Powell, Wasim engineer easy win for Tallawahs

JAMAICA TALLAWAHS broke an eight-game losing streak to the Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) with a commanding 34-run win in game number 12 of the Hero Caribbean Premier League T20 cricket competition at Darren Sammy Stadium in St Lucia yesterday.

Captain Rovman Powell led the batting to help the Tallawahs post a respectable total of 153 for seven, then led his troops admirably in the field to restrict the Knight Riders to 119 for eight.

For Powell, the all-around cricket displayed by the team was critical to their success, as the Tallawahs remain in the second position in the standings with six points following their third win in four outings.

“I think in the three aspects of the game the guys played well. We talked about not beating Trinidad for such a long time, so we wanted to do that,” said Powell.

It wasn’t the best of starts for the Jamaican franchise with the bat, as they struggled in the early exchanges on a seaming, bouncy surface that was offering a lot to the bowlers.

SPOT OF BOTHER

When the five-over powerplay was done, the Tallawahs were in a spot of bother at 31 for three, with pacers Ravi Rampaul and left-armer Shaaron Lewis accounting for the top order.

Rampaul eventually finished with three wickets for 40 runs, while spinner Sunil Narine bagged two for 11 for the Knight Riders.

It took a patient, resilient 90-run fourth-wicket partnership between Powell (67) and Raymon Reifer (28) to breathe some life back into the Tallawahs innings, as the Jamaican franchise scored 104 runs in the last 10 overs.

Powell’s resolute knock came off 49 balls, with six fours and four sixes.

“When we batted we came out of the powerplay a little shaky, but we stuck in and I think that the guys bowled well,” added Powell.

Player of the match, Imad Wasim, also chipped in with a quick-fire 21 from 12 balls, with three fours and a six, to spruce up the Tallawahs innings.

Inspired by his knock, Powell rang all the right changes when he led his troops in the field, as the Knight Riders struggled to get going in their run chase.

When the powerplay ended, they were 30 for two and struggling to get the momentum needed to keep up with the run rate of just under eight runs per over.

Pakistani duo Mohammed Amir and Wasim were exceptional with the ball, sending down a combined eight overs and picking up four wickets, while conceding just 35 runs.

For Wasim, the plan was simple and that was to utilise conditions similar to what the Knight Riders did in the first innings.

“With their star-studded batting line-up, I think we bowled well,” the left-arm spinner said. “We had a plan, which was to use the wicket and it worked out well.”

In the meantime, Colin Munro showed some fight with a knock of 29 from 30 balls, but with wickets falling at regular intervals, the writing was on the wall for TKR, who have now lost two games in four matches.