Tridents beat Tallawahs to enter CPL final

Basseterre (St Kitts), Aug 11 (IANS/CMC) Barbados Tridents have stormed into the final of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), whipping reigning champions Jamaica Tallawahs by 88 runs in a dramatic final game of the preliminary league phase.

Opting to bat at Warner Park here Sunday, Tridents were lifted to 175 for eight off their 20 overs by inspirational captain Kieron Pollard who smashed 63 from 36 balls, reports CMC.

Leg-spinner Jeevan Mendis (2-15), off-spinner Ashley Nurse (2-16) and seamer Rayad Emrit (2-29) then shared the spoils as Tallawahs never recovered from eight for two in third over, and collapsed to an embarrassing 87 all out off 15.3 overs.

The victory left Tridents, Tallawahs, Guyana Amazon Warriors and Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel all level on 12 points. However, Tridents topped the standings on a superior net run rate, with Amazon Warriors coming in second, Red Steel third and Tallawahs fourth.

In Wednesday's first playoff, Red Steel will take on Tallawahs, with the winners taking on Amazon Warriors the following day, for a place in next Saturday's final against Tridents.

St Lucia Zouks, who finished fifth and Antigua Hawksbills sixth and last, were already eliminated.

Tridents played purposefully from the start, with openers William Perkins and Dwayne Smith putting on 35 from 34 deliveries.

Perkins struck 36 from 32 balls with two fours and two sixes while Smith stroked 32 off 27 balls with four fours and a six.

However, seamer Rusty Theron, who finished with four for 35, and left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori, who picked up two for 22, combined to run through the top order and reduce Tridents to 57 for three in the ninthAover.

Pollard then arrived to play a skipper's knock, anchoring two critical stands to rally his side. He first put on 41 for the fourth wicket with Perkins before adding a further 57 for the fifth wicket off just 26 balls with Mendis who got 17.

Pollard hit four fours and five sixes. He took 20 runs from a Russell over, the 17th of the innings, smashing a four and then two leg-side sixes, as he passed 50 off 28 balls.

He finally departed in the penultimate over, bowled by Theron with a slower ball, with Tridents on 161 for six.

Tallawahs had a nightmare start as dangerous openers Chris Gayle (1) and Chadwick Walton (5) fell cheaply. Seamer Ravi Rampaul trapped the left-handed Gayle lbw on the crease with a full length delivery in the second over and Walton tickled a leg-side catch to wicketkeeper Perkins off pacer Jason Holder, off the first ball of the next over.

Nkrumah Bonner revived the innings with a top score of 47, facing 40 balls and striking three fours and two sixes. Once Voges (10) failed to beat a throw at the non-striker's end and was run out in the eighth over, the last eight wickets tumbled spectacularly for 40 runs.

Brief scores:

Tridents 175 for eight off 20 overs (Kieron Pollard 63, William Perkins 36, Dwayne Smith 32; Rusty Theron 4/35, Daniel Vettori 2/22)

Tallawahs 87 all out off 15.3 overs (Nkrumah Bonner 47; Jeevan Mendis 2/15, Ashley Nurse 2/16, Rayad Emrit 2/29).

--IANS/CMC