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Four-time champions Trinbago Knight Riders got their third successive win of the Republic Bank CPL 2023, as they pulled off a dramatic two-run victory over defending champions Jamaica Tallawahs at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados on Sunday.
Inserted to have first strike, TKR were limited to a modest 142 for eight, with skipper Kieron Pollard top-scoring with 33 off 27 balls. Both Mark Deyal and Irish batsman Lorcan Tucker chipped in with 30, while Pakistan veteran pacer Mohammad Amir (three for 20) and debutant Kelvin Pitman (three for 27) led the bowling charge for the Tallawahs.
Jamaica started well in the chase, getting to 45 without loss in the power play and progressing to 57 by the eight over before Afghan spinner Waqar Salamkheil (two for 21) dismissed captain Brandon King (36 off 25 balls). Salamkheil, who was adjudged Man of the Match for his brilliant spell, stalled the Tallawahs in the middle overs as they slipped to 80 for five by the 14th over.
Jamaican allrounder Andre Russell (three for 34) was also a catalyst in the collapse of his former team, as he removed the pair of Jermaine Blackwood (one) and Sharmarh Brooks (golden duck) off consecutive deliveries in his first over.
By the end of the 15th over, the Tallawahs were 91 for five, requiring 52 runs off the last 30 balls with the dangerous pair of Fabien Allen and Imad Wasim at the crease.
Champion off-spinner Sunil Narine would account for Allen (eight) in his final over though, as TKR looked to take control of proceedings.
A blinding knock of 32 off 16 balls by Chris Green threatened to take the game away from TKR at the death. However, Green, who thumped Russell for three sixes, was spectacularly caught by Nicholas Pooran off the final ball of the penultimate over as he tried to send the big Jamaican allrounder over the long-off boundary once more.
With the Tallawahs needing 12 runs off the last over, Pollard turned to Ali Khan, with his trusted death bowler, Dwayne Bravo, inactive but giving advice on the sideline .
Opting to stick to a full and wide length to an aggressive Wasim, Khan was driven to the cover boundary off the first ball of the final over, leaving the Tallawahs needing eight off five balls. Khan then delivered three straight dot balls to Wasim, who refused to turn over the strike to the non-striker, Amir.
Wasim swatted the penultimate ball of the innings to the long-on boundary, leaving the Tallawahs needing another boundary off the last ball to snatch victory.
There would be no boundary or victory forthcoming, as Khan held his nerve to bowl a peach of a yorker which Wasim failed to make connection with. Wasim and Amir scrambled through for a leg bye, but the four-time champs secured the two points.
With the win, TKR consolidate third spot and move up to seven points, same as the Guyana Amazon Warriors who are in second spot on the six-team table.
The post TKR bowlers star in nervy win over Tallawahs appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.