patriots lost their fifth match of the 2020 Hero CPL as they went under to the Jamaica Tallawahs by 37 runs at the Queen's Park Oval in Port-of-Spain on Saturday.

SCORES: Jamaica Tallawahs 147/6 versus St. Kitts/Nevis Patriots 110 all out (19.4).

On a better pitch at the Queen's Park Oval, the Patriots would have fancied their chances of getting 148 runs for victory after skipper Rayad Emrit grabbed 3/32 to restrict the Jamaicans to 147/6 but they couldn't get over the ropes. It means that have now lost five out of their six matches and will need to defeat the Guyana Amazon Warriors today to have an outside chance of making the final four.

While Glenn Phillips scored an unbeaten 79 carrying his bat through the innings for the Tallawahs, no one stayed around long enough to achieve that for the Patriots.

They lost wickets at regular intervals and could not build a proper foundation to challenge the target. Carlos Brathwaite was again great with the ball taking 3/11, while there were two wickets apiece for Sandeep Lamachanie, Veersammy Permaul and Fidel Edwards.

Earlier, the Tallawahs innings was centred around the batting of New Zealander Glenn Phillip. The right-hander who opened the batting stayed the course to remain 79 not out off 61 balls with six sixes and two fours.

He struck the ball cleanly and also showed great restraint to those deliveries that could have potentially taken his wicket.

Jermaine Blackwood looked at east with 27 off 26 balls but the innings tapered away towards the end and had Phillips gotten support the final total could have been bigger. Emrit continued his fine tournament with the ball taking 3/32.

SCORES Jamaica Tallawahs 147/6 (20) (Glenn Philips 79no, Jermaine Blackwood 26, Rayad Emrit 3/32) vs St. Kitts/Nevis Patriots 110 all out (19.4) (Evin Lewis 21, Keiran Powell 21, Nick Kelly 16, Carlos Brathwaite 3/11, Veerasammy Permaul 2/20, Fidel Edwards 2/39, Sandeep Lamachanie 2/27) - Tallawahs won by 37 runs.

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Zouks defend 92 against CPL champs
JELANI BECKLES (NEWSDAY).

St Lucia Zouks defended the lowest total in the eight-year history of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) as defending champions Barbados Tridents suffered another morale-crushing defeat on Sunday.

On Saturday, Trinbago Knight Riders pulled off an improbable win over the Tridents with one ball to spare, after TKR skipper Kieron Pollard slammed 72 off 28 balls.

Against the Zouks, Tridents were well poised to get their campaign back on course after Zouks were bundled out for 92 in 18 overs – the lowest total in this year's CPL.

On a helpful surface, Tridents leg spinner Hayden Walsh found the form that saw him end the 2019 tournament as the leading wicket taker. He grabbed 3/19 in four overs and also contributed with his fielding. Raymon Reifer only bowled one over but made an impact as he snatched 2/5. Najibullah Zadran top scored with 22 for the Zouks.

In reply, Tridents were relatively cruising on 48/2 after nine overs, but Zouks refused to throw in the towel.

Led by the spinners, Zouks stifled the scoring and picked up wickets regularly. Tridents suddenly found themselves needing nine runs from six balls for victory in six balls after the 19th over went for just four runs with one wicket falling.

Off spinner Roston Chase proved difficult to hit in the final over as Tridents scored just five runs and lost another wicket, embarrassingly closing on 89/7 in 20 overs. Fast bowler Kesrick Williams took 2/12 in three overs and spinner Javelle Glen ended with figures of 2/11 in three overs. Opener Johnson Charles continued his prolific form with 39.

SUMMARISED SCORES: St Lucia Zouks 92 (18 overs) (Najibullah Zadran 22; Hayden Walsh 3/19, Raymon Reifer 2/5) vs Barbados Tridents 89/7 (20 overs) (Johnson Charles 39; Kesrick Williams 2/12, Javelle Glen 2/11). Zouks won by three runs.

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Pooran's maiden T20 century flattens Patriots
JELANI BECKLES (NEWSDAY).

NICHOLAS Pooran ended the Queen's Park Oval leg of the 2020 Hero Caribbean Premier League in spectacular fashion, blazing an unbeaten century to steer Guyana Amazon Warriors to a seven-wicket victory over St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, on Sunday.

Pooran and Ross Taylor took the match away from the Patriots with a 128-run fourth-wicket partnership to guide Amazon Warriors to 153/3 in 17.3 overs. Patriots scored 150/5 in 20 overs batting first.

Pooran hit spinner Ish Sodhi for three consecutive sixes to get to his 100. The left-hander needed to hit the third six to get to the milestone because Amazon Warriors only needed four runs for victory.

It was the first century of the 2020 tournament and Pooran's first in T20 cricket. He ended on 100 not out off 45 balls and struck four fours and ten sixes.

Earlier, Amazon Warriors had a poor start to their run chase as the top order continued to have a miserable tournament and were reduced to 26/3 after six overs.

Brandon King, the highest run scorer in the 2019 edition, was the first batsman dismissed for 14 when he skied a delivery from fast bowler Alzarri Joseph to wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin.

In the next over, off spinner Jon Russ Jaggesar grabbed two wickets to leave the Amazon Warriors reeling. Kevin Sinclair was caught and bowled for five, before Shimron Hetmyer was caught by Ramdin for one.

Taylor and Pooran steadied the innings as both settled quickly at the crease. The pair took the Amazon Warriors to 59/3 after ten overs with Pooran hitting two sixes and Taylor one.

​Pooran and Taylor would have needed to keep an eye on the required run rate as at the halfway point of the innings it had already gone past nine.

Pooran brought the required rate down with one four and two sixes in the 11th over. The second six was a massive hit over the mid-wicket boundary.

Pooran hit Joseph for a boundary on the off side to bring up his 50.

It was not all power by Pooran as the sixes were interrupted by excellent running between the wickets by the pair.

