CPL 2017, Match 9, TKR v GAW, Review: Trinbago Knight Riders crush the Guyana Amazing Warriors to maintain their top spot

Match 9 of the 5th edition of the Caribbean Premier League saw the Trinbago Knight Riders go head to head against the Guyana Amazon Warriors. The Trinbago Knight Riders stormed back to their winning form as they chased down the target set by the Amazon Warriors comprehensively. The atmosphere at the Queens Park Oval was tremendous as usual which set the tone for a thrilling encounter. The Dwayne Bravo led Trinabgo team certainly looks dominant in the tournament so far winning 3 games out of their encounters.

Coming on to bat first at the Queen’s Park Oval, Guyana openers Chadwick Walton and skipper Martin Guptill got off to a good start. However, young Shadab Khan drew first blood for the Knight Riders as he picked up Guptill when the team’s score stood at 40. Guptill departed for a quick fire 24 of 14 balls which had 2 maximums in it. Babar Azam was quick to follow as was sent back to the pavilion for a mere score of 2.

After the loss of Chadwick Walton, who played a crucial 36 run knock, none of the Guyana batsmen made it big. But all of them chipped in with small contributions which led the team to a defendable total of 156 runs at the loss of 7 wickets in their 20 overs. Shadab Khan was magical with the ball once again, as he rattled the Guayana line up with ease. He ended this spell with 4 wickets for 28 runs in his 4 designated overs. Shadab Khan is having a dream tournament so far. The promising talent has already picked up 8 wickets from 4 matches and is the leading wicket taker of the 5th edition of the Caribbean Premier League.

The run chase:

The run chase saw a dismal beginning for the Shah Rukh Khan owned franchise, as Pakistani bowler Sohail Tanvir struck on the very first ball. Kiwi danger man Brendon McCullum had to walk back for a duck marking a shaky start for the team. It paved the way for the power hitting Colin Munro to take the crease and he combined brilliantly with Sunil Narine to form a formidable partnership. Sunil Narine fell for the score of 23 when the team was just about to reach the 80 run mark, but there was no stopping the destructive Munro.

The rhythm took a blow after Darren Bravo also lost his wicket cheaply but Dinesh Ramdin came to the rescue. Ramdin and Munro were solid in their approach and took the Trinabgo Knight Riders past their target with one over to spare. Munro played a brilliant and responsible inning of 70 runs from 47 balls. 5 sixes and 5 fours clearly portray the class of his knock. Ramdin was brilliant in his supporting role as he chipped in with 42 runs off just 23 balls. The lanky cricketer hit 3 sixes maximums and 3 boundaries to reach the score. Ramdin finished the match in style by smashing a short delivery from Rayad Emrit over the boundary.

Young Rashid Khan was economical with the ball for the Guyana Amazon Warriors, but unfortunately could not grab a wicket. The bowler conceded only 18 runs from the four overs that he bowled.

In a one sided contest, the Trinbago Knight Riders gave us an example of sheer dominance as they continue to sit at the top of the table. Colin Munro was declared the Man of the Match for his stellar knock that saw his team go past the Guyana hurdle. Trinbago maintains their position at the top of the table with 6 points while the Guyana team find themselves toiling at the bottom, losing all three games they played.