BY FRANCIS JOSEPH
The Trinbago Knight Riders are on the back foot again.
They are facing elimination from this year’s Caribbean Premier League (CPL) tournament. They may not make into the “Big Four”.
The defending champions were beaten by the Jamaican Kingsmen by seven runs courtesy the Duckworth Lewis Stern method on Saturday night at the Queen’s Park Oval.
The Knight Riders remain on four points after six matches.
The Knight Riders made 180 for six in their 20 overs. They had put the runs on the board courtesy half-centuries from their top three batsmen – Colin Munro, Sunil Narine, and captain Nicholas Pooran.
Batting first after losing the toss, the Knight Riders had a century stand for the first wicket with Munro and Narine. Narine smashed 53 in 24 balls and Munro contributed 44 as Knight Riders took away the early advantage, getting to 101 in the ninth over before Narine fell to Keemo Paul.
The comeback from the Kingsmen came in the 14th over, bowled by Vitel Lawes, when Munro fell first ball for 52. The world’s leading T20 run getter, Kieron Pollard, went next ball, and Matthew Tromp was dismissed off the last ball – a triple-wicket maiden. Lawes was later named the Player of the Match.
And when the Kingsmen power play ended with 54 for 1, an interesting battle was in the making.
The Knight Riders appeared to claw back in the next couple of overs, conceding just four and ten runs. Jyd Goolie got rid of Kirk McKenzie first ball of the ninth over, and when the rain came down the first time, the Kingsmen still needed 107 from 68 balls. An hour was wasted, but no overs were lost.
Play resumed with the Kingsmen going for the win. But the rains came a second time with the Kingsmen at 127 for three after 14.4 overs. When the match was called off, the Jamaican franchise won by seven runs.
As things stand, the Kingsmen, after a slow start to the competition, are now in second place with their fourth win, while the Knight Riders are languishing at No. 5 with just two wins in six outings.
