Saturday, October 24, 2009

Blues become Champion of Champions

Trinidad and Tobago’s surprise unbeaten streak was brought to an abrupt end by Simon Katich’s men from Down Under who came up with a professional performance to clinch the big prize.

New South Wales Blues completed a convincing 41-run victory over Trinidad and Tobago to emerge winners of the inaugural Champions League T20.

The Blues were put in to bat by Darren Ganga and they got off to a cautious start in the Power Play, losing both their opening batsmen with only 42 on the board. They were looking to score at a brisk rate but wickets falling at regular intervals did not allow them to get away. They were in dire straits after 12 overs having lost six wickets with only 85 runs as the team total. But in walked Brett Lee, who scored a swashbuckling 48 runs off 31 balls in the Extreme Performance period which the Blues dominated, giving their innings a much needed boost and helping them to a respectable total of 159 for nine at the end of their 20 overs.

In their run chase, Trinidad and Tobago got off to a disastrous start and managed only 47 runs in the Quick Start overs. More importantly, they lost four of their top order batsmen leaving them in a very precarious situation. Dwayne Bravo and Darren Ganga tried to give the innings some momentum but both of them got out in quick succession which put the Blues ahead on the Castrol Index for the first time in the match. It was down to Kieron Pollard, who was looking dangerous once again, but the fall of his wicket put the match well out of reach for the Reds who were bowled out for just 118 in 15.5 overs.

It was a well-deserved victory for the side from Down Under who have been exceptional right throughout the tournament. Trinidad and Tobago would be very pleased with their effort to have made it so far playing against some of the best sides from across the globe.

Brett Lee was awarded the Man of the Match for his unbeaten 48 with the bat and two wickets for just 10 runs with the ball. Check our Live Score Centre for detailed scores and analysis from this match.

Friday, October 23, 2009

Calypso kings set up Finals date with the Blues

Dwayne Bravo’s blistering knock moves Trinidad and Tobago one step closer to the big prize.

Trinidad and Tobago beat Cape Cobras in an exciting semi-final encounter by seven wickets to book their spot in the finals of the inaugural Champions League against New South Wales Blues in Hyderabad on Friday.

The Cobras won the toss and elected to bat first, hoping to post a big score on the board and put their opponents under pressure. They got off to an ideal start in the Power Play period - adding 54 runs and having lost only one wicket - assisted by Herschelle Gibbs’ 42 off just 27 balls. The good work was continued by the in-form JP Duminy through the remainder of the innings with his unbeaten 61 off 40 balls that helped the South African side post a handsome 175-run total on the board taking a big leap on the Castrol Index over their opponents at the end of the innings.

Trinidad and Tobago started their run chase in style with Perkins and Barath helping them add 57 runs in the Quick Start period. The Cobras’ spinners were brought on at that time and they did extremely well to restrict the scoring while also picking up a couple of wickets through the next few overs. They were in a stronger position until the 14th over of the innings until Dwayne Bravo and Darren Ganga stepped on the gas and started taking the bowlers for runs all around the park. The two added an unbeaten, match-winning 93 runs off just 55 balls and finished with 178 for 3 with four balls to spare which helped the Caribbean side keep their unbeaten record in the tournament intact.

Dwayne Bravo was adjudged Man of the Match for his spectacular 58 not out off 34 balls with a Batting Momentum of 99 - better than any other batsman in the match.

The Champions League now heads into an exciting finale between the two best sides in the competition. Our Live Score Centre will bring you the latest ball-by-ball action and analysis from this grand encounter.