TKR miss top two despite Pooran’s whirlwind century

PROVIDENCE, Guyana (CMC):

NICHOLAS POORAN continued his blazing T20 form with a scintillating century to guide Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) to a commanding 74-run victory over the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the Caribbean Premier League on 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 eventually be bowled out for 137 in 18.5 overs.

The result was not enough to propel the Knight Riders into one of the coveted top two positions, as they ended the preliminary round third on 14 points, the same as the Warriors and the St Lucia Kings, but with an inferior net run rate.

It means they will have to play the Barbados Royals in the Eliminator match today, while the Warriors – the defending champions – and Kings will play each other for an automatic spot in the final in Qualifier 1 tomorrow.

Knowing they needed a big win to have any chance of moving up from third, the Knight Riders overcame the early loss of Shaqkere Parris for a duck in the first over.

152-run partnership

Over the course of the next 13 overs during a 152-run partnership, Pooran, with the support of Jason Roy, completely manhandled 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. When he returned to bowl the fourth over, Pooran launched him for another six and two more boundaries.

Romario Shepherd’s first over and the fifth of the innings was greeted with three consecutive boundaries by Pooran, who 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, hitting Imran Tahir for successive sixes in the seventh over and 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 and Andre Russell made nine before he was also caught by Hope off the bowling of Pretorius, to make 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. In total he faced 59 balls and hit nine fours and eight sixes.

Keacy Carty, who scored an unbeaten 27 from 13 balls and captain Kieron Pollard, who ended on 19 not out, then plundered 40 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 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 nine, 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 Motie and 20 from Tahir to bring a level of respectability to the Warrior’s total.

Hinds was the pick of the bowlers with 3-17, Nathan Edward took 3-19 and Salamkheil, 3-26.