Pollard, spinners star in massive T&T win
- Details
- Published on Thursday, 12 January 2012 11:23
- Written by ESPN Cricinfo
Trinidad & Tobago put in an impressive all-round performance in North Sound, Antigua, to dole out a167-run defeat - the second-largest ever in Twenty20 cricket - to Leeward Islands. Kieron Pollard, who blitzed an unbeaten 56 off 15 balls that included five sixes in an over, was named Player of the Match. His knock helped lift T&T's total to an imposing 211 for 3, following which the spinners, Samuel Badree and Sunil Narine, polished off Leeward for 44 - thesecond-lowest team total in Twenty20s.
T&T's new captain, Denesh Ramdin, chose to bat and the decision paid off as the top order clicked. Lendl Simmons and Adrian Barath, the openers, laid the platform with a solid century stand, before Darren Bravo and Pollard exploded. Leeward were behind from the outset of the chase, when Badree had Austin Richards caught behind first ball. He also got the other opener, Kieran Powell, for a duck and that set the tone for the innings. Badree finished with three wickets, while Narine ran through lower order with four scalps in one over. Ravi Rampaul and Bravo provided adequate support, claiming the remaining three wickets between them in very tight spells.
In the second match of the day, Windward Islandseased to a nine-wicket win against Canada, with 21 balls to spare. Canada chose to bat, but could not get any momentum going in their innings. No one could make more than Ruvindu Gunasekera's 38, and only Gunasekera and Zubin Surkari, who was out for 5, scored at quicker than a run a ball. As a result, Canada finished with a rather meagre 111 for 7 in their 20.
Canada had a glimmer of a chance early in the chase, when Henry Osinde had Miles Bascombe cheaply, but thereafter Windward cruised. Opener Johnson hit an unbeaten 61, while Andre Fletcher made 38 not out to carry Windward home in the 17th over.
