Trinbago Knight Riders began their title defence with a comprehensive 19-run win via DLS over St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots in a rain-affected, low-scoring encounter at the Arnos Vale Ground in St. Vincent.
Opting to field first, the Knight Riders, who were without regular skipper Nicholas Pooran and Kieron Pollard, barely put a foot wrong, tying the Patriots down to 109/9.
Sunil Narine did the star turn with miserly returns of 3/7 from his four overs.
The Knight Riders needed 16 to win off the last five overs when the heavens opened up again for good.
With TKR ahead by 19 runs on DLS, it sufficed in the context of opening their account for the season.
Trinbago Knight Riders began their title defence with a comprehensive 19-run win via DLS over St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots in a rain-affected, low-scoring encounter at the Arnos Vale Ground in St. Vincent. Opting to field first, the Knight Riders, who were without regular skipper Nicholas Pooran and Kieron Pollard, barely put a foot wrong, tying the Patriots down to 109/9. They then got to 94/2 in 15 overs before a downpour ended the contest, handing them their first points courtesy DLS.
Sunil Narine did the star turn with miserly returns of 3/7 from his four overs. Much like he did in the recent MLC season, Narine operated in the Powerplay and bagged two wickets in the second over of the contest before backing it up with another in the fourth. Johnson Charles and Kevin Wickham looked to restore some assurance to the innings with a 24-run stand but three wickets in the space of 10 balls left the Patriots reeling at 47/6 in 11 overs.
There was a long rain interval of over 50 minutes but even that brought no respite for the Patriots. No overs were lost and Wickham battled along for a 44-ball 38, while Ashmead Nedd and Obed McCoy chipped in with a couple of starts to save the Patriots the blushes as they reached triple-figures. But even on a slow deck, 109 was well below par.
Alex Hales and Colin Munro gave TKR a steady start but both batters perished inside the Powerplay. Joshua Da Silva and Matthew Breetzke then took over in singles as fifty deliveries passed without a boundary coming TKR’s way. The asking rate always remained well under a run-a-ball though and while Breetzke broke free with a four and a six, a fatigued Da Silva retired hurt after the 13th over.
The Knight Riders needed 16 to win off the last five overs when the heavens opened up again for good. With TKR ahead by 19 runs on DLS, it sufficed in the context of opening their account for the season.
