CPL 2017, Match 6, TKR v STS, Review: Trinbago Knight Riders crawl past the St Lucia hurdle

The 6th match of the Caribbean Premier League saw the St Lucia Stars and the Trinbago Knight Riders go head to head against each other at the Queens Park Oval, Port of Spain. The Trinbago Knight Riders made it two wins from two as they defeated the Lucia Stars without much competition. Coming on to bat first, the Darren Sammy led St Lucia stars failed put up a healthy total on board in their 20 overs.

Scoring 40 odd runs, Andre Fletcher was the top scorer of the side as the team was restricted to a total of 118 at the loss of 9 wickets. Skipper Darren Sammy chipped in with a score of 25 while all the other batsmen struggled with the bat. Big names like Marlon Samuels, Jesse Ryder and Johnson Charles were unable to ride the Stars to a respectable total. Kevon Cooper was the pick of the Knight Riders’ bowling line up with 3 wickets under his belt conceding just 21 runs.

The run chase:

New Zealand power hitter Brendon McCullum opened the run chase for the Trinabgo Knight Riders along with pinch hitter Sunil Narine. Narine was hugely successful as an opener in the lucrative Indian Premier League but has failed to make it big in the first two matches of the CPL. The Knight Riders found themselves in huge trouble as the top order was dismissed cheaply. Shane Shillingford was on a roll with the ball as he managed to rattle the top order. Just when it looked like the St Lucia Stars are on their way to a brilliant defence, Shadab Khan and Javon Searles took the responsibility on their shoulders to turn the tables.

The two combined to form a brilliant partnership which took the Knight Riders past the 118 run mark with the loss of 6 wickets in the 16th over. Shadab remained not out on 30 while Searles had 27 runs to his name. Shillingford bowled a brilliant spell picking up 4 wickets but was not enough to seal the victory for the St Lucia Stars.

Brief Scores:

St Lucia Stars 118/9 in 20 overs (Andre Fletcher 40, Darren Sammy 25, Kevon Cooper 3/21)

Trinbago Knight Riders 120/6 in 15.4 overs (Shadab Khan 30*, Javon Searles 27*, Shane Shillingford 4/22)