Trinbago Knight Riders recorded their record 5th CPL title after beating the hosts Guyana Amazon Warriors in a tense final at Providence in Guyana. Trinbago Knight Riders lost the toss but did most things right on the night of the final and most importantly won the big moments to lift the trophy. Guyana won the toss and decided to bat first but lost wickets at regular intervals as Saurabh Netravalkar and Akeal Hosein shared 5 wickets between them to keep Guyana to 130/8 in 20 overs.
Chasing 131 to win, Trinbago had Colin Munro and Alex Hales the two openers getting to 20s while Sunil Narine and Kieron Pollard also crossed 20s. In the end it was Akeal Hosein with the hammer blow as his 16* off 7 balls took TKR over thee line in 18 overs with 3 wickets in hand. Imran Tahir’s 3-wicket haul and 2 wickets apiece for Shamar Joseph and Dwaine Pretorius went in vain in the end.
Saurabh Netravalkar & Akeal Hosein restrict Guyana to 130/8 in 20 overs
Winning the toss and deciding to bat first, Ben McDermott and Quentin Sampson walked out to bat for Guyana Amazon Warriors while Andre Russell had ball in hand for Trinbago Knight Riders. Russell struck early for TKR as he dismissed Sampson for a silver duck. It was a short ball angled into Sampson’s body to get in a tangle yet again. The batter is weak against short ball as he hopped back and looked to fend it awkwardly and got hit on the splice of the bat. The ball popped up in front of forward short leg where Pollard was standing there dived forward to take a stunning two-handed catch.
Shai Hope came out to bat next. He got off the mark soon. Akeal Hosein came into the attack from the other end. He bowled a decent first over. Russell continued as McDermott pulled it over the leaping midwicket region for a boundary. McDermott meant business as he took on Akeal by sweeping over short fine leg for a boundary and then launched him over midwicket for the maximum. He ended the over with another boundary over extra cover for one bounce and over the ropes.
Sunil Narine was introduced into the attack inside the powerplay. Hope survived a run out scare as he made his ground in time. Narine bowled a tidy first over. Saurabh Netravalkar was introduced into the attack to bowl the last over of powerplay overs. McDermott launched Netravalkar for the maximum over the midwicket region. But the left-arm bowler had the last laugh dismissing the danger man for 28 off 17 balls with 3 fours and 2 sixes to his name.
He bowled from around the wicket a good length delivery outside off-stump, McDermott got across and looked to hoick across the line and miscued it off the inside half of the bat. It flew to the right of deep square leg where Colin Munro came forward and took a bending low catch just above the ground. Moeen Ali came out to bat next. After 6 overs at the end of the powerplay, Guyana Amazon Warriors were 41/2 as the game was evenly poised at this stage.
Kieron Pollard came into the attack post the powerplay. Moeen Ali survived a run out scare as Russell missed the direct hit at the striker’s end. Moeen managed to hit a boundary by slicing to deep backward point region. Akeal Hosein returned to the attack and got rid of Shai Hope for 12 off 19 balls. From around the wicket, Hosein bowled a length ball on the leg stump gripping in the surface and turned away. Hope stayed leg side and looked to push at it in front of his pads. Hope got bamboozled by the turn and was beaten on the outside edge as the ball hits the top of off-stump. The drift in with the angle and the turn away off the surface made that ball unplayable.
Shimron Hetmyer came out to bat next. Usman Tariq was introduced into the attack next. He started with a miserly over. Narine returned to the bowling crease and bowled a maiden. At the end of 10 overs at the halfway stage of the first innings, Guyana Amazon Warriors were 57/3 when players took the Drinks Break.
Tariq continued after the break and got rid of Moeen Ali for 10 off 14 balls with a boundary to his name. Tariq went wider of the crease and fired a length ball on the off-stump line and the ball didn’t spin. Instead, it held its line and skid through. Moeen hung back and looked to punch through the off-side and played down the wrong line playing inside it. He got beaten on the outside edge to see the ball hit the top of the off-stump. The ball was too good for the southpaw. Iftikhar Ahmed walked out to bat next and got off the mark soon.
Hosein returned to the attack as Iftikhar tickled him away for a boundary through fine leg region. Hosein then removed Hetmyer for 4 off 13 balls. Akeal bowled a length ball pushed through at the off-stump drifting away with the angle. Hetmyer rocked onto the back foot and looked to pull it over deep midwicket. He didn’t get the timing right and the ball went into the safe pair of hands of Pollard at wide long-on. Dwaine Pretorius came out to bat next.
