Trinbago Knight Riders have ensured a place in the 2023 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) qualifier when they beat Saint Lucia Kings by seven wickets at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba last night.
Captain Kieron Pollard won the toss and decided that the hosts would bowl first, limiting the St Lucia Kings to 167-3 after 20 overs. The chase would be done with seven balls to spare, reaching 169-3 thanks to a half century from opener Mark Deyal.
The Kings lost two time World Cup winning opener Johnson Charles in the Powerplay when he was bowled on 13 by birthday boy Jaden Seales in the fourth over to make it 18-1. Barbadian Roston Chase would meet Colin Munro in the middle and they would put on a 76 run partnership from 58 balls for the second wicket. The former Knight Riders player Munro would finish unbeaten on 72 with cameos from Sean Williams (34 runs) off just 17 deliveries and Chase’s score of 32 saw the Kings post a competitive total of 167-3.
Martin Guptill missed out on an opportunity to reclaim his spot as the leading run scorer of this year’s competition when he was dismissed for just 15 by Chase. He remains on 261 runs, just six short of Andre Fletcher’s 267 but having played two games more. At the end of the powerplay both he and key player Nicholas Pooran (15) were dismissed with the score 45-2, leaving the Knight Riders in a spot of bother.
However, Deyal would step up with his wonderful knock of 57 runs which included six boundaries and two sixes. He received support from wicketkeeper Lorcan Tucker who made 38 runs before Andre Russell smoked three sixes and two boundaries to seal victory with just over an over to go.
The biggest party in sport now heads to Guyana as the final rolls into view. Guyana Amazon Warriors will kick things off at Providence Stadium when they face Jamaica Tallawahs on Wednesday evening.
Summarised Scores
St Lucia Kings 167-3 in 20 overs (Colin Munro 72*, Sean Williams 34)
Trinbago Knight Riders 169-3 in 20 overs (Mark Deyal 57, Lorcan Tucker 38)
Trinbago Knight Riders won by seven wickets with seven balls to spare.