Jamaica Tallawahs Suffer Narrow Defeat to Trinbago Knight Riders in Barbados - Sports Article by Akeel

Defending champions Jamaica Tallawahs close out their stay in Barbados with a narrow two runs defeat to Trinbago Knight Riders at Kensington Oval this morning.

Jamaica Tallawahs won the toss and chose to field first. It was an inspired choice from captain Brandon King as they held the Knight Riders to 142-8 after twenty overs. Key to such a disciplined bowling performance was Kelvin Pitman’s 3-27 on debut including the wicket of opposing captain Kieron Pollard.However, despite the excellent start and a relatively low total, the Tallawahs only managed 139-7.

The Jamaican franchise got off to an ideal start to the game with experienced seamer Mohammad Amir delivering an opening maiden over. Openers Martin Guptil and Mark Deyal would however bat through the powerplay and build a solid foundation to the Knight Riders innings with a 58 run partnership. The complexion of the tie would then completely change as the Knight Riders lost three wickets, including that of Nicholas Pooran, for just five runs. Kelvin Pitman, on debut for the Tallawahs, took two of those wickets within the same over in a brilliant display. The Knight Riders attempts to accelerate the scoring were derailed as they would lose five wickets in the last five overs to finish on 142/8.

The Tallawahs would have a bright start to their chase as openers Brandon King and T20 World Cup winner Alex Hales had an opening stand of 57 runs. Once King (36) was dismissed to the leg spin of Salamkheil they would go on to lose four wickets in the first half of their chase which left them reeling.

Fellow countryman Andre Russell proved to be the most dangerous bowler to the Tallawahs finishing with figures of 3-34 and removing dangerous batsmen Jermaine Blackwood (1) and Shamarh Brooks (0) in successive deliveries. Chris Green arrived at the crease with the score at 92-6 after 15.2 overs but he looked to put the pressure right back on the opposition. Three sixes from the Australian in the dying embers of the game in tandem with Pakistani lower order batter Imad Wasim (19) set up a tense finish but some good death bowling from Ali Khan sealed the victory.

Trinbago Knight Riders will look to continue their winning form as they play their next four games in front of a home crowd, starting with a clash against Guyana Amazon Warriors at Queen’s Park Oval on Tuesday. Jamaica Tallawahs’ next match is a rematch vs Trinibago Knight Riders in Tarouba on Saturday September 9th.

Summarised scores

Trinibago Knight Riders 142-8 in 20 overs (Kieron Pollard 33, Lorca Tucker 30; Mohammed Amir 3-20, Kelvin Pitman 3-27)

Jamaica Tallawahs 139-7 in 20 overs (Brandon King 36, Chris Green 32; Andre Russell 3-34, Waqar Salamkheil 2-21)

Trinibago Knight Riders win by 2 runs.