Kieron Pollard's Explosive Knock Leads Trinbago Knight Riders to Victory in CPL Match

Allrounder and former West Indies captain Kieron Pollard rolled back the clock to produce a match-winning knock in the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) on Tuesday (September 10) at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground.

Pollard smashed 52 not out off 19 balls to script Trinbago Knight Riders’ four-wicket victory over the Saint Lucia Kings in Gros Islet, a second consecutive loss for the home team, who were also beaten by Guyana Amazon Warriors at the weekend.

Chasing 188 to win, the required run-rate kept climbing for TKR, who needed 27 runs off the last 12 balls when Pollard brought his A game to the fore.

Facing the penultimate over bowled by pacer Matthew Forde, Pollard slammed four sixes in five balls to turn the match upside down. His carnage left Trinbago with just three needed off six balls, and Akeal Hosain (5*) hit the first delivery of the last over for a boundary to overhaul the target.

Pollard’s whirlwind half-century was studded with seven sixes. He was deservingly named the Player-of-the-Match.

But the 37-year-old built on a knock of 57 by Shaqkere Parris, who faced a mere 33 deliveries in compiling his milestone. The 21-year-old, a former West Indies Under-19 player, hit only one boundary, but cleared the advertising hoardings on six occasions, just one shy of his captain.

Earlier, Roston Chase hit a half-century of his own to set up the Kings’ total. Young Ross hit an unbeaten 56 off 40 balls, including two fours and three sixes. Prior, captain Faf du Plessis made 34 from 26, and West Indies opener Johnson Charles added 29 from 14 at the top of the order. Chase and Bhanuka Rajapaksa (33) had an 80-run stand for the fourth wicket to give the home team a decent finish.

This was TKR’s second victory of the tournament. The losing 2023 finalists now have four points from three matches and up to Wednesday evening stood third in the six-team standings.

(TF)