In the 17th over, the onslaught by Pooran continued as he hit Sohail Tanvir for six over long off, followed by a four down to square leg.

​He then punished Sodhi with three sixes in succession to end the match.

Earlier, a 68-run fourth-wicket partnership between Joshua Da Silva and Ramdin propelled Patriots to a competitive 150/5 in 20 overs.

Patriots were reduced to 51/3 in the tenth over with Kieran Powell (two), Evin Lewis (15) and Ben Dunk (19) all back in the pavilion.

​Da Silva, who was a reserve for West Indies on the recent tour of England, ting XI, and Ramdin rebuilt the innings. After a watchful period, Da Silva struck medium pacer Keemo Paul for two sixes in one over as Patriots carried the total to 85/3 after 14 overs.

Ramdin and Da Silva, both from TT, made familiar conditions at the Oval count as they dominated the Amazon Warriors bowlers. The 15th over bowled by spinner Ashmead Nedd leaked 12 runs as Ramdin chipped down the wicket and hit a six over wide long on. The Patriots pair also ran well between the wickets with Ramdin pushing his younger team-mate.

Da Silva got Patriots to 100 with a four over the covers off Imran Tahir and brought up his 50 in the next over.

Da Silva's valuable innings came to an end when he was bowled by Romario Shepherd for 59. His innings came off 46 balls and included five fours and two sixes.

Ramdin struck Paul for a six in the penultimate over, before Tanvir was run out for one by Paul backing up.

Ramdin ending on 37 not out off 30 balls.

​Amazon Warriors are now third on the six-team table with three wins and four losses. Patriots are last with one win from their seven matches.

SUMMARISED SCORES

St Kitts and Nevis Patriots 150/5 (20 overs) (Joshua Da Silva 59, Denesh Ramdin 37 not out; Chris Green 2/31) vs Guyana Amazon Warriors 153/3 (17.3 overs) (Nicholas Pooran 100 not out, Ross Taylor 25 not out; Jon Russ Jaggesar 2/33) Amazon Warriors won by seven wickets

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TKR makes in magical 7
By Vinode Mamchan (Guardian).

Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) continued on their merry way at this year's Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL), recording their seventh successive victory as they tumbled the Jamaica Tallawahs by 19 runs at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy (BLCA) in Tarouba, San Fernando, on Tuesday.

SCORES: TKR 184/4 (20) versus Jamaica Tallawahs 165/6 - TKR won by 19 runs.

Firstly, runs came back to the CPL as the pitch at the BLCA allowed for proper stroke-making and a total of 349 runs were scored in the match. The TKR accounted for 184 of those which was enough to defend as the Tallawahs were restricted to 165/6 despite the presence of Andre Russell at the end.

The Tallawahs, probably thinking along the lines of the pitch playing slow and low, won the toss and sent TKR in to bat. After the first over they would have been wondering about that decision because 17 runs came, as Sunil Narine plundered 16.

Narine's five fours and a six were then met with defensive prods and running between the sticks. He would go on to blast 29 off 11 balls but the Tallawahs came back into the contest while the struggling Lendl Simmons continued to work his way back to form and the man of the match, Colin Munro, found his feet. This after the South-African born New Zealand international cricketer was lucky not to lose his wicket on four after Jermaine Blackwood dropped a simple catch.

However, the pitch was too sumptuous for batting and Munro dug in, he started to send balls flying and although he lost Simmons for a 28-ball 25, the run rate was good enough.

As Munro warmed to the task under the searing heat at the BLCA, skipper Kieron Pollard came in to bash the ball brutally. Munro ended with 65 falling off the last ball of the innings and Pollard was 33 not out. Munro's runs came off 54 balls with 10 fours and a six, while Pollard only needed 16, hitting three into the stands and one rolling over the ropes.

The Tallawahs needing to win the encounter to ensure they keep their hopes of getting into the semifinals alive, then had the worst possible start, as they lost Chadwick Walton off the very first ball of the innings. Walton trudged off knowing that his team tried with him, as all he could garner after seven innings are 14 runs.

Khary Pierre, the other part of the left-arm spin pair, then grabbed a wicket in his first over as well and this crippled the Powerplay batting. With the Tallawahs losing wickets regularly, it was difficult to mount an onslaught.

In the end, Russell and Carlos Brathwaite pulled the trigger too late and they fell 19 runs short. Glenn Phillips who kept the runs coming among the early carnage got 41 off 31 balls with two sixes and a four and Russell ended with 50 not out 23 balls with four sixes and five fours.

Brathwaite also did his part with the willow, 21 not out off 16, to add to his two wickets earlier.

The Tallawahs now have to win their final three matches to stand a chance of making the semifinals. They have won only two from seven matches.

SCORES:

TKR 184/4 (20) (Colin Munro 65, Kieron Pollard 33no, Sunil Narine 29, Lendl Simmons 25, Carlos Brathwaite 2/36) vs JAMAICA TALLAWAHS 165/6 (20) (Andre Russell 50 no, Glenn Phillips 41, Nkrumah Bonner 26, Carlos Brathwaite 21no, Fawad Ahmed 2/21) - TKR won by 19 runs.

Man of the match: Colin Munro.

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Warriors wallop Zouks to reach semis
By Vinode Mamchan (Guardian).

Sport is about peeking at the right time and the Guyana Amazon Warriors, which in the past has been criticised for peeking too early, is now striking at the right time and Wednesday's efficient display against the St Lucia Zouks at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, San Fernando, has put them into the semi-finals of the 2020 Hero CPL T20 tournament.

SCORES: St Lucia Zouks 109/7 (20) versus Guyana Amazon Warriors 110/3 (13.4) - Warriors won by seven wickets.

The Zouks feeble attempt at batting saw them produce an inadequate 109/7 which left the Warriors the easy run chase. Shimron Hetmyer continued his fine season with 56 not out to bring home the win. He was brutal in his display and his knock epitomised the Warriors domination on the night. He faced just 36 deliveries hitting three sixes and six fours.

