Hyderabad, Oct 18: Trinidad & Tobago confirmed their semi-final berth by beating Diamond Eagles by 24 runs in their Super Eight match of the Champions League on Sunday. Chasing a target of 214, the Eagles could manage 189 in the alloted 20 overs losing 5 wickets.
Earler, Adrian Barath led a stunning Caribbean onslaught with a marvelous 41-ball 63 to power Trinidad & Tobago to a massive 213 for four against Diamond Eagles in a League A match of the Champions League here today.
Barath, who was playing his first match of the event, was jittery in the beginning, but once he got his rhythm he was at his destructive best.
Barath played second fiddle in the 66-run opening wicket partnership with William Perkins (35) and was magnificent in his 76-run stand for the second wicket with Lendl Simmons, who contributed a quick fire 40 off 25 balls.
Before being bowled by Dillon du Preez, Barath entertained the crowd with four fours and equal number of sixes while Perkins decorated his innings with three fours and three shots over the fence.
Navin Stewart’s scintillating 11-ball 33 at number five before Kieron Pollard’s 23-run cameo resulted in the Caribbean rattling up the highest score of the Twenty20 tournament.
Stewart put on an amazing display of power-hitting in the 19th over when he smashed du Preez for 26 runs, ruthlessly hitting him for three sixes and two fours.
Perkins, who has been in ominous form, yet again began solidly hitting Victor Mpistang for a four and a six in the very first over of the match.
Barath, playing his first match of the event, though was living dangerously as he attempted many shots off Cornelius de Villiers but missed, luckily didn’t get any edge.
Perkins was on song on the other side as he smashed Victor for an off-side six, followed it up with a four and hoicked another six in his next over.
Barath also got into action, went for a hardly slashed cut off D du Preez and just managed to clear the ropes at third man and then hit Ryan McLaren for two boundaries.
The Caribbean openers made the most of the power-play as they amassed 64 runs in the first six overs.
Thandi Tshabalala, the off-spinner, brought a huge relief for his side when he bowled Perkins, who slashed hard but missed the shot completely and the partnership was broken.
But the smile on his teammates’ faces was momentary as next man in Lendl Simmons hit the first ball for a massive six and packed the next ball for a point boundary.
De Villiers was brought back into the attack but the paceman hardly got any respect as he was creamed for 21 runs in that over by the duo.
Ryan McLaren provided the breakthrough when he disturbed the timber of Simmons but by then he had done his job as he cracked six boundaries and a six in his knock.
Pollard continued with the way he has been batting and hit two sixes before being caught by Alan Cruger off Ryan Bailey.
Brief score: Trinidad & Tobago 213/4 WKD Perkins 35, A Barath 63, LMP Simmons 40, ND Stewart 33* Eagles 189/5 (PTI)
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