In a masterclass of explosive hitting, Kieron Pollard powered the Trinbago Knight Riders to a thrilling four-wicket win over the St Lucia Kings in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).
Pollard’s blistering 52 not out off just 19 balls, including five towering sixes, sealed a dramatic chase of 188, with five balls to spare, in the 12th match at the Darren Sammy Stadium in Gros Islet on Tuesday.
St Lucia Kings, after choosing to bat, posted a challenging total of 187-6, thanks to a crucial 80-run partnership between Roston Chase and Bhanuka Rajapaksa. The Kings started their innings aggressively, with Johnson Charles (29 off 14 balls) and captain Faf du Plessis (34 off 26) leading the charge during the powerplay. Charles, in particular, tore into Jayden Seales and Akeal Hosein, smashing boundaries at will before falling to the veteran spinner Sunil Narine in the fourth over.
Narine, as reliable as ever, applied pressure by dismissing Sadrack Descarte for a golden duck and keeping the run rate in check. Despite a dropped catch off du Plessis, Narine’s influence was felt when Waqar Salamkheil bowled the South African captain with a sharp turner.
Steady batting
Chase and Rajapaksa then rebuilt the innings with steady batting, but their fireworks came later. Rajapaksa shifted gears with two massive sixes off Salamkheil, while Chase joined the assault, taking on the bowlers in the 17th over. Pollard finally broke their stand by dismissing Rajapaksa with a clever slower ball, but Chase’s powerful hitting continued as he carried the Kings to a competitive total.
In reply, TKR started the chase aggressively. Narine, making his mark with the bat, blasted two early sixes in his eight-ball cameo of 14 runs. Shaqkere Parris followed with fireworks of his own, smashing a six off his first ball and continuing his onslaught with three more maximums off Khari Campbell, reaching 70-1 in just five overs.
Parris’ blistering knock of 57 came off just 20 balls, and while Noor Ahmad slowed TKR down by dismissing Jason Roy and Parris, the Kings’ bowlers couldn’t contain Pollard. With the chase teetering at one stage, Pollard shifted into high gear, launching four sixes in the 19th over to reach his fifty in just 19 balls. His heroics secured TKR’s second win of the season, comfortably chasing down the target with five deliveries to spare.
Narine was also instrumental with the ball, returning figures of 2 for 13 in his four overs, stifling the Kings’ batting at crucial stages. But it was Pollard’s power-hitting that ultimately defined the contest, proving once again why he remains one of T20 cricket’s most feared finishers.