After the early loss of Brandon King (5), Hetmyer and Chandrapaul Hemraj carried the score to 58 before being separated.

Any thoughts the Zouks had of making a comeback were quickly thwarted by Hetmyer who slammed Chemar Holder for 25 runs including two sixes and three fours in one over.

Earlier, the Warriors called rightly at the toss, and for the second night running their bowlers were on sound. Up front, the spinners stifled the batsmen and impressive fast bowler Naveen ul Haq and all-rounder Keemo Paul were gamed as they prized out four wickets thereafter. The eccentric Imran Tahir was difficult to get off the square as 1/10 off four overs would attest.

Rakheem Cornwall hurt a few balls with his beefy hitting up front but apart from his 21 and 19 from the reliable Najibullah Zadran, there was nothing for the people of Rodney Bay to cheer about.

With the win, the Warriors are now on 10 points equal to the Zouks and both teams will qualify for the semifinals along with the Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR).

SCORES:

St Lucia Zouks 109/7 (20) (Rahkeem Cornwall 21, Najibullah Zadran 19, Naveen ul Haq , Keemo Paul 2/25, Imran Tahir 1/10) vs Guyana Amazon Warriors 110/3 (13.4) (Shimron Hetmyer 56 no, Chandrapaul Hemraj 26) - Warriors won by 7 wkts.

Man of the match: Shimron Hetmyer.

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Simmons takes TKR to win with 96
By Vinode Mamchan (Guardian).

Eight is great for Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR)!

The local franchise easily recorded their eighth straight victory at this year's Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) by humbling the St Kitts/Nevis Patriots by 49 runs at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, San Fernando, on Wednesday.

SCORES: TKR 174/4 (20) versus St Kitts/Nevis Patriots 115/7 (20) - TKR won by 49 runs. The Patriots are now firmly out of the tournament winning just one of their eight matches.

Even making four changes to the line-up from the last game, the TKR proved too powerful as the Patriots just were no match. Skipper Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine, Fawad Ahmed, and Jayden Seales sat out to give Amir Jangoo, Pravin Tambe, Anderson Phillip and Sikanda Raza a game and the three-time winners showed their bench strength.

Lendl Simmons led the way with a superb 96 and his second-wicket partnership of 130 with Darren Bravo, who cracked 36, was the cornerstone of the TKR effort in getting 174/4.

Chasing 8.75 runs per over to win the match the Patriots needed Evin Lewis but spinner Khary Pierre took care of him early to set the tone for the failed run chase.

All the TKR bowlers did well but 48-year-old Pravin Tambe caught the eye. The Indian import bowled 4-1-12-1 and created many problems for Joshua Da Silva and Chris Lynn, the only two Patriots batsmen to make an impression. Da Silva made 29 off 27 balls while the Australian Lynn counted 34 off 46 balls. Towards the back end of the game, Zimbabwe spinner Sikandar Raza grabbed three wickets for good measure.

Earlier, TKR decided to rest skipper Pollard and Dwayne Bravo took over the helm. Left-handed batsman Amir Jangoo finally made his debut for the TKR after being with the franchise for three years. He didn't make it count as he fell via the run out the route for six.

The consistent Colin Munro then had to retire, struck on the fingers by Alzarri Joseph. After four overs, the rain came and when play resumed at 11 am it was decided that Munro would not risk further damage so he was replaced by Darren Bravo in the middle.

Simmons looked his best in the tournament thus far and the idea was for Bravo and him to keep the scoreboard ticking while preserving wickets for the big onslaught at the end.

It was a calculated assault that started in over number 12 which leaked 10 runs, the next over 15 runs came, followed by 15 in the 14th. The 15th over of the innings was even more prolific as 17 runs came and 16 runs followed in the 16th. That was a span of five overs in which 73 runs came.

Rayad Emrit pulled it back a bit giving away only four runs in the 17th over and from this point his team held their own towards the end. The last four overs cost only 33 runs and three wickets fell.

Simmons fell four runs short of his second T20 century, getting his 96 off 63 balls with six sixes and seven fours. Bravo played a run-a-ball hand in getting to 36 as TKR held control.

Simmons speaking after the win said: "I've been struggling for the past couple of games. I didn't get the start to the tournament I wanted but the team was winning."

SCORES:

TKR 174/4 (20) (Lendl Simmons 96, Darren Bravo 36; Dominic Drakes 2/35) vs St Kitts/Nevis Patriots 115/7 (20) (Chris Lynn 34, Joshua Da Silva 29; Sikandar Raza 3/16, Pravin Tambe 1/12) - TKR won by 59 runs.

Man of the match: Lendl Simmons.

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Amazon Warriors oust Tridents from 2020 CPL
JONATHAN RAMNANANSINGH (NEWSDAY).

A NEW Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) T20 champion will be crowned at the 2020 edition as defending champions Barbados Tridents did not advance to the playoff round courtesy a six-wicket defeat to the Guyana Amazon Warriors on Thursday.

At the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, the Amazon Warriors comfortably overhauled the Tridents' low score of 89/9 by posting 90/4 in 14.2 overs.

This result for the Jason Holder-led squad (four points) was their seventh loss of nine matches and saw them become the second team to miss out playoff qualification.

Batting first, Barbados Tridents opening batsman Johnson Charles (ten) showed early intent by smacking a boundary through the covers off off-spinner Chris Green's first delivery.

Right-handed batsman Justin Greaves also had a fine start by hitting off-spinner Kevin Sinclair up and over backward point for four.

However, fast-medium pacer Romario Shepherd's introduction to the bowling paid swift dividends. Charles welcomed the pacer with a four through square leg before going out caught courtesy a brilliant diving catch from Ross Taylor.

Incoming batsman Rashid Khan was dismissed with the very next ball as he skied to deep mid-wicket into the hands of Brandon King (14/2).

