CPL: Pollard’s 35-ball 83 crushes St. Lucia Stars

A brilliant innings by Barbados Tridents captain Kieron Pollard led the way in a 21 run victory (DLS method) for his team against St Lucia Stars in Match 8 of the 2017 Hero Caribbean Premier League. 

Pollard powered his way to a brutal 83 not out off 35 balls to help the Barbados Tridents to a total of 196 for 6, the second highest score at the Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, and a total that proved too many for the St Lucia Stars in a rain-affected chase. 

After winning the toss and electing to bat first the Tridents were given a solid, albeit unspectacular, start by their opening pair of Kane Williamson and Dwayne Smith. Their partnership of 72 came at a healthy rate of 7.84 runs per over and included eight fours and two sixes. 

It took an excellent piece of fielding by Jesse Ryder, diving forward at short third man off the bowling of Kyle Mayers, to remove Smith for 36 who had edged a wide yorker. The very next ball the Tridents lost their second wicket when Shoaib Malik cut a wide ball straight to Ryder at point. 

After the double-blow the Tridents appeared happy to consolidate but Williamson struggled to move out of first gear and eventually fell to another excellent catch in the deep on the leg side with Marlon Samuels running in and athletically diving forward. After 14 overs the Tridents were 96 for 3. 

It was then that Pollard kicked into gear. Off the final six overs of the innings the Tridents plundered an astonishing 100 runs, with Pollard scoring 77 of them. Pollard’s innings was one of typical muscular power, with boundaries clubbed straight, clipped over mid-wicket or heaved through square leg. 

Nicolas Pooran briefly threatened to match Pollard’s onslaught, hitting consecutive sixes off Jerome Taylor in the 17th over before being caught attempting a third the very next ball. That left Pollard to take on Taylor alone, and take him on he did. 

Through a mixture of poor bowling, indifferent fielding and awesome power Pollard seized an incredible 36 runs off Taylor’s last eight deliveries including 28 off the last over as the St Lucia Stars wilted in the face of Pollard’s might.

The Stars required a record run-chase at the venue to win the match and were given an encouraging start by Andre Fletcher and Johnson Charles who took 36 off the first three overs. The Tridents were fortunate to get the breakthrough when they did, Charles mis-timing a loose first delivery from Wahab Riaz straight to deep mid-wicket. 

It was then that things begun to dramatically unravel for the Stars. In the space of 16 balls they lost five wickets, sliding from 36 for 0 to 53 for 5. Fletcher was caught pulling off Wahab by Pollard at square leg; Kamran Akmal was caught pulling off Imran Khan by Pollard at mid-wicket and both Marlon Samuels and Shane Watson fell driving loosely outside off stump to consecutive balls from Wayne Parnell. Ryder was also gone shortly after—caught mis-timing a pull off Parnell and in a matter of moments the Stars middle order had been gutted. 

A rain shower delayed proceedings but when the players returned the match was sparked into life by Darren Sammy who razed the fastest fifty of the season – off just 23 balls. Yet just as it seemed that the Stars had found a way back into the contest the rain returned once more and with the Stars 21 runs shy of the DLS target the match was completed. (CPLT20)