Zouks reach first-ever CPL final - Will face unbeaten Knight Riders for T20 crown

TAROUBA, Trinidad (CMC):

Unfancied St Lucia Zouks surged into their first-ever Caribbean Premier League (CPL) final when they inflicted a punishing 10-wicket defeat on last year’s losing finalists, Guyana Amazon Warriors, in the second semi-final on Tuesday night.

After choosing to bowl first at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, they bundled out Amazon Warriors for a paltry 55 in the 14th over – the second lowest-ever total in tournament history – with off-spinners Mark Deyal (2-2) and Roston Chase (2-15), along with left-arm spinner Zahir Khan (2-12) and seamer Scott Kuggeleijn (2-12) all claiming two wickets each.

Zouks then needed only 27 balls to reach their target with burly Rahkeem Cornwall slamming two fours and three massive sixes in an unbeaten 32 off just 17 deliveries.

The victory propelled Zouks into today’s final, where they meet overwhelming favourites Trinbago Knight Riders, who are unbeaten in the tournament.

“My message [in the dressing room] before I came out was this is not what we came here for – we didn’t come here to celebrate a semi-final,” captain Darren Sammy said in a post-match interview.

“Nobody really gave us a chance but we have some effective guys. We don’t have guys in the top 10 or top five in the runs but we’ve played as a team. It’s a massive effort to get to the final with the players that we have.”

New Zealander Kuggeleijn, entering with 14 wickets under his belt, handed Zouks an explosive start when he removed Brandon King and Shimron Hetmyer with successive deliveries in the opening over without a run scored.

King fished at a wide ball and featured a catch behind and left-hander Hetmyer offered no stroke to a good length ball that clipped the top of off-stump.

Nicholas Pooran (11) struck Kuggeleijn for back-to-back boundaries in the third over but then holed out to a diving catch at long off by Deyal in the following over from off-spinner Mohammed Nabi.

And when New Zealander Ross Taylor missed a sweep and was plumb lbw in the sixth over for three, Amazon Warriors were 24 for four and the backbone of their batting broken.

HEMRAJ’S INPUT

Left-handed opener Chandrapaul Hemraj tried to repair the innings in a top score of 25 of 26 balls but wickets continued to tumble around him and he was eventually seventh out in the 13th over – one of the last five wickets which crashed for four runs in the space of 15 deliveries.

“It’s a disappointing effort to be knocked out like that but full credit has to go to Darren and his team, they completely outplayed us,” said losing captain Chris Green.

“You can’t score 55 and expect to defend it. Nonetheless, I’m incredibly proud of our guys.”

With history beckoning, Cornwall left nothing to chance. He twice cleared the ropes with Green in the first over and he and Deyal, who finished on 19 not out, combined to take 13 runs from the next over sent down by leg-spinner Imran Tahir.

“When you have low scores like that, I don’t think we want to go out there and muck around with it. Just get it over and done,” Cornwall said.

When 16 runs leaked from the third over from seamer Naveen-ul-Haq, the floodgates were truly open and the end came swiftly.