Shepherd was unable to secure his hat-trick but the injection of pacer Naveen ul Haq and leg-spinner Imran Tahir tightened the grip on the Tridents' batsmen.

With just 25 runs added and the fall of four wickets, Shamarh Brooks (eight), Greaves (ten), Kyle Mayers (seven) and skipper Jason Holder (three), coming from the next nine overs, Tridents struggled at 39/6 after 10 overs.

Nyeem Young (18) hit a rare six over extra cover agianst Green in the 14th over while Mitchell Santner (18) latched on to a short ball from Shepherd to score four more.

Santner, however, was bowled by Sinclair while Tahir's googly also lit up Young's stumps (78/8) with just 14 balls remaining.

Only ten runs would come from the remainder as Tahir (3/12) and Shepherd (3/22) shone with the ball while ul Haq (15 runs from four overs) and Green (1/17 from four overs) also provided economical spells.

In response, Guyana Amazon Warriors made it four wins on the trot led by an unbeaten knock of 32 from Shimron Hetmyer and 29 from fellow left-hander Chandrapaul Hemraj.

Opening batsman Brandon King, however, was unable to get off the mark as he was cleaned bowled by left-arm spinner Santner off the second ball.

Hetmyer's entrance to the crease saw him team up Hemraj to build a good 34-run partnership. Hemraj smashed three fours and a six before he was dismissed by tumbling catch from Young (35/2) at third man.

Sherfane Rutherford (one) did not last, caught at slip by Nurse off Holder.

Hetmyer hit two consecutive fours off Raymond Reifer but had his vice-captain Nicholas Pooran surprisingly removed without scoring (49/4).

But an unbeaten 40-run partnership from Hetmyer and Ross Taylor would take the Guyana Amazon Warriors over the line, and securing a place in the playoff round.

Matches continue on Saturday at the same venue with table leaders Trinbago Knight Riders (16 points) taking on third ranked St Lucia Zouks (10 points) from 10 am while fourth placed Jamaica Tallawahs (seven points) face the Barbados Tridents from 2.15 pm.

Summarised Scores

BARBADOS TRIDENTS 89/9 (20 overs) – Mitchell Santner 18, Nyeem Young 18; Imran Tahir 3/12, Romario Shepherd 3/22 vs GUYANA AMAZON WARRIORS 90/4 (14.2 overs) – Shimron Hetmyer 32 not out, Chandrapaul Hemraj 29, Ross Taylor 16 not out; Jason Holder 2/10. Amazon Warriors won by six wickets. Man of the Match: Romario Shepherd.

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Tridents exit CPL with seven-wicket win over Tallawahs
JONATHAN RAMNANANSINGH (NEWSDAy).

BARBADOS Tridents concluded their 2020 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) T20 campaign with a seven-wicket win over playoff-bound Jamaica Tallawahs at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba on Saturday.

Although the 2019 winners successfully chased down Jamaica Tallawah’s first innings knock of 161/4 by getting to 165/3 after 18.2 overs, the Bajan franchise were already eliminated from this year’s semi-final round having lost seven of their 10 games played.

Rovman Powell’s squad won the toss and opted to bat first with Jermaine Blackwood and Glenn Phillips at the crease. The Jamaican and Kiwi constructed a strong opening stance of 51 runs before Phillips (17) was out caught brilliantly courtesy a diving catch from Kemar Harding.

Before Phillip’s dismissal, Blackwood smashed Rashid Khan for two fours and Joshua Bishop for six before he was dropped by Ashley Nurse. At the midway point of the innings, Jamaica Tallawahs stood at 69/1/

Blackwood showed fine form with the bat by smashing Harding for a Hero maximum then cutting through backward point for four. Hayden Walsh was also struck handsomely for six over deep mid-wicket, but two balls later, Ali (five) was sent packing caught, edging to wicketkeeper Johnson Charles.

Big-hitter Andre Russell entered the fray and he did not disappoint the Jamaican edged over short third man for four and then fired over deep mid-wicket to for his first maximum of the day.

Two balls later, umpires were forced to find a replacement ball as Russell belted Walsh out of the stadium to send his team to 112/2. The Jamaican pair continued to pile on the runs but their 37-run partnership was cut short as Holder cleaned up Blackwood’s stumps after his valiant knock of 76.

Russell paid no mind, launching Holder for another monster six and then following up with another four and six off Khan’s bowling. Khan would get his man though, leading Russell (54) down the pitch for a big shot, which evaded the batsman and sank into the gloves of Charles who uprooted his stumps to close on 161/4.

In their turn at the crease, Charles lasted just three balls as he was bowled by Oshane Thomas. Incoming batsman Shamarh Brooks immediately got off the mark by sneaking an inside edge for four.

Opening batsman Carter then closed the first over with back-to-back fours before Brooks returned to the pavilion bowled by Preston McSween in the second over (17/2). Skipper Holder ironically played his best innings of the tournament as he started by blasting 24 runs (one six, three fours) off McSween’s expensive over.

Holder took no prisoners and launched Carlos Brathwaite, Thomas and Mujeeb Ur Rahman for boundaries. After flicking over mid-wicket for six off Brathwaite, Holder and Carter’s pace slowed a bit, generating just 14 runs off the next three overs.

Needing 74 runs from 60 balls after 10 overs, the lanky Bajan all-rounder continued to find the boundary before he was outwitted by Sandeep Lamichhane, trapped leg-before, but after a well-worked, captain’s knock of 69 (107/3).

Carter followed in the footsteps of his captain and also took a liking to McSween, hitting through square leg for four and then cutting away for another. Mitchell Santner speared one of Lamichhane’s deliveries over long-on for six as the Tridents kept fighting, needing just 31 runs from the last five overs.

Santner would finish the job by stroking the ball around the ground to reach 164/3 with eight balls to spare. However, their well-deserved victory would go in vain, as the defending champions entered their final match of the CPL unable to progress further.

