TKR record opening win over Patriots

THE TRINBAGO Knight Riders (TKR), with owner Shah Rukh Khan in attendance, recorded an 11-run win over St Kitts/Nevis Patriots on Wednesday, at the Queen’s Park Oval, St Clair, as the 2019 Caribbean Premier League (CPL) bowled off. The TKR, who were sent in to bat first, registered a useful score of 152 runs for seven wickets, with stand-in captain Kieron Pollard hitting 47.

Denesh Ramdin and Jimmy Neesham chipped in with 33 apiece for the hosts. Left-arm fast bowler Sheldon Cottrell got three wickets for 13 runs and veteran pacer Rayad Emrit took 3/39. The Patriots got useful knocks from Evin Lewis (36), Fabian Allen (30), Kjorn Ottley (25) and Pakistan-born Usama Mir (24), but were dismissed for 141 with two deliveries remaining. Man of the Match Neesham claimed 3/18 and Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Hasnain 3/36 for TKR. Cottrell bowled opener Sunil Narine (duck) and Tion Webster (six) before Alzarri Joseph forced Lendl Simmons (11) to drag one back onto his stumps to leave the TKR on 20/3 in the fourth over.

Ramdin and Neesham teamed up for a crucial fourth-wicket partnership of 60, which featured a pair of missed opportunities – Cottrell dropping a top-edge pull from Ramdin off skipper Carlos Brathwaite and Joseph failing to gather a slash from Neesham off Emrit. However, Emrit had his revenge as Neesham skied one to Brathwaite at long off, even though the left-handed New Zealand batsman waited on the television replays to confirm that the WI T20 skipper took the catch cleanly. Pollard dominated a fifth-wicket stand of 54 with Ramdin, and the former WI Test team captain was eventually dismissed by Cottrell, pulling one to deep midwicket. Emrit, in the final over, had Pollard and Javon Searles (eight) caught in the deep. Ottley and fellow left-hander Lewis had a useful opening stand of 47 in 7.2 overs before Ottley miscued a pull shot and pacer Neesham, running back, held on to the return catch.

Evergreen Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez struggled to come to terms with the conditions, and Lewis, trying to force the pace, lifted one from left-arm spinner Khary Pierre to long off. Jason Mohammed (duck) and Devon Thomas (one) were removed attempting big shots to the spinners, and Brathwaite was needlessly run out as he ran down the pitch and was unable to regain his ground, following a cut shot by Hafeez to Simmons at point. In the 16th over, Allen took 25 out of 27 runs conceded by leg-spinner Sekkugge Prasanna to give his team hope, but his luck ran out when a miscued drive was taken low by Prasanna at third man. Hafeez’s vigil of 16 from 22 balls ended when his countryman Hasnain had him caught behind by Ramdin, and Emrit went shortly afterwards with a lofted drive to long on. It was fitting that Neesham ended proceedings, when he bowled Mir and Cottrell in the space of three deliveries.

During the post-game media interview, Pollard said, “We held our nerves in the end and we’ll take the (win), with some improvements.”His opposite number, Brathwaite, pointed out, “We were 70-odd for one, but it was poor batting in the middle. Congrats to them.“There is no shortage of batting in the middle order,” he added. "The guys need to bat a little better.” Pollard, deputising as skipper for the injured Dwayne Bravo, said, “We’re going to take it one game at a time. We have a big game against Jamaica.”That match will take place from 8 pm today at the Oval.

Scoreboard TRINBAGO KNIGHT RIDERS vs

ST KITTS/NEVIS PATRIOTSTrinbago Knight Riders inns:L Simmons b Joseph*11S Narine b Cottrell*0T Webster b Cottrell*6D Ramdin c Allen b Cottrell*33J Neesham c Brathwaite b Emrit*33K Pollard c Ottley b Emrit*47J Searles c Allen b Emrit*8S Prasanna not out*0EXTRAS (LB5, W8, NB1)*14Total for seven wickets (20 overs)*152Did not bat: K Pierre, A Phillip, M Hasnain.Fall of wickets: 2; 11; 20; 80; 134; 148; 152.BOWLING: Cottrell 4-0-13-3 (W1); Joseph 4-0-32-1 (W2); Hafeez 1-0-10-0; Brathwaite 4-0-34-0 (W2); Emrit 4-0-39-3 (W3, NB1); Usama Mir 3-0-19-0.

St Kitts/Nevis Patriots inns:K Ottley c&b Neesham*25E Lewis c Neesham b Pierre*36M Hafeez c Ramdin b Hasnain*16J Mohammed c Pierre b Prasanna*0D Thomas c Narine b Pierre*1C Brathwaite run out (Simmons-Prasanna)*2F Allen c Prasanna b Hasnain*30U Mir b Neesham*24R Emrit c Neesham b Hasnain*1A Joseph not out*1S Cottrell b Neesham*0EXTRAS (LB1, W4)*5Total (19.4 overs)*141Fall of wickets: 47; 70; 72; 74; 76; 112; 132; 140; 141.BOWLING: Pierre 4-0-20-2 (W2); Hasnain 4-0-36-3; Narine 4-0-21-0 (W1); Neesham 2.4-0-18-3; Pollard 2-0-15-0; Prasanna 3-0-30-1 (W1).Result: Trinbago Knight Riders won by 11 runs.Man of the Match: James Neesham (Trinbago Knight Riders).