Jamaica Tallawahs stun Royals to win third HERO CPL title
Key Points(5)
- Tasked with chasing down 162 at the Guyana National Stadium, Tallawahs made light work of the target, getting over the line with 23 balls to spare.
- Player-of-the-Series Brandon King stroked a classy unbeaten 83 from 50 balls with 13 fours and two sixes while Shamarh Brooks hit 47 from 33 deliveries, Tallawahs recovering from the loss of Kennar Lewis to the fourth ball of the innings to dominate in the end.
- Azam Khan had earlier top-scored with 51 from 40 balls while Rahkeem Cornwall slammed 36 from 21 deliveries but Royals slumped from a promising 117 for two in the 15th over to a disappointing 161 for seven off their 20 overs.
- The architects of their downfall were left-arm spinner Fabian Allen (3-24) and fast bowler Nicholson Gordon (3-33), the pair grabbing three wickets apiece to haul Tallawahs back into the contest.
- For Tallawahs, the title triumph added to those of 2013 and 2016, and came on the back of an up-and-down group stage campaign that saw them finish fourth.
Jamaica Tallawahs lifted their third Caribbean Premier League title when they stunned favorites Barbados Royals by eight wickets in the finals in Guyana Friday night.
Tasked with chasing down 162 at the Guyana National Stadium, Tallawahs made light work of the target, getting over the line with 23 balls to spare.
Player-of-the-Series Brandon King stroked a classy unbeaten 83 from 50 balls with 13 fours and two sixes while Shamarh Brooks hit 47 from 33 deliveries, Tallawahs recovering from the loss of Kennar Lewis to the fourth ball of the innings to dominate in the end.
Azam Khan had earlier top-scored with 51 from 40 balls while Rahkeem Cornwall slammed 36 from 21 deliveries but Royals slumped from a promising 117 for two in the 15th over to a disappointing 161 for seven off their 20 overs.
The architects of their downfall were left-arm spinner Fabian Allen (3-24) and fast bowler Nicholson Gordon (3-33), the pair grabbing three wickets apiece to haul Tallawahs back into the contest.
For Tallawahs, the title triumph added to those of 2013 and 2016, and came on the back of an up-and-down group stage campaign that saw them finish fourth.
“I think adjectives are inadequate in describing how I feel now. The type of disrespect we endured during the competition, all of it is now bottled up so the emotions are kind of hard to come out now,” said captain Rovman Powell.
“We used the disrespect we endured as motivation. I think we were hungry. The guys were very hungry and everything just ended right.”
Royals entered the final having lost just two games in the group stage which they topped comfortably but produced a lackluster effort when they could least afford to.
“It’s a tough pill to swallow. Obviously, we’ve done well throughout the season only losing three games,” said Royals captain Kyle Mayers who made 29 from 19 deliveries.
“But tonight, was a crucial night to win the game and the guys didn’t cross the line. Kudos to the opposition – I thought they played very well.
“I just thought we were like 20 runs short. With the start that me and I thought we could have gotten 180 but 160 in a final, I thought it was a decent total still.”
Opting to bat, Royals roared from the blocks, Cornwall clobbering two fours and four sixes and the left-handed Mayers, half-dozen fours, in a 63-run opening stand.
When Allen removed both to leave the innings on 69 for two in the eighth over, Azam came to the rescue, putting on 48 for the third wicket with Jason Holder (17) and 23 for the fourth with Najibullah Zadran (6) before the rot set in.
Azam belted four fours and three sixes but missed a charge at Allen and was stumped in the penultimate over.
Royals then put their noses in front when Mayers yorked Lewis for a first-ball ‘duck’ with one run on the board but King anchored two successive half-century run stands to erase any doubt about the result.
First, the right-hander put on 86 for the first wicket with Brooks who followed up his sparkling hundred on Wednesday with another integral knock, containing half-dozen fours and two sixes.
When Brooks holed out to deep backward square in the 11th over, King dominated a 75-run, unbroken third wicket partnership with Powell (14 not out) to keep the chase on course.
CMC
