Pollard looks for missing puzzle pieces

TRINBAGO Knight Riders (TKR) captain Kieron Pollard is eager to find the missing pieces and end the preliminary phase of the 2019 Hero Caribbean Premier League T20 Tournament on a high.

After losing to the Guyana Amazon Warriors by 19 runs, at the Queen’s Park Oval, in St Clair, on Monday night, TKR are looking for victory against Barbados Tridents tonight at the Oval from 7 pm to seal second position before the playoffs begin on Sunday.

After starting the tournament with four consecutive victories, TKR have lost three and suffered one no result since then with two matches left in the preliminaries.

Amazon Warriors posted 185/6 in 20 overs, batting first, before restricting TKR to 166/5 in response. Fast bowler Ali Khan and left-handed batsman Darren Bravo were among the stand-out players for TKR, after missing a number of matches because of injury earlier in the tournament. Khan took 1/23 in four overs and Bravo struck 58 not out off 46 deliveries.

Pollard, who top-scored with 71 for TKR, commended the pair for their effort.

“It is great to see, you need to give guys confidence and each and every game that Darren has come out to play for us since he came back from injury (concussion), he has been getting better and better, so again that augurs well for us. Khan, after a couple dismal games, coming back tonight again and delivering the goods up front.”

The TKR captain wants all the pieces to fall in place before the playoffs.

“It is just a matter of putting the pieces of the puzzles together and I have no doubt that the guys are strong enough mentally and physically. If we have to come out on wheelchairs we are going to do it, but as I said we are going into the business end (of the tournament and) we need all hands on deck and we are looking forward to finishing off the tournament really strong.”

Pollard’s knock was not enough to carry his team over the line, as the Amazon Warriors earned their eighth consecutive win.

The win ensures the Amazon Warriors will end the preliminary phase of the tournament as the top team.

Romario Shepherd struck a destructive 32 not out off 13 balls with three fours and two sixes at the end of the innings to propel Amazon Warriors to 185/6. Earlier, Chandrapaul Hemraj slammed 66 off 42 deliveries with six fours and four sixes and Shimron Hetmyer scored 48. Bowling for TKR, Javon Searles took 3/39 in three overs.

In reply, TKR’s top order struggled as the home team was reduced to 53/4 in the ninth over. A 112-run partnership between Pollard and Bravo gave TKR a glimmer of hope, but despite a valiant effort the pair could not pull it off. TKR closed on 166/5 as Amazon Warriors won by 19 runs.

Pollard fell in the final over for 71 off 38 deliveries with eight fours and three sixes and Bravo ended on 58 not out with six sixes.

Spinners Chris Green and Imran Tahir snatched 2/18 in four overs and 2/32 in three overs respectively.