Tariq continued and bowled a tidy over. Netravalkar returned to the bowling crease. Iftikhar broke the shackles as clipped it away towards fine leg for a boundary. Tariq came to bowl his final over as Iftikhar went bang over deep midwicket for the maximum. After 15 overs, Guyana were struggling at 84/5.
Russell came back as Pretorius hit him through extra covers for a boundary. Narine came back for his third over as Pretorius took him on by launching him for two consecutive sixes over deep midwicket and over long-on as the 100 came up for Guyana in 16.2 overs. Netravalkar got into the act and got rid of Pretorius for 25 off 18 balls with one four and 2 sixes to his name.
Saurabh bowled a slower ball length wide outside off-stump. Netravalkar kept it away from Pretorius’ arc as the batter reached out and looked to slam it over long-off fence. He didn’t get enough elevation as Pollard settled underneath it at long-off to take the comfortable catch and took his 400th catch in T20 cricket. Romario Shepherd came out to bat next and got off the mark straightaway. A wrong no ball was signalled and was changed after replays came in.
Narine came to bowl the 19th over as Iftikhar hammered him through mid-off for a boundary. Shepherd then took on Narine and deposited him over deep midwicket for the maximum. Narine finished his wicketless spell. Netravalkar came to bowl the final over of the innings. He executed his bowling to perfection and got rid of Iftikhar for 30 off 27 balls with 3 fours and a maximum to his name.
A full toss outside off-stump, Iftikhar looked to muscle it straight over the bowler’s head and mistimed it. He got it off the toe end of the bat where Pollard moved to his right from long-off and took a comfortable catch. Gudakesh Motie came out to bat with one ball left. In the last ball of the innings, Romario Shepherd was run out for 13 off 9 balls with a maximum to his name. Motie remained on 0* off 1 ball as Guyana Amazon Warriors finished with 130/8 in 20 overs after opting to bat first. 8 extras given by the fielding side.
Saurabh Netravalkar was the pick of the bowlers for Trinbago Knight Riders with figures of 3/25 in 4 overs. He was ably supported by Akeal Hosein who finished with 2/26 in 4 overs. Usman Tariq finished with 1/18 in 4 overs. Andre Russell finished with 1/18 in 3 overs. Sunil Narine went for 30 in 4 overs. Kieron Pollard’s only over went for 10 runs. This meant that TKR needed 131 runs to win off 20 overs for their 5th CPL crown.
Imran Tahir’s 3-wicket haul goes in vain as TKR holds their nerve to get across the line
After a 40 minute delay between innings due to closing ceremony, the players came out to the middle. Colin Munro and Alex Hales came out to open for Trinbago Knight Riders while Dwaine Pretorius had ball in hand for Guyana Amazon Warriors. Pretorius started with a decent over. Romario Shepherd came into the attack next. Munro hit him for a boundary through diving cover point. Shepherd gifted away 5 wides to the batting side. Munro hit him for another boundary through the covers. Shepherd was bowling wides left right and centre. Munro hit another boundary through mid-off as the 11-ball over came to an end which yielded 22 runs.
Pretorius continued as Munro clubbed him down the ground over long-on for the maximum. Pretorius hit back and got rid of Munro for 23 off 15 balls with 3 fours and a maximum to his name. Pretorius bowled a good length delivery around the fourth stump line pitched and shaped away a shade. Munro looked to run it down towards third man away from his body and got a faint outside edge to Shai Hope who took a regulation catch. Captain Nicholas Pooran came out to bat next and got off the mark as well.
Moeen Ali came into the attack next. Guyana used DRS against Pooran for LBW appeal but couldn’t get it right as the height meant it missed the stumps and the review was lost as well. Moeen started his spell with a maiden over. Pretorius continued as Hales got himself a streaky boundary over Tahir at short third man. Pretorius struck gold again as he got rid of captain Nicholas Pooran for 1 off 9 balls.
Pretorius pitched it up around the fourth stump line, Pooran leaned forward and drove it uppishly down the ground. He hit it powerfully but failed to keep it down. Shepherd at mid-off took a sharp catch. Darren Bravo came out to bat next and got off the mark with boundary past short third man. Gudakesh Motie came onto bowl the final over of the powerplay. Motie bowled a tight over as Trinnbago Knight Riders after 6 overs of powerplay in the chase are 45/2 and require 86 more off 84 balls.
Moeen continued after the powerplay and got the outside edge of Bravo but the keeper Hope failed to collect it cleanly. Captain Imran Tahir came into the attack for the first time. Hales survived a stumping chance as Hope whipped off the bails off Tahir but Hales foot was inside the crease. The 50 came up for TKR in 7.2 overs. Bravo crunched off the back foot through deep cover region for a boundary. Tahir then got rid of Darren Bravo for 11 off 9 balls with 2 fours to his name as Tahir completed 150 wickets in T20s.
