Munro blitz leads Trinbago Knight Riders run-chase

A rapid half century from Colin Munro propelled Trinbago Knight Riders to a seven-wicket victory against Guyana Amazon Warriors in Match 9 of the 2017 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL). The Knight Riders pulled off the highest run-chase of the season to pull to the top of the Hero CPL table.

Bad start

The Knight Riders innings had a very bad start when Brendon McCullum slashed the first ball of the innings from Sohail Tanvir straight to Ganjanand Singh at point. Sunil Narine and Colin Munro wasted little time consolidating, maximizing the benefits of a hard-new ball and the fielding restrictions.

Munro peppered the leg-side boundary when Tanvir strayed, and manufactured room to hit on the off side against off-spinner Steven Jacobs. Narine’s two boundaries, one in the first over and another in the sixth – bookended a PowerPlay in which the Knight Riders blitzed 72, reducing the run rate to a run-a-ball.

Munro reach 50

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Despite Narine’s dismissal, caught for 23 off 22, the Knight Riders seemed in control of the chase with Munro reaching his fifty off 23 balls. However, an 11th over maiden by Rashid Khan increased the pressure once more and a series of tight overs followed, adjusting the equation to 50 off 36.

Just as the match threatened to turn however, Dinesh Ramdin found the boundary three times in seven balls bringing the match back in their favour. Munro’s first boundary since the ninth over—a heaved leg side six off the last ball of the 18th over, reduced the equation to 9 off 12 and two sixes from Ramdin in the next over sealed an impressive victory with an over to spare.

Amazon Warriors battle to 156

Earlier in the evening the Amazon Warriors battled to reach 156 for 7 – the highest first innings total in six matches at the Queen’s Park Oval.

After a tight first over from Khary Pierre, Martin Guptill took 26 runs off Robbie Frylink’s second over. Chadwick Walton looked to match Guptill in the third over, twice punishing short balls from Pierre for boundaries taking the Amazon Warriors to 40 for 0 after 3 overs.

Guptill then fell to Shadab Khan’s first ball. With Guptill’s wicket so too went Amazon Warriors early momentum. In his first over of the match Sunil Narine trapped Babar Azam lbw. Just 11 came from the second three overs of the Powerplay.

Fresh impetus

The innings was given fresh impetus when Walton struck back-to-back sixes off Pierre and a wayward first over from Dwayne Bravo cost nine. However, Walton’s demise, caught off a slower ball from Cooper led to a shift in momentum again.

In the following seven overs Amazon Warriors added just 29 for 3 as the Knight Riders off-pace bowlers squeezed the visitors. Cooper, Shadab and Narine collecting one wicket each.

After 15 overs, the Amazon Warriors were just 104 for 5. However, through a mixture of power-hitting and good fortune they elevated themselves to 156 for 7. Twenty-five runs came from the final two overs.