Lamichhane (1/26) was the Tallawahs’ most economical bowler while Thomas (1/36) and McSween (1/39) also bagged one wicket each.

Summarised Scores

BARBADOS TRIDENTS 165/3 – (Jason Holder 69, Johnson Carter 42 not out, Mitchell Santner 35 not out; Sandeep Lamichhane 1/26, Oshane Thomas 1/36, Preston McSween 1/39) defeated JAMAICA TALLAWAHS 161/4 – (Jermaine Blackwood 74, Andre Russell 54, Glenn Phillips 17; Joshua Bishop 1/30, Rashid Khan 1/32, Hayden Walsh 1/34, Jason Holder 1/38) by seven wickets

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A perfect 10 for Knight Riders
By Vinode Mamchan (Guardian).

Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) continued their magnificent run at the 2020 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) with a resounding nine-wicket victory over the St Kitts/Nevis Patriots in their final preliminary round match at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, San Fernando on Sunday, making it 10 straight wins.

SCORES: St Kitts/Nevis Patriots 77 all out (18.2) vs TKR 78/1 (11.3) - TKR won by nine wickets.

A brilliant performance by the Knight Riders' bowlers on a track that held no terrors saw them rout the Patriots for just 77 runs with 10 balls to spare in the innings.

Opener Tion Webster than banged an unbeaten 41 to rush the home franchise to victory at 78/1 off 11.3 overs. Webster and Amir Jangoo getting his second game batted well to add 54 runs from eight overs at the start of the chase. When Jangoo fell for a 24-ball 19, the chase was nearly formalised.

Webster ended up facing 33 balls, striking a six and five fours. When victory came, he had as a company the New Zealander Tim Seifert who closed on 16 not out off 12 balls with a six.

Earlier, the Patriots won the toss and were served a diet of slow bowling by TKR skipper Kieron Pollard. With the big hitters, Evin Lewis and Chris Lynn at the top, Pollard opened with Akeal Hosein and Sikandar Raza.

Not giving the openers pace to work with, they grew frustrated and gave away their hand. After these two spinners were done, Pollard unleashed his leg-spinning twins in Fawad Ahmed and the 48-year-old Praveen Tambe. They proceed to wreck the middle and lower order, with Fawad ending with 4/21. Tambe was also brilliant giving away only nine runs from his allotted four overs and taking one wicket.

Pace was introduced in the 13th over through the fit-again Ali Khan and he produced a wicket immediately. So too did his fellow pacer Anderson Phillip who took the final wicket. An efficient bowling performance even without the likes of Sunil Narine, Dwayne Bravo, and Khary Pierre who were rested.

The TKR will battle the Jamaica Tallawahs next in their semi-final clash on Tuesday at the BLCA from 10 am, while the Guyana Amazon Warriors play the St Lucia Zouks at 5.30 pm. The winners will meet in the final on Thursday at the same venue from 10 am.

Man of the match Ahmed speaking after the game said: "Mixed form for me - but in this game, I've come well and it's a really good sign for me. Taking wickets gives you a lot of confidence, especially going into the semi-finals. To win 10 out of 10, it's an amazing team performance. You can tell we have a lot of different match-winners in the team. That's the secret to our performance, a lot of players are performing well, three-four bowlers, four-five batsmen. We are missing two of our players (Colin) Munro and Sunil (Narine), hopefully, Sunil will be fit for the semi-final."

SCORES:

St Kitts/Nevis Patriots 77 all out (18.2) (Denesh Ramdin 19, Rayad Emrit 15, Fawad Ahmed 4/21, Akeal Hosein 2/26, Praveen Tambe 1/9) vs TKR 78/1 (11.3) (Tion Webster 41 no, Amir Jangoo 19, Tim Seifert 16 no) - TKR won by 9 wkts.

Man of the match: Fawad Ahmed

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Tridents leave the best for last
By Vinode Mamchan (Guardian).

Defending champions, the Barbados Tridents, left their best performance for last as they defeated the Jamaica Tallawahs in their final match of the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, on Saturday.

SCORES: Jamaica Tallawahs 161/4 (20) versus Barbados Tridents 165/3 (18.2) - Tridents win by 7 wkts.

Tridents go home having won three of their 10 matches as they fail to make the semi-finals. The Tallawahs will now play the Trinbago Knight Riders in the semi-finals at the BLCA on Tuesday, as they will finish fourth in the standing even if they defeat the St Lucia Zouks in their final preliminary match, on Sunday.

After Jermaine Blackwood 74 and Andre Russell 54 combined to give the Tallawahs a healthy 161/4 off their allotted 20 overs, the Tridents batsmen led by skipper Jason Holder was ready for the fight.

By the second over, two men were already packing their bags but skipper Holder and Jonathan Carter did not let this deter them. Holder took the bull by the horns and attacked the bowling. He played freely and the runs came with a positive intent. By the time, he left on a dubious umpiring decision for 69, the writing was on the wall.

Carter stayed the course to bring home the win in the company of Mitchel Santner. Holder was brilliant in the evening taking just 42 balls to score his 69. He slammed three sixes and nine fours. Carter played the second fiddle and when Holder left he and New Zealander Santner stepped up to the plate and delivered. Carter was unbeaten on 42 from 44 balls with four fours and Santner 35 not out off 21 balls with two sixes and three fours.

Earlier, the Tallawahs kept wickets for their late onslaught and it worked well for them. Blackwood sent in to open for the first time in the tournament got attacked the bowling early and the run-rate was always around seven an over. He guided the innings and when Russell came in with eight overs to go, the two pressed the accelerator and runs began to flow.

Russell, knowing full well that he has the power, did not try to hit every ball. His inning was measured and he added 37 runs with Blackwood in no time. When Blackwood left for 74 off 59 balls with four sixes and five fours, the foundation was well set.

