CARIBBEAN PREMIER LEAGUE, 2024

Knight Riders end home leg on a high

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Akeal Hosein starred with the ball for TKR
Akeal Hosein starred with the ball for TKR © CPL via Getty Images.

Crucial contributions from Kieron Pollard (42 off 27) and Andre Russell (31 off 12) coupled with a strong bowling performance gave Trinbago Knight Riders a comfortable 30-run win over Barbados Royals in Trinidad. This victory helped TKR to end their home leg on a high and also gave them an outside chance of making the top-two.

Put into bat, the Knight Riders got off to a disastrous start as Jason Roy fell for a duck to Maheesh Theekshana in the first over of the game. The other opener in Shaqkere Parris also perished cheaply but Nicholas Pooran injected impetus to the innings with a quickfire 15-ball 27. The left-hander maximised the field restrictions in the powerplay to pick up boundaries but his ultra-aggressive approach eventually proved to be his undoing. In walked Pollard at No.5 and stitched a steady stand with Keacy Carty (32 off 34) with both batters adopting a cautious approach.

In the 14th over, Carty fell in a bid to up the ante, giving the Royals a timely breakthrough but that brought Russell to the middle. The explosive all-rounder wasted no time in getting off the blocks and his rapid cameo along with Pollard's lusty blows at the end allowed TKR to breach the 175-run mark. Both batters fell to Theekshana (3-35) in the Sri Lankan's final over, otherwise TKR could have ended with another 20-25 runs more. The total was competitive, considering that the surface was gripping a bit but the problem for TKR was the impending dew which was getting heavier.

The dew factor meant that the Royals were in with a shout but they needed the in-form Quinton de Kock to fire once more. Unfortunately for the visitors, the South African couldn't deliver. de Kock perished in an attempt to maximise his favourable matchup against Akeal Hosein. The left-arm spinner had earlier sent the other Royals opener in Kadeem Alleyne in the first over of the chase. Kevin Wickham (23 off 23) and Alick Athanaze (44 off 33) brought the innings on track with a steady partnership but the former struggled to force the pace despite playing some impressive strokes.

Athanaze looked in good touch and also played some impressive strokes to keep the run rate going. Hosein returned to break the stand as he had Wickham with a return catch while Athanaze fell to Chris Jordan. The required rate started to climb and it didn't help the Royals that skipper Rovman Powell started in an extremely scratchy fashion. However, David Miller started with a bang, smashing a 15-ball 30 that included two fours and three sixes. His onslaught against Jordan and Waqat Salamkheil temporarily put TKR under immense pressure.

Miller should have gone cheaply if not for Salamkheil putting down an easy chance. The left-arm wrist spinner made up for it by picking up Miller after having gone for a six earlier in the same over. Miller's dismissal effectively put a heavy burden on Powell who just couldn't get going. The Royals captain departed in the 19th over with run rate drowning him and his side. TKR were smart towards the back end with the ball as they executed the wide line ploy to Powell with great success. It also helped the hosts that Miller wasn't around at that stage.

Brief scores: Trinbago Knight Riders 175/7 in 20 overs (Kieron Pollard 42, Keacy Carty 32; Maheesh Theekshana 3-35) beat Barbados Royals 145/9 in 20 overs (Alick Athanaze 44, David Miller 30; Akeal Hosein 3-15, Chris Jordan 3-33) by 30 runs.

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