Registering their first points of the competition in the final league game, Barbados Tridents managed an edgy six-wicket consolation win against Northern Knights in a rain-reduced Oppo Champions League Twenty20, here yesterday
James Franklin
Bangalore: Registering their first points of the competition in the final league game, Barbados Tridents managed an edgy six-wicket consolation win against Northern Knights in a rain-reduced Oppo Champions League Twenty20, here yesterday.
Chasing a Duckworth-Lewis revised target of 138 in a 19-over-a-side Group B game, The West Indian outfit got its target in 18.4 overs with James Franklin standing unbeaten on 33. The Tridents top-order showed little fight after a 31-run opening start Dilshan Munaweera (20), Raymon Reifer (15) and Jason Holder (11) were back in the dug out till the eight over.
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Left-arm orthodox Mitchell Santner (1-24) drew first blood after scalping Munaweera post his 14-ball quickfire. Indian-born leg-spinner Ish Sodhi (3-18) then swung into action and the New Zealander picked got Reifer and Holder in the space of three deliveries. Franklin and Jonathan Carter (30) then tried to pick the pieces by doing the grinding bit.
Carter got a life in the 11th over after the left-hander was dropped at deep mid-wicket off the bowling of Scott Styris (0-16) and he followed it up with a four in the next over. Sodhi struck again in the 16th over but this time it a fielding brilliance to bring to an end Carter's 28-ball knock a 56-run fourth wicket-partnership.
An outfield relay catch was once again at show as Devcich caught Carter's hit at mid-wicket and just as he was losing his balance off the ropes, he threw it back effortlessly to Daryl Mitchell, who completed the formality. The catch though did not bog down the Tridents' spirit as new-man Elton Chigumbura (18 not out) stuck it out with Franklin, who hit the winning boundary, to fetch their only four points in this edition. Earlier put into bat, Knights posted 135 for eight in 19 overs as Devcich top-scored with 47 runs.
Knights lost a wicket early after Kane Williamson was scalped by Ravi Rampaul (3-34) for 1 but Devcich, with a run-a-ball knock and skipper Daniel Flynn (21) resurrected the innings only to lose the plot later. The duo stitched a 60-run second-wicket partnership to bring the innings back on track before Flynn was caught behind off Sri Lankan off-spinner Munaweera (2-10).
Devcich, hitting six fours, then carried on with new-man Bradley-John Watling (29) until rain intervened in the 12th over. The break did not proved good for the Kiwi champions, who saw a run out after Devcich returned to the pavilion and Scott Styris (0) fell to Munaweera's spin in the same over. But just when the momentum seemed to be shifting in Knights favour after a few lusty hits by Watling, Daryl (9) lost his cool against Rampaul to be holed out at long on by Franklin.
Rampaul struck again after picking up Watling, as the wicketkeeper-batsman struck 3 fours and a six in his 19-ball stay to give some respect to the Knights batting card. Tim Southee (19) also came up with a little cameo in the end but Tridents skipper Rayad Emrit (2-26) got him back in the dug out in a good last over. Medium-pacer Emrit also got Scott Kuggeleijn (4) on the final delivery of the innings to just give away 7 runs in the final over.
With Kings XI Punjab and Hobart Hurricanes already booking a semi-final spot for themselves from this group, this encounter was an inconsequential league match but the sides did provide the necessary entertainment. In the upcoming semi-final action, Kolkata Knight Riders will take on Hurricanes in the first semi-final on Thursday
while Kings XI will lock horns with Chennai Super Kings in the second last-four encounter.
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