Russell hammered his way to a half-century falling in the final over, after hitting five sixes and four fours off just 28 balls.

SCORES:

Jamaica Tallawahs 161/4 (20) (Jermaine Blackwood 74, Andre Russell 54) vs Barbados Tridents 165/3 (18.2) (Jason Holder 69, Jonathan Carter 42no, Mitchel Santner 35no) - Tridents won by 7 wkts.

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Tallawahs' batsmen crumble to hand Zouks victory
JELANI BECKLES (NEWSDAY).

A BATTING collapse by the Jamaica Tallawahs handed St Lucia Zouks an 11-run victory in the final preliminary match of the 2020 Hero Caribbean Premier League T20 tournament at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, on Sunday.

The result did not change where the teams ended on the six-team table as Zouks finished third and Tallawahs finished fourth. Tallawahs will play Trinbago Knight Riders in the first semi-final at Tarouba on Tuesday, at 10 am. In the second game of the semi-final double-header, Zouks will match their skills against Guyana Amazon Warriors at 5.30 pm.

Tallawahs seemed set to reach the target of 146 as Glenn Phillips and Jermaine Blackwood took the score to 84 without loss in the 12th over. Four wickets then fell for seven runs as Zouks were back in the contest as Tallawahs were reduced to 91/4 in the 14th over.

Phillips started the slide when he was bowled by left-arm spinner Zahir Khan one short of a half century, before Blackwood was stumped by wicket-keeper Andre Fletcher off the bowling of leg-spinner Javelle Glenn for 25. Khan then grabbed the wickets of Tallawahs captain Rovman Powell and Andre Russell with consecutive deliveries. Powell was brilliantly caught at slip for two when Zouks captain Daren Sammy held on to a diving two-handed catch.

Russell was also caught by Sammy to leave the Tallawahs limping.

Wickets continued to tumble. After Chadwick Walton was run out for ten, it was Glenn's turn to pick up two wickets with consecutive deliveries.

The spinner first trapped Carlos Brathwaite leg before for one, then bowled Veerasammy Permaul for duck playing across the line as Tallawahs were now staring defeat on 103/7 after 16.3 overs.

Nicholas Kirton struck 25 off 15 balls to give Tallawahs hope, but when he fell in the penultimate over, the momentum was lost as the Jamaica franchise closed on 134/9 in 20 overs. Glenn grabbed 3/16, Khan took 3/25 and pace bowler Kesrick Williams picked up 2/27 in his four overs.

Earlier, Zouks posted 145/6 in 20 overs with contributions from a number of batsmen.

Rahkeem Cornwall and Mark Deyal put on 25 for the first wicket, before the latter was dismissed for 13.

Fletcher's stay at the crease was brief as he fell for one to leave Zouks on 36/2 in the seventh over.

Cornwall, who lashed two fours and three sixes in his knock of 32 off 29 deliveries, was then bowled by leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane.

After Mohammad Nabi (two) was dismissed cheaply, Najibullah Zadran and Roston Chase shared in a 61-run fifth-wicket partnership to help guide Zouks to their final total. Zadran was the top batsman hitting 35 off 25 balls with one four and three sixes.

Chase ended the innings unbeaten on 32, but strong death bowling by the Tallawahs limited the scoring in the last few overs.

Off-spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who is the joint leading wicket-taker in the tournament with 15 wickets along with Guyana Amazon Warriors leg-spinner Imran Tahir, snatched 2/28 in four overs.

Summarised Scores – ​ST LUCIA ZOUKS 145/6 (20 overs) - Najibullah Zadran 35, Roston Chase 32 not out, Rahkeem Cornwall 32; Mujeeb Ur Rahman 2/28 vs JAMAICA TALLAWAHS 134/9 (20 overs) - Glenn Phillips 49, Jermaine Blackwood 25, Nicholas Kirton 25; Javelle Glenn 3/16, Zahir Khan 3/25, Kesrick Williams 2/27. Zouks won by 11 runs. Man of the Match: Zahir Khan.

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McCullum: Perfect TKR record doesn’t guarantee title
JELANI BECKLES (NEWSDAY).

TRINBAGO Knight Riders (TKR) coach Brendon McCullum said his team’s perfect record in the preliminary (group) phase does not guarantee they will capture the 2020 Hero Caribbean Premier League T20 title, but his team is hungry to regain the title they relinquished in 2019.

The three-time champions will play Jamaica Tallawahs in the first semi-final, at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, in Tarouba, at 10 am, on Tuesday. The second semi-final will feature Guyana Amazon Warriors and St Lucia Zouks at 5.30 pm at the same venue.

McCullum, who believes his team’s bond is stronger this year with all members of the squad playing, said ten wins in the group phase does not mean they will end as champions. “As I have said, I stress it does not guarantee ultimate success, but we’ve played well this season. The environment is good and the guys are incredibly hungry to try and regain the title which we lost last year,” McCullum said in an interview with CPLT20.

After winning their first title in 2015, TKR won back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018 but could not complete the hat-trick of titles last year after losing to Barbados Tridents in qualifier two.

There is competition especially among the spinners in the squad with the likes of Sunil Narine, Fawad Ahmed, Khary Pierre, Sikandar Raza, Akeal Hosein and Pravin Tambe all grabbing wickets.

Discussing the team’s depth and the spinners, McCullum said, “They have been really good. They have posed some serious questions of the leaders in the selection committee because we started this tournament with a fair idea of what our strongest team was, but we did say right on the onset that it is going to be a squad that wins this tournament.”

The TKR coach said Hosein and Tambe, who were not starters when the tournament bowled off, have both grabbed their opportunity. “They have put us under an immense amount of pressure when it comes to trying to work out what is our best XI for the semi-final selection. It is what you want though.”

He said the team is confident because “winning is a habit.”

Narine (kidney stones), fast bowler Ali Khan (hamstring) and batsman Colin Munro (broken hand) have all struggled with injury during this campaign. McCullum said Narine’s availability for Tuesday’s match is questionable, fast bowler Ali Khan is expected to play and Munro will miss the rest of the tournament.

