Caribbean Twenty-20 champions Trinidad and Tobago second time running have lost after a nail-biting finish in an important Group A match against New South Wales. After losing to Mumbai last ball in the first game, this match turned out to be even more exciting. Late surge during the chase of 140 by NSW Blues forced a result in the super over in which T&T fell short by four runs.
For the Blues, all-rounder Moises Henriques emerged as the hero and fast bowler Ravi Rampaul the villain for the T&T. Henriques’ two runs-a-ball 18, nine of which came last over off Rampaul, boosted the Australian side to tie the game before he scored four boundaries to set a target of 19 for T&T in one over eliminator. Henriques blasted Rampaul’s round the wicket angle in both last and super over as batsman hit majority of his boundaries through the vacant square-leg area. T&T batters Lendl Simmons and Adrian Barath nearly pulled of the victory for their side with the former hitting a six and four before failing to score required four runs off last ball.
On a tired Chepauk turf, the Blues chase at best meandered in the middle overs against quality T&T bowling. The Australian side was looking almost out of it needing 28 off last two overs with Henriques the only regular batsman at the crease. In the 19th over, NSW scored 11 but lost two wickets meaning 17 needed in the final over. Rampaul, as he often does in the death overs, decided to go round the wickets but he failed in his endeavour big time. Henriques worked first two balls behind the vacant square-leg area collecting eight runs before collecting the single to hand over strike to number ten Patrick Cummins for next three crucial balls. Cummins though held his nerves to score a couple followed by a four and forced a tie by getting a single last ball.
Earlier Shane Watson and David Warner had got off to a brisk start adding 48 inside seven overs. Watson was first to go top edging Sunil Narine to deep long-on and Warner fell to Sherwin Ganga for a 36-ball 38 to have their side 65 for 2 in the tenth over.
Post their dismissal, T&T bowlers lifted their game making run making difficult Wicketkeeper Daniel Smith followed Warner soon as asking rate started to mount. Skipper Simon Katich and Steven Smith couldn’t get big shots away with latter falling to Ganga in his pursuit to get quick runs. Ben Rohrer didn’t score much and Katich’s scratchy 21-ball stay 23 came to end in the 18th with Australia in the dire straits. It all changed when Henriques did what was looking undoable for major part of the chase.
Rampaul’s’ four allotted overs cost him 42 runs while rest of the bowling unit didn’t concede more than 6.5 runs-an-over.
The T&T batting never got going but decent contributions from most of the batters boosted them to 139. Simmons’ 41 off 39 including five fours proved to be significant contribution at the top before the West Indian side lost their way in the middle overs. Barath and Darren Bravo went in a quick succession and runs were hard to come denting the innings’ progress. The dismissal of Simmons, who was suffering from cramps, got the innings going though with Denesh Ramdin, Kevin Cooper and Rampaul all playing nice little cameos in the last five overs.
Henriques excelled with the ball too taking two wickets and O’Keeffe’s four overs went for only 14 including a crucial wicket of Barath.
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