Trinbago Knight Riders vs Guyana Amazon Warriors, CPL 2024, TKR's Nicholas Pooran celebrates his century as the team posts 211/5 in a crucial match.

CPL 2024 : TKR has missed out on a top-two finish despite Pooran’s stellar performance

Nicholas Pooran illuminated the Providence Stadium with a brilliant innings © Getty

Trinbago Knight Riders scored 211/5 in 20 overs, where as Guyana Amazon Warriors scored 137 in 18.5 overs.

So, finally Trinbago Knight Riders won by 74 runs.

Despite a comprehensive 74-run loss to Trinbago Knight Riders in the final league stage game, the Guyana Amazon Warriors secured the top spot in the 2024 Caribbean Premier League standings.

With 14 points and a net run rate (NRR) of 0.79, they edged out Saint Lucia Kings and the Knight Riders, who finished second and third respectively, with 14 points each and NRRs of 0.67 and 0.55.

Nicholas Pooran, who recently set the record for the most T20 runs in a calendar year, was the star of the Knight Riders’ dominant win.

Pooran smashed an explosive 101 off 59 balls, featuring 9 fours and 8 sixes.

Jason Roy contributed 34 off 26 balls as the Knight Riders posted an imposing 211/5.

In response, the Amazon Warriors were bowled out for 137, with Terrance Hinds, Waqar Salamkheil, and Nathan Edwards each taking three wickets.

Despite the defeat, Amazon Warriors secured their spot in Qualifier 1 thanks to their superior NRR.

Opting to bat, the Knight Riders suffered an early setback when Shaqkere Parris was dismissed for a duck in the first over.

However, Pooran and Roy put on a massive 152-run partnership in under 14 overs, setting the foundation for a huge total.

Pooran was particularly destructive, taking Dwaine Pretorius apart with two sixes and three fours in his first two overs.

He continued to target Romario Shepherd and Shamar Joseph, helping the Knight Riders amass 75 runs in the powerplay, with 51 of those coming from Pooran’s bat.

Pooran raced to a 22-ball fifty and continued his onslaught by hitting sixes off Imran Tahir and Moeen Ali as the Knight Riders reached 109/1 at the halfway mark.

Roy played a supporting role, briefly shifting gears with two consecutive sixes off Moeen.

Pooran brought up his century off 57 balls, as the Knight Riders cruised past 150 within 14 overs.

The partnership was finally broken when Joseph dismissed Roy, and Andre Russell fell soon after to Pretorius.

Pooran’s blistering knock came to an end when he was caught down the leg side off Joseph, who also bowled Tim David.

Despite losing five wickets for 18 runs, Keacy Carty and Kieron Pollard added vital runs at the death, helping the Knight Riders post a formidable 211.

The Amazon Warriors started their chase well, with Rahmanullah Gurbaz providing a brisk start despite losing opening partner Kevlon Anderson early.

Akeal Hosein was economical initially but conceded two sixes to Gurbaz, while Shai Hope hammered 26 runs off Russell’s over, including three fours and two sixes.

The Amazon Warriors raced to 63/1 at the end of the powerplay.

However, their chase fell apart after Hope’s dismissal for 28, triggering a collapse as they slid to 76/6 within 10 overs.

Hosein began the collapse by trapping Hope lbw, and Salamkheil followed up with a double blow, dismissing Gurbaz and Hetmyer in the same over.

Hinds then added to the chaos with another double strike, removing Keemo Paul and Romario Shepherd.

Salamkheil and Hinds continued their demolition job, reducing the Warriors to 88/8 by the 12th over.

Gudakesh Motie (26*) and Imran Tahir (20) put up a spirited 49-run stand for the ninth wicket, frustrating the Knight Riders and influencing the standings with their fightback.

However, Nathan Edwards eventually wrapped up the innings, dismissing Tahir and Joseph in the 19th over.

Though the Knight Riders claimed a dominant win, missing out on a top-two finish meant they now face the Barbados Royals in the Eliminator, a tougher path to the final.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *