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Bottom-placed Barbados Royals played party spoilers as they stunned Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR), denying them a chance to secure the top spot on the points table at least for now. The defeat was TKR's third in a row, a rare slump after five successive victories, though they remain second with the same number of points as leaders St Lucia Kings, who still have a game in hand, as per ESPNcricinfo.
The Royals, already out of the playoff race, produced a complete performance to sign off on a high note. Chris Green's brilliant spell of 3/9 set the tone with support from Ramon Simmonds and Daniel Sams, who bagged two wickets each. Their efforts restricted TKR to 166, before Quinton de Kock, Kadeem Alleyne, Sherfane Rutherford and Rovman Powell combined to chase the target with an over remaining. Rain delayed the start, but the Royals struck immediately, reducing TKR to 34/3 in the power play. Green removed both openers, while Sams dismissed Joshua Da Silva with a return catch. Green then had Keacy Carty caught behind, forcing captain Nicholas Pooran and veteran Kieron Pollard to rebuild. The pair briefly counter-attacked, hammering three sixes in a single over off Zishan Motara, but soon the boundaries dried up. Pollard fell for 36 off 25 while Pooran, unable to break free, crawled to 45 off 43. At 142/7 in the final over, TKR looked set for a modest total, but Akeal Hosein gave them late momentum with a flurry of big hits, smashing 4, 6, 6, 6 off Sherfane Rutherford to lift them to 166. In response, de Kock gave Royals a blazing start, racing to a 31-ball fifty. His new partner, Kadeem Alleyne, matched the tempo later, as the pair powered to 62 without loss in the power play. Hosein ended the stand in the ninth over, but with just 70 needed off the last 10 overs, Royals were cruising. TKR's bowlers tried to claw back as Sunil Narine, Usman Tariq and Pollard tightened things up, forcing a double breakthrough, de Kock fell after a sparkling 55 and Rassie van der Dussen holed out during a barren phase of 20 balls without a boundary. The equation came down to 45 off 24, giving TKR a glimmer of hope, but Powell snatched the game back with a brutal assault, taking 18 off Andre Russell's over. Rutherford then sealed the deal in style, hammering four sixes in five balls off Pollard to complete a memorable win for the Royals. (ANI)
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