Power hitter Cornwall secures CPL
thumping after just 4.3 overs
By Nelson A. King
West Indies power hitter Rahkeem
Cornwall has steered St. Lucia Zouks
to what has been described as “one of
the most comprehensive victories in
the history of T20 cricket,” securing
victory in their Caribbean Premier
League (CPL) semi-final after just 27
balls of the run chase, according to
Cricket Network.
Facing a Guyana Amazon Warriors
side featuring New Zealand star Ross
Taylor, three West Indies internationals
and Australian Chris Green, the
team’s captain, St. Lucia on Tuesday
chased down their modest victory
target of 56 in just 4.3 overs, Cricket
Network said.
It said Cornwall opened the batting
for St. Lucia and finished unbeaten
on 32 from just 17 balls, with the
winning runs coming with 93 balls
remaining.
“It’s the largest margin of victory
in terms of balls remaining in the
history of major T20 franchise competitions,
beating the previous record
of 87 balls in Mumbai’s IPL (Indian
Premier League) win over Kolkata in
2008,” the network said. “In all T20
cricket, it’s the equal seventh largest
victory margin; the all-time record
is Austria’s win over Turkey with 104
balls remaining in 2019.”
CPL
Caribbean L 28 ife, Sept. 11-17, 2020
In terms of international matches
featuring a Full Member nation, Sri
Lanka’s win over the Netherlands
with 90 balls to spare at the 2014 T20
World Cup remains a record, the network
said.
Sent into bat by the Zouks, Guyana
lost two wickets in the opening over
– including West Indies star Shimron
Hetmyer for a first-ball duck, bowled
leaving a length delivery – as the
Amazon Warriors were bowled out in
the 14th over, the network said.
It said Afghanistan spinners
Mohammad Nabi (1-6 from three
overs) and Zahir Khan (2-12 from
2.4), who both played in the KFC BBL
last summer, led an impressive bowling
performance from the Zouks,
with the wickets shared by six different
bowlers. Eight of the 10 wickets to
fall were taken by spinners.
In reply, the network said Cornwall
smashed Green for two sixes in the
opening over before he and fellow
opener Mark Deyal took 13 runs from
Imran Tahir’s first over, meaning
almost half of the runs required had
been wiped off after just two overs of
the chase.
Cricket Network said Cornwall had
earlier taken a superb one-handed
diving catch to remove Tahir, moving
quickly at slip and diving full length
West Indies power hitter Rahkeem Cornwall. Associated Press
in scenes reminiscent of Dwayne Leverock’s
memorable catch at the 2007
World Cup.
St. Lucia have now advanced to the
final on Thursday to face the unbeaten
Trinbago Knight Riders, who have
won 11 consecutive matches in the
tournament, the network said.
It said Tuesday’s result continued
Guyana’s frustrating record in the
CPL. It said the Amazon Warriors
have never finished lower than third
in the tournament’s eight-year history
but have never lifted the title.
of Raza with success against Ali Khan,
ESPNcricinfo said.
“The American quick had his number
throughout the summer of 2018, whether
at the Global T20 Canada or in the
CPL, but the wicketkeeper from Grenada
anticipated his lengths and changes
of pace well,” it said. “After flicking him
through fine leg for his first boundary,
he charged to a pair of full-length
balls in the sixth over for two scorching
drives through the covers, holding the
pose afterwards for full effect.
But ESPNcricinfo said the Knight
Riders captain disrupted not just
Fletcher but the rest of the Zouks middle
order.
“He came into the match with just
four wickets in 16 overs bowled sporadically
across the tournament but
doubled his wickets tally with an inspirational
spell,” it said. “He mixed up
his pace regularly, throwing Fletcher’s
rhythm off to induce a lofted catch to
Darren Bravo at long-off to start the
12th over.”
A slower ball accounted for Roston
Chase holing to long-on off the last ball
of the 14th, ESPNcricinfo. said.
It said Mohammad Nabi fell in a similar
fashion to Fawad Ahmed’s legspin
three balls later before Daren Sammy
prodded down the wrong line to Akeal
Hosein’s left-arm spin in the 17th.
Pollard then rounded off his haul in
the 19th over. Javelle mistimed a heave
off a slower ball to produce a leading
edge to point. The well-set Najibullah
Zadran then pulled Pollard to Raza at
deep square leg two balls later, ESPNcricinfo
said.
It said Pollard claimed a run-out to
end his final over as Kesrick Williams
was well short of his ground after colliding
with Scott Kuggeleijn trying to
come back for a second run to long-off.
A yorker from Ali Khan cleaned up
Zahir Khan on the first ball of the 20th,
“bookending his wicket of Cornwall to
start the match,” ESPNcricinfo. said.
It said opener Simmons was arguably
at fault for the dismissal of his
opening partner Tion Webster after
failing to respond to a couple of clear
singles at the non-striker’s end, when
Webster was trying to get off strike facing
Chase’s offspin – only for Webster
to fall to Chase off a skied slog two
balls later.
Kuggeleijn then exploited that
breakthrough with a gem of a back-ofa
length delivery in the following over
to claim Tim Seifert and put the Zouks
in control, ESPNcricinfo said.
But it said Simmons kept his composure
and after a slow start began to
find his rhythm against Williams in the
sixth over.
“A flat drive through mid-on was followed
by a flick off his hips and then a
cut through backward point for a trio
of boundaries,” ESPNcricinfo said. “A
slog sweep off Nabi produced his first
six, over midwicket.
“When Williams returned in the
12th over, Simmons feasted on him
once again, pulling a six just off the
fingertips of Nabi over the midwicket
rope before cutting through point once
more,” he added. “He brought up his 50
off 31 balls and in the process, overtook
Glenn Phillips to become the leading
scorer of CPL 2020.”
Momentum fully shifted in favor
of the Knight Riders in the 14th over
when Darren Bravo heaved two “halftrackers”
from Glen over midwicket for
two sixe, ESPNcricinfo said.
It said “the tag team then took a flying
elbow drop off the top rope against
Zahir Khan in the 17th.”
Like Glen, it said Zahir dropped consistently
too short and was “clobbered” for it.
ESPNcricinfo said Simmons heaved
Zahir over the leg side for four and six
to start the over before Bravo went over
long-on and midwicket for two more
sixes to bring up his 50 off 45 balls and
the equation down to a run a ball.
“Simmons treated Kuggeleijn with
as much disdain as he had the spinners,
tonking the first ball of the 18th over
for six,” it said, stating that two more
boundaries followed, leaving two to get
entering the 19th.
“A bottom edge by Bravo off Williams
eluded Fletcher to the rope for the winning
runs, concluding one of the finest
partnerships in CPL history,” ESPNcricinfo
said.
Scores: Trinbago Knight Riders 157
for 2 (Simmons 84*, Bravo 58*, Chase
1-13) beat St Lucia Zouks 154 (Fletcher
39, Pollard 4-30, Ahmed 2-22) by eight
wickets.
Continued from Page 27