PROVIDENCE, Guyana, CMC – Nicholas Pooran continued his blazing T20 form with a scintillating century to guide Trinbago Knight Riders to a commanding 74-run victory over the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the Caribbean Premier League here Sunday night.
Pooran slammed 101, his first century of this year’s CPL, as the Knight Riders amassed 211 for five in their 20 overs.
The Amazon Warriors then suffered a middle-order collapse, losing five wickets for six runs to be bowled out for 137 in 18.5 overs.
Despite the result, it was not enough to propel the Knight Riders into one of the coveted top two positions. They ended the preliminary round in third place on 14 points, the same as the Warriors and the St Lucia Kings, but with an inferior run rate.
This means they will have to play the Barbados Royals in the Eliminator match on October 1, while the Warriors—the defending champions—and Kings will play each other for an automatic spot in the final in Qualifier 1 the following day.
Knowing they needed a big win to move up from third position, the Knight Riders overcame the early loss of Shaqkere Parris for a duck in the first over.
Throughout the next 13 overs during a 152-run partnership, Pooran, with the support of Jason Roy, ultimately forced the Warriors’ bowlers, with the former being especially savage.
Pooran began his onslaught from the second over, hitting fast bowler Dwaine Pretorius for a six and four off successive balls, and again, when he returned to bowl the fourth over, Pooran launched him for a six and two more boundaries.
Romario Shepherd’s first over and the fifth of the innings was greeted with three consecutive boundaries by Pooran, and he brought up his half-century in the next over off just 21 balls by clobbering Shamar Joseph for a six and a four, as the Knight Riders motored along to 75 for one.
Pooran continued his onslaught by hitting Imran Tahir for successive sixes in the seventh over. He followed that up by sending spinners Gudakesh Motie and Moeen Ali out of the park.
He then hit Tahir down the ground for another six to move to 98 and brought up his century by cutting Pretorius to point for a single in the next over.
Joseph broke the partnership when he had Roy caught by wicketkeeper Shai Hope for 34. Andre Russell made nine before being caught by Hope off the bowling of Pretorius, making it 162 for three at the start of the 16th over.
Pooran only added one more run to his total before edging a delivery from Joseph behind to bring his magnificent innings to an end. He faced 59 balls and hit nine fours and eight sixes.
Keacy Carty scored an unbeaten 27 from 13 balls, and captain Kieron Pollard, who ended on 19 not out, then blundered 40 runs off the last three overs to end the innings in grand style.
The Warriors were briefly in with a chance during a 58-run partnership for the second wicket between Shai Hope, who made 28, and Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who top-scored with 36.
But when left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein trapped Hope lbw to leave the Warriors 64 for two, it sparked a spectacular collapse that put the Knight Riders in complete control.
Waqar Salamkheil dismissed Gurbaz and Shimron Hetmyer for 9, fast bowler Terrance Hinds accounted for Keemo Paul for one and Romario Shepherd for a duck, as the Warriors crumbled to 76 for six.
Things got even worse when Salamkheil trapped Pretorius lbw for a duck, and Moeen Ali became Hinds’ third victim after scoring five to leave the score 88 for eight in the 12th over.
It took a fighting, unbeaten 26 from Gudakesh Motie and 20 from Tahir to bring respectability to the Warrior’s total.
Hinds was the pick of the bowlers, with 3-17, Nathan Edward took 3-19, and Salamkheil took 3-26.
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