Trinbago Knight Riders marched imperiously to their 10th consecutive win while inflicting a nine-wicket defeat on St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, as both teams wrapped up contrasting preliminary campaigns in the Caribbean Premier League on Sunday.
Leg-spinner Fawad Ahmed set up the win with a four-wicket haul which sent Patriots tumbling for 77 in the 19th over – the lowest total this season and the fifth-lowest total in tournament history.
TKR then coasted to their modest target in the 12th over with opener Tion Webster hitting an unbeaten 41 off 33 balls.
The victory carried TKR to 20 points and further boosted their confidence ahead of Tuesday’s semi-finals while for Patriots, the defeat left them dead bottom on three points.
Choosing to bat first, Patriots never looked the part and lost wickets at regular intervals, to ensure the innings fell apart spectacularly.
There was no sign of the pending gloom even when usually free-scoring openers Chris Lynn (8) and Evin Lewis (12) perished cheaply to leave Patriots on 25 for two in the sixth over.
However, when Fawad had Australian Ben Dunk brilliantly taken by Pravin Tambe at point for two, Joshua Da Silva perished lbw to five to Tambe’s leg-spin in the next over and Imran Khan followed four balls later in the ninth also to Fawad without scoring, worry crept into the Patriots camp with the innings tottering on 33 for five.
Denesh Ramdin, who top-scored with 19 and captain Rayad Emrit (15) then tried to rebuild by putting on 21 for the sixth wicket in the best stand of the innings.
But once Ramdin holed out on the ropes at long-on off pacer Ali Khan in the 13th over, the innings fell apart swiftly as the last five wickets tumbled for 23 runs with left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein chipping in with two for 25.
Under zero pressure in their run chase, Webster gave TKR a solid start when he helped put on 54 for the first wicket with Amir Jangoo who made 19 before falling in the ninth over.
The right-handed Webster punched five fours and a six but it was New Zealander Tim Seifert who struck the winning runs, clearing the mid-wicket ropes with left-arm seamer Colin Archibald to finish on 16 not out.
CMC
