Narine spins T&T to victory

Trinidad and Tobago have finally won a game in Champion league’s main draw defeating defending champions Chennai Super Kings by 12 runs in group A match. Making full use of treacherous and turning Chennai pitch, T&T spinners successfully defended the total of 123. It was unconventional offie Sunil Narine who lead the way claiming three wickets for just 8 runs in his four overs as Chennai batsmen found him very difficult to handle on spin assisting surface.

Unlike their two last games in which the Caribbean side lost in thrilling finishes, T&T made sure things aren’t repeated emerging as the winners this game. The T&T win has thrown the group wide open with Chennai in danger of facing first round exit. Dwayne Bravo did his level best to spoil his home team’s party with a spirited 22-ball 33 but failed. He was left with too much to as chase was punctured in the middle overs with regular wickets and some tight bowling. Fast bowler Kevin Cooper, whose 28 was instrumental in pushing T&T’s score to respectability, backed his crucial knock with the ball giving only 15 runs in his four.

Chennai had a breezy start to the chase scoring 20 in their first two overs but introduction of Narine changed the course of the proceedings. The wily off-spinner got past Murali Vijay’s slog to have opener clean bowled before luring Suresh Raina to offer simple caught and bowled chance. Ravi Rampaul, who had another torrid evening with the ball, got the big fish though removing Micheal Hussey for 13 as run chase capitulated.

S Badrinath and W Saha did some rearguard but at a slow scoring rate. Saha’s 11-ball stay was ended by Cooper to bring skipper MS Dhoni to the crease. Dhoni agonizingly struggled to get ball off the square taking 22 balls for 7 and was part of the mix-up that led to Badrinath dismissal.

Bravo had some fireworks in the fag end of the chase but couldn’t do much as middle order slide had done big dent to Chennai’s endeavours. Albie Morkel hit two monstrous sixes to reduce the margin of the defeat and helped Chennai’s net run rate a great deal.

T&T batting effort was marked with a good start and middle order collapse before Cooper launched attack in the end overs to get score past 120. Had it not been Cooper’s 10-ball 28 powered with three sixes and a four, T&T would have struggled to post a competitive total. His blitz played a major role in T&T getting 49 runs in last five overs.

Playing his first game in the tournament, William Perkins and opening partner Lendl Simmons gave their side a cautious but steady stand of 52. While Simmons failed to get shots away, Perkins hit a boundary, every now and then, to keep scoring ticking along. The young batsmen hit two sixes and as many fours during his well constructed knock of 34 off 28 balls. Perkins was first to go falling to Shadab Jakati and Simmons followed him soon run-out by Saha for a scratchy 20 off 33 balls. Things fell apart when Darren Bravo offered a simple catch to Jakati for left arm spinner’s second wicket as T&T lost three wickets for five runs.

There was a little nice innings from Adrian Barath hitting two fours in his more than run-a-ball 23. But innings never got going as Chennai spinners stroke making became difficult on the slow track.

Unlike his team mates, Cooper though didn’t find any problems. He blasted three sixes in last three to provide late order surge.

Jakati was the best bowler for the home team conceding only 18 for his two wickets while Doug Bollinger’s four overs produced 3 for 30.