CPL: Tallawahs scrape tense victory over Tridents
SUMMARY: Jamaica Tallawahs 127 (Phillips 41, Lewis 27, Lamichhane 2-17, Holder 2-21, Reifer 2-31) beat Barbados Tridents 122-9 (Charles 31, Reifer 26, Imran Khan 3-19, Springer 3-32, Smith 2-22) by five runs
(Reporting and Photography by Akeem Greene in Barbados)
Barbados Tridents made a hash of a target of 128 and gave Jamaica Tallawahs only their second win of the 2019 Hero Caribbean Premier League in Match 20 at the Kensington Oval on Monday evening.
At the halfway stage, Tridents were clear favourites to register their first home victory in eight matches, but injudicious shots and aggressive bowling from homeboy and Man-of-the Match Shamar Springer (3-32) and Imran Khan (3-19) placed the total beyond the hosts. Tallawahs won by five runs to keep their slim Playoff hopes alive.
It was a struggle from the start for Tridents, as Alex Hales continues to look promising, but cannot seem to convert. From 32-1 after six, they crawled to 49-3, four overs later. It went down to 47 off the last five and then 30 off 12.
Raymond Reifer, who leaked 16 off the last over of Tallawahs’ innings, looked to go from villain to hero with 26 of 12 balls, but could not finish the job in the final over.
One of the struggles for Tridents was that opener Johnson Charles made 31 from 35 balls and batted until the 15th over, lacking intent or ability to rotate strike. There seem to be no clear intent on Tridents part and Tallawahs, while not perfect in the field, took the opportunities that mattered most.
Dwayne Smith used all his experience to defend 15 off the final over, despite leaking nine off the first three balls.
Once again, the top-heavy Tallawahs did not deliver, apart from the in-form Glenn Philips, who tried to fightback with a 35-ball 41 (5x4s; 1×6). From the second over, when Chris Gayle, cramped for room trying to muscle Jason Holder through the leg-side but chopping on, the Tallawahs struggles began.
Two overs later, Sandeep Lamichhane got one to turn on Chadwick Walton and Ashley Nurse pulled off a stunning one-handed catch, diving to his right at slip. Tallawahs ended the Powerplay 43-2 and reached the halfway stage 66-4.
George Worker hit one straight down to cover and Dwayne Smith, with the pedigree of four CPL hundreds, only lasted two balls and Tridents were all over Tallawahs.
Phillips continued his stellar run with eight runs in three balls off Raymond Reifer, but the latter got him edging behind and the backbone of Tallawahs was broken.
At the 15th over they were 85-7 and looked simply hanging by a thread for the overs to expire as Lamichhane ended his spell with 2-17, unlucky not to get four.
Rain added greater woes to the damp squib with Tallawahs having to go off 108-8 in 18.2 overs. Play later resumed and Ramaal Lewis smashed Reifer for three consecutive boundaries in his 22-ball 27 which propped Tallawahs to some respectability.
Tridents return to action on Thursday against Trinbago Knight Riders from 18:00h, while Tallawahs travel to battle St. Lucia Zouks on Friday from 20:00h.