A 95 run partnership between Ross Taylor and Darren Bravo helped the Red Steel to a comfortable seven wicket win over the Barbados Tridents in the second match of the Limacol Caribbean Premier League 2014.
The sun came out in St. George’s Grenada and Dwayne Bravo won the toss and put the Barbados Tridents in to bat. The Tridents made a promising start with Dwayne Smith and Shane Dowrich helping themselves to a cluster of boundaries as the score reached 35/0 after five overs, before Samuel Badree, the number one ranked T20 Bowler in the world, removed Smith for 13.
Dowrich was then joined at the crease by last year’s CPL top run scorer Shoaib Malik and with the likes of Kieron Pollard Jonathan Carter and Jason Holder to come the Tridents looked reasonably well set at the halfway mark on 63-1.
But the Red Steel turned the screw and picked up five wickets in the last ten overs conceding just 61 runs. Kieron Pollard Shoaib Malik Neil McKenzie and Jonathan Carter all fell cheaply with Kevin O’Brien and Dwayne Bravo each picking up two wickets. A late flurry of runs from Jason Holder helped the Tridents above six runs an over finishing on 124-6.
The Red Steel innings did not start well as Nasir Jamshed fell to the very first ball with Ashley Nurse claiming a well-taken catch off Shoaib Malik. Evin Lewis was then out caught off the bowling of Ravi Rampaul playing his first CPL match. However Ross Taylor and Darren Bravo proceeded to put on what would be the match-winning partnership combining for 95.
The pair rotated strike well for several overs and when Darren Bravo hit Akeal Hosein for two sixes and a four in succession the game was up for the Tridents. Despite losing man of the match Taylor LBW for 62 off 51 balls the result was already sealed and Darren Bravo brought up his half century as the Red Steel won by seven wickets. Red Steel skipper Dwayne Bravo who took his 100th catch in T20 Cricket praised his side: It was a great team effort. We wanted to win the toss and everything went according to plan. I’ve got to give credit to the bowlers, then Darren and Ross who batted very well to help secure the win.
The Red Steel now has two points with this victory and will join the Guyana Amazon Warriors at the top of the table. The Red Steel next face the Warriors in Guyana on July 17th, while the Barbados Tridents will face the Hawksbills in Antigua on July 19th.