Tahir bowled a good length delivery pitching on middle turning back in and skidding through as Bravo hung back to play it. He looked to knock across the line and got beaten on the inside edge and got hit on the back pad dead in front of the stumps. Tahir was celebrating already before he appealed as the finger went up. Hales and Bravo chatted and sent it upstairs. Ball Tracking showed three reds and the decision stood. The review was lost by TKR as well. Sunil Narine came out to bat next and got off the mark straightaway.
Narine survived a close run out appeal as the ball hit the stumps but Narine made himself back in the crease. Moeen bowled a brilliant over. Tahir too bowled a decent over as TKR reached 62/3 in 10 overs at the halfway stage of the chase and needed a further 69 runs off the last 60 balls when the players paused for Drinks Break.
Moeen Ali continued after the break and finished his spell with figures of 0/11 in 4 overs. Gudakesh Motie came back into the attack. Narine greeted him by pulling over deep midwicket for the maximum. Narine went again by launching it over long-off for the maximum down on one knee. Narine denied a single as he wanted to face Motie and dismiss him from the bowling attack.
Shamar Joseph was finally introduced into the attack after 12 overs. Joseph struck straightaway getting rid of Narine for 22 off 17 balls with 2 sixes to his name. He bowled a hard length outside off-stump. Narine backed away and looked to flat bat it over mid-off fielder. He got hit high of the bat and it went straight into the hands of Dwaine Pretorius who made no mistake at mid-off. Kieron Pollard came out to bat next.
Imran Tahir returned to the attack as Pollard took him on and deposited him over long-on straight down the ground for the maximum picking up the googly really well. Pollard went big again as he launched this time over long-off for the maximum. The 100 came up for TKR with this mighty hit over the fence in 13.4 overs. Pollard went again and this time deposited him over deep square leg for the maximum. 20 runs came off the Tahir over. 22 needed off 36 balls now. Shamar Joseph continued and bowled a tidy over as Trinbago Knight Riders reached 111/4 in 15 overs and now needed 20 runs off 30 balls.
Tahir continued and got rid of the Big Man Kieron Pollard for 21 off 12 balls with 3 sixes to his name. Tahir bowled a big flighted googly on a length pitching outside off-stump and spun back in sharply as Pollard got down on one knee and went for another slog sweep. This time, he failed to connect and missed the inside edge as the ball hit the middle stump. Andre Russell came out next and was gone first ball to Tahir who had two in two balls.
Tahir bowled a full and tossed up at pace outside off-stump. A flipper went straight with the arm. Russell felt for it away from his body got an outside edge which is taken sharply at first slip by Moeen Ali as Keacy Carty came and faced the hat-trick ball. Carty negotiated it back to the bowler. Tahir finished his spell.
Shamar Joseph returned and got rid of Alex Hales for 26 off 34 balls with a boundary to his name. Shamar bowled a back of a length delivery outside off-stump. Hales who struggled all through the final looked to clip across the line without moving his feet. He closed the bat face early and got a big leading edge that shot up high in the air. Joseph called for it in his follow through and took a fantastic reverse cup catch under immense pressure. Akeal Hosein came out to bat next. He got off the mark soon.
Motie came to bowl the 18th over as Hosein lined him up and hit him by slog sweeping over square leg for the maximum to virtually seal the deal. The very next ball, Hosein hit Motie for a boundary hitting the juicy full toss away between backward square leg and short fine leg. The celebrations followed after that massively. Akeal was unbeaten on 16 off 7 balls with a boundary and maximum to his name while Keacy Carty was unbeaten on 1 off 4 balls as TKR got over the line with 3 wickets and 2 overs to spare. 12 extras given by Guyana bowlers.
Captain Imran Tahir was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3/34 in 4 overs. Dwaine Pretorius finished with 2/21 in 3 overs. Shamar Joseph came late into the attack and finished with 2/9 in 3 overs. Mooen Ali bowled a miserly spell of 0/11 in 4 overs. Romario Shepherd’s first and only over went for 22 runs. Gudakesh Motie went for 35 runs in 3 overs.
So, Trinbago Knight Riders won by 3 wickets to win their 5th CPL crown. For his all-round show, Akeal Hosein was adjudged the Player of the Match. While the Player of the Tournament award went to Kieron Pollard. So, with that another season of CPL came to an end as the teams will move on with West Indies returning to play international cricket soon.
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