The Tallawahs just qualified for the semi-finals after finishing the preliminary phase with three wins, six losses and one no result.

Tallawahs captain Rovman Powell is anticipating the contest. “The team is gelling pretty good and the guys are optimistic as it regards playing a semi-final, a big clash that’s against the Trinbago Knight Riders.”

Powell is confident that the team will deliver the goods when it matters most. “There is a lot of character in the team and a lot of persons who want to be that guy on a big day and that is important when it comes to a semi-final. A lot of things have not gone well, but even though things have not gone according to plan we have a lot of performers in the team and we definitely looking forward to tomorrow’s (Tuesday’s) game.”

Andre Russell is one of the most destructive batsmen in T20 cricket, but has been inconsistent this year. Powell said Andre is a “performer and we just hope that for the remaining games he comes to the party and give of his best.”

The Tallawahs skipper said he is not counting on TKR having their first poor match of the campaign after winning all ten preliminary matches.

“To be honest it feels good (to have match-winners in the squad like Russell) because knowing the nature of competition teams very rarely go through the entire competition without losing a game. Maybe tomorrow (Tuesday) is Trinidad bad game, (but) hopefully it is not. We want to beat Trinidad, but we want to beat Trinidad in a very good game. We not sitting down and hoping that it is a bad game for them. It is just that we try to control the things that we have control over and hopefully our star players can come to the party in a semi-final like this.”

Amazon Warriors and Zouks ended the preliminary phase with an identical record of six wins and four losses. Tuesday’s winning teams will play in the final at Brian Lara at 10 am, on Thursday.

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Zouks stuns the Warriors for place in CPL final
By Vinode Mamchan (Guardian).

The Cinderella Kids of this year's Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) produced a major upset last night when they defeated last year's finalist the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the second semi-finals match of the tournament at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, San Fernando on Tuesday night.

SCORES: Guyana Amazon Warriors 55 all out (13.4) versus the St. Lucia Zouks 56/0 (4.3) - Zouks won by 10 wickets and will now play the Trinbago Knight Riders in the final on Thursday. The TKR has earlier on Tuesday taken care of the Jamaica Tallawahs.

Chasing just 56 runs for victory, the Zouks let loose the big hitter Rahkeem 'Jimbo' Cornwall and pocket dynamite Mark Deyal and they hammered the bowling to record the fastest completed chase in terms of balls to spare in an innings in the history of T20 franchise cricket.

The chasing effort also tied for the 7th quickest chase in all Men's T20 cricket. The Mumbai Indians used up only 5.3 overs to defeat the KKR in the very first season of IPL in 2008. Zouks did it six balls quicker. The previous fastest chase in CPL history was a target of 129 hunted down in just seven overs in 2017 by the Patriots.

Cornwall finished with 32 not out off 17 balls with three sixes and two fours, while Deyal who had a brilliant all-round game scored 19 not out off 10 balls to add to his two wickets for two runs and a brilliant running catch to dismiss his cousin Nicolas Pooran. His effort landed the former TKR player the man of the match award.

Earlier, inspirational skipper Daren Sammy won the toss and said: "After watching the first match and seeing rain possibly coming later on, ee want to restrict the Amazon Warriors to a low total and adjust our batting approach to the target.

Well, this they did as Scott Kuggeliejn ripped out the heart of their top order with successive balls in the first over. He removed Brandon King and Shimroin Hetmyer shouldered arms and saw the lights. At that point, there was no turning back and by the fourth over the top four willow men in King, Hetmyer, Pooran, and Ross Taylor were back in the hut probably avoiding manager Omar Khan.

All the Zouks bowlers were on their top game and the Warriors just failed to record the lowest ever CPL score of 52, which was made by the Red Steel back in 2013.

A beaming Sammy speaking after the match said: "The way our boys have played, to the Zouks fans, they've been begging for something like that. I told the guys in the dressing room, this is not what we came here for. We didn't come here to celebrate a semi-final. Nobody really gave us a chance. The guys we have, we have effective guys. We don't have guys in the top 5 or 10 in runs but we play as a team. It's a massive effort to get to the finals with the players we have. We wanted to win the toss and bowl first and we got that right. If you notice the games being played here at 5:30 pm, all the games with the team batting in the first inning in the day have not scored 100. I don't know if it's the dew falling on the wicket that makes it difficult batting first but I told Rawl Lewis I have a feeling we'll restrict them under 100. But I did not foresee 55. Credit must go to Scott (Kuggeliejn). That over getting two of the main batters outset the tone. And then (Muhammad) Nabi getting Pooran, to me he's been the best batter of the tournament and for Deyal to take that catch, that's the kind of performances you want in a do-or-die game."

SCORES: Guyana Amazon Warriors 55 all out (13.4) (Chandrapaul Hemraj 25, Mark Deyal 2/2, Zahir Khan 2/12, Roston Chase 2/15, Scott Kuggeleijn 2/12) vs Zouks 56/0 (4.3) (Rahkeem Cornwall 32no, Mark Deyal 19no) - Zouks won by 10 wkts.

Man of the match: Mark Deyal.

[Sando prince]

Well done TKR now finish the job on Thursday

https://www.facebook.com/TeamTrinbago

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David vs Goliath : Zouks tackle flawless TKR in CPL final
JELANI BECKLES (NEWSDAY).

TRINBAGO Knight Riders (TKR) are one win away from ending the 2020 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) T20 tournament with an unblemished record, but standing in the way of a fourth title is a quietly confident St Lucia Zouks unit.

Both teams will square off in the CPL final, at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, in Tarouba, at 10 am, on Thursday.

In the preliminary phase of the tournament, TKR ended with a perfect ten wins from as many matches which included two victories over the Zouks.

