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Kuchoor!
Imad Wasim was given not out LBW off Sunil Narine. And then out. And then not out. And then…
Photo: Ashley Allen – CPL T20/CPL T20 via Getty Images
In the end, the visitors duly completed it by 6 wickets, posting 135 for 4 in reply to TKR’s paltry 134 for 8 at the Queen’s Park Oval on Thursday.
Perhaps heady with the sweet taste of victory over the defending champions on Wednesday, TKR failed to bring their best game. And Chris Green’s ABF, who beat Kieron Pollard’s men by four runs in Match 5 in the first round, whupped them again in the second round—more convincingly this time!
But it did not all go swimmingly.
With ABF on 68 and halfway to their target, new arrival Hassan Khan was stumped by Nicholas Pooran off Sunil Narine. Narine’s next ball cannoned into Imad Wasim’s front pad.
Photo: Ashley Allen – CPL T20/CPL T20 via Getty Images
“Not out,” said the umpire. TKR reviewed. Out, said the DRS umpire.
Imad reluctantly withdrew—all the way off the playing surface—insisting that there had been an edge. When the review was reviewed, it seemed to show a spike off the bat.
Play was suspended for a full quarter of an hour while the dispute about whether a batsman who has left the field can return to continue his innings was settled.
When play resumed, Imad was still there. He would remain until the end, unbeaten on 36.
Photo: Ashley Allen – CPL T20/CPL T20 via Getty Images
He and Justin Greaves reduced the deficit run by slow run against Narine, Waqar Salamkheil, the freshly landed Chris Jordan and the recalled Josh Little. But, with 18 required off the last two overs, Fabian Allen replaced Man-of-the-Match Greaves and helped speed up the victory.
Reprieved by a no-ball call after Jordan had catspraddled his stumps with a yorker, Greaves had stalled. He retired—or was retired—on 46.
And as if there was not already enough argy-bargy to go around, AFB got a free boundary in overthrows when the ball ricocheted off Imad’s bat and evaded both of the backing up fieldsmen.
After Wednesday’s party for Dwayne Bravo, captain Pollard had indirectly warned his players about the dangers of overdoing the celebrations. Thursday’s performance suggested that they had paid him no heed. Only he and Tim David managed anything like a decent score.
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Wired868
Manifestly displeased in the post-match interview, he declined extended comment, being no more forthcoming than: “If I speak, I will get into trouble.”
“I think they played well,” he said, adding, “We’ll go, look back and practise and come back.”
Practice at batting first surely seemed to be called for. TKR have always preferred to chase. But, not given the option, they did not cope well on what was a tricky wicket.
Photo: Ashley Allen – CPL T20/CPL T20 via Getty Images
Green used eight different bowlers in a bid to cramp TKR’s style. Only Mohammad Amir and he himself bowled their full quota of four overs. It worked like a charm.
Amir bowled Narine all over the place in the first over. Shaqkere Parris again showed that he has talent but little patience for slow accumulation.
Trying to force the pace, Pooran fell to a splendid catch by Hassan Ali, running full speed in from deep midwicket and diving to grab the ball low down. Keacy Carty lost his patience, had a wild swing and lost his wicket as well.
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All that happened in the first ten overs, at the end of which TKR had reached 49 for 4.
They eventually got a partnership going, David (25, 20b, 2×6, 1×4) and top-scorer Pollard (47, 37b, 4×6, 2×4) adding 40 for the fifth wicket. Those two apart, only Pooran (14) in the TKR innings reached double figures.
Shamar Springer got two wickets to take his tally to 12 atop the bowling table-Narine and Salamkheil are second on 11—and Allen also finished with 2/13.
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Wired868
When ABF started their chase, Hosein had Brandon King caught by Salamkheil off the third ball and Joshua James dropped by the same player in the same position two balls later. And when Andre Russell removed James with a fast yorker in over #4, that brought Hassan Khan in to join top-scorer Greaves.
Together the pair set up the successful chase with a 53-run third-wicket partnership, giving the TKR fieldsmen a thorough workout, tucking the ball into spaces and scampering singles and twos.
Before he departed in the tenth over, Hassan (36) hit three sixes and a four and helped reduce the deficit by half.
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Wired868
Green said he was “really proud of our effort, really happy with the win. I think we outplayed them in all departments.”
“Except for my drop off the last ball,” he added, “we fielded really well. The way Hassan and Greaves batted killed the game.”
The ABF skipper described the suspension of play interlude as “chaos, absolute chaos”!
Photo: Ashley Allen – CPL T20/CPL T20 via Getty Images
So under the circumstances, it seemed unnecessary to venture so close to the water’s edge as he did with this comment: “There was talk we’d roll over and bow down to these guys but we showed they are beatable. They are dangerous with good players but they are beatable.”
The man-of the-match had no comment on the kuchoor, preferring to indirectly address the struggling Saint Kitts and Nevis Patriots, TKR’s next opponents at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba on Sunday evening.
“To win at Queen’s Park Oval is a special thing,” he told the post-match interviewer. “We haven’t had a great season but to beat TKR twice is good. […] To get the win against Trinidad in Trinidad, their fortress, feels good.”
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Wired868
With a solitary win, the Patriots have nothing to lose at this point and beating TKR at home would be a welcome boost for their morale.
TKR, arguably deflated after a disappointing defeat, would do well not to take them lightly.
Before that, the Falcons, on six points, travel to Providence in Guyana for their final game against hosts GAW on Saturday evening.
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Wired868
Given the narrow last-over setback the defending champions suffered on Wednesday at the Oval, they are certain to be gunning for a win to get their campaign for a top-two spot back on track.
Summarised scores
Toss: Antigua and Barbuda Falcons
Trinbago Knight Riders: 134 for 8 (20 overs) Kieron Pollard 47, Tim David 25; Fabian Allen 2/13, Shamar Springer 2/27
Antigua and Barbuda Falcons: 135 for 4 (19 overs) Justin Greaves 46, Hassan Khan 36, Imad Wasim 36*; Andre Russell 1/7
Man-of-the-Match: Justin Greaves
Result: Antigua and Barbuda Falcons win by 6 wickets
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Lost | No result | Points |
| 1 | BR | 6 | 5 | 1 | — | 10 |
| 2 | TKR | 6 | 4 | 2 | — | 8 |
| 3 | SLK | 6 | 4 | 2 | — | 8 |
| 4 | GAW | 5 | 3 | 2 | — | 6 |
| 5 | ABF | 9 | 3 | 6 | — | 6 |
| 6 | STKNP | 8 | 1 | 7 | — | 2 |
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Earl Best taught cricket, French, football and Spanish at QRC for many years and has written consistently for the Tapia and the Trinidad and Tobago Review since the 1970’s.
He is also a former sports editor at the Trinidad Guardian and the Trinidad Express and is now a senior lecturer in Journalism at COSTAATT.