Zouks have regained the form they showed earlier in the tournament. After starting the group phase with three wins in four matches, they had a dip in form which saw the team lose three of their next five matches.

Zouks then got past Jamaica Tallawahs by 11 runs in their final preliminary contest before cruising past Guyana Amazon Warriors by ten wickets in the semifinals, on Tuesday.

Zouks captain Daren Sammy told his players they cannot simply make up numbers in the final because TKR are a formidable opponent.

In a Facebook video following their semi-final win over Amazon Warriors, Sammy said, “We did not come here to just make the finals, we came here to win this cup. Nobody gave us a chance, but we believed in ourselves silently and on Thursday we have every chance to do that. TKR is Goliath, but those who study the Bible (know) David defeated Goliath.”

On Wednesday, after Sammy reiterated the point that David defeated Goliath during a media conference, Pollard said, “How long ago was that?”

As both captains laughed, Sammy admitted, “That was a long time ago, but that’s the confidence we have in the team. Everybody knows from the time the tournament started playing we said whoever has to win this tournament has to go through TKR.”

The Zouks captain is optimistic in his team’s chances. “They have played some really exciting, dominant brand of cricket but like I said we have that silent confidence in our team that we play well as a unit.”

Pollard said his team is going to maintain the same mindset that has worked for them during the 2020 edition.

“We’ve had a good tournament thus far, we have played some good cricket. We have come in each and every time and tried to improve as a unit, so I think nothing is going to change come tomorrow. At the end of the day we have reached this far, so just one more hurdle for us.”

Pollard said his team is oozing with confidence after winning 11 matches on the trot and his players are not feeling pressured.

“(We have) confidence, (but) there is always pressure. Before you play the first team there was pressure. Throughout the tournament there would have been pressure as well…at the end of it I have played in finals and for me it is just another game because you have nothing to lose. Four other teams would have liked to be in the position that both teams are in.”

TKR got past Zouks by six wickets on the Duckworth-Lewis method when the teams met for the first time at the Queen’s Park Oval in St Clair, on August 26.

TKR were victorious by 23 runs when the teams travelled south to Brian Lara, on September 5.

TKR, three-time champions in the tournament, booked a place in their fourth CPL final with a nine-wicket win over Tallawahs in the first semi-final. The Jamaica franchise could only post 107/7 in 20 overs, before TKR made light work of the target as they raced to 111/1 in 15 overs.

Zouks dismissed Amazon Warriors for 55 in 13.4 overs and then sealed a spot in their first final by racing to 56 without loss in 4.3 overs.

TKR are aiming to go one better than the Amazon Warriors last year. Amazon Warriors won all their matches leading into the final, but fell at the final hurdle to Barbados Tridents.

Both captains believe that previous results mean nothing in the final.

“It is another day where the team who plays better on that day (will win). Whatever you’ve done throughout the tournament does not matter. It is what you do on that day that will count,” Sammy said.

Pollard agreed with Sammy. “They pushed us in that last game they played against us in Brian Lara…we are wary of each and every team.

“I am not one to go much into different things, but I tend to like to play my cricket on the day and plan properly and come out and execute it. All of these things count for nothing.”

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Pollard is CPL All-star team skipper
T&T Guardian Reports.

Three members of the unbeaten Trinbago Knight Riders were selected on the 2020 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) All-stars team which was announced on Wednesday.

First-time finalist, the St. Lucia Zouks had only one member selected for the tournament's XI which was selected by the commentary team of Tom Moody, Ian Bishop, Daren Ganga, Danny Morrison and Samuel Badree.

Three members of the Guyana Amazon Warriors squad and two players from the Jamaica Tallawahs and one each from St Kitts and Nevis Patriots and the 2019 champions, Barbados Tridents, got the selectors nod with TRK captain Kieron Pollard appointed leader.

Tom Moody, CPL’s Director of International Cricket, said: “After healthy discussion and debate the commentators have finalised what they believe is a power-packed all-star XI from Hero CPL 2020. With a tournament dominated by world-class spin there was an abundance of riches, Imran Tahir again proved a challenge to all who came his way. Pollard’s all-round skills again brought some eye-catching performances, it was an easy decision to make him the captain after a flawless league stage."

In a tournament dominated by world-class spin, there was an abundance of riches, Imran Tahir again proved a challenge to all who came his way.

Meanwhile, Sammy who will lead the Zouks into their first final against the favourites Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, San Fernando from 10 am this morning said after his team's semifinal win on Tuesday night, “My message before I came out was this is not what we came here for – we didn’t come here to celebrate a semifinal. Nobody really gave us a chance but we have some effective guys. We don’t have guys in the top 10 or top five in the runs but we’ve played as a team. It’s a massive effort to get to the final with the players that we have.”

The TKR which outplayed the Jamaica Tallawahs in their semifinal match to secure their place in the title-match was reminded by their captain Pollard that, “Getting this far now is about the big picture which is on Thursday so for us. We still have to try and keep it level. We still have to try and enjoy our victory as we’ve been doing throughout the entire tournament but we still have to come in 48 hours and try to play a better game of cricket than we did today.”

The 2020 CPL All-Stars Team:

Glenn Phillips (wk) – Jamaica Tallawahs

Sunil Narine – Trinbago Knight Riders

Shimron Hetmyer – Guyana Amazon Warriors

Nicholas Pooran – Guyana Amazon Warriors

Darren Bravo – Trinbago Knight Riders

Kieron Pollard (capt) – Trinbago Knight Riders

Mohammad Nabi – St Lucia Zouks

Jason Holder – Barbados Tridents

Rayad Emrit – St Kitts & Nevis Patriots

Imran Tahir – Guyana Amazon Warriors

Mujeeb ur Rahman – Jamaica Tallawahs

The selectors also picked one Caribbean and one overseas 12th man to round out the squad. These are as follows:

Scott Kuggelejin – St Lucia Zouks

Keemo Paul – Guyana Amazon Warriors