Knight Riders send Royals crashing to fourth straight defeat

TAROUBA, Trinidad (CMC):

THE BARBADOS Royals limped to the knockout stage of the Caribbean Premier League in worrying fashion with a fourth consecutive loss on Friday, this time to the Trinbago Knight Riders.

The Knight Riders’ 30-run victory was set up by cameos from captain Kieron Pollard, who made 42 and the explosive Andre Russell, who muscled his way to 31 from just 12 balls, to help them post a challenging 175 for seven from their 20 overs.

Player-of-the-match, Akeal Hosein, then ran through the Royals’ top order, as the visitors produced another lacklustre batting performance to finish on 145 for nine.

The result was never in doubt after left-arm spinner Hosein crippled the Royals’ run chase, snagging the first three wickets.

He first enticed Kadeem Alleyne to push a delivery straight into the hands of Jason Roy at cover after making just two, before grabbing the important wicket of the in-form Quinton de Kock for eight, caught on the boundary trying to hit him out of the ground, to leave the Royals 13 for two.

Kevin Wickham and Alick Athanaze stemmed the flow of wickets in a 53-run partnership for the second wicket that brought some stability to the innings.

But just as it looked as though the pair was about to accelerate, Wickham gifted Hosein a simple return catch to be out for a run-a-ball 23.

Athanaze looked set to reach his half century, when on 44 he pulled a short delivery from pacer Chris Jordan straight down the throat of Roy stationed at deep midwicket; the score now 85 for four in the 13th over.

When David Miller’s counterattacking innings of 30 from 15 balls, inclusive of three sixes and two fours came to an end, the batsman going outfoxed by spinner Waqar Salamkheil to make it 117 for five, the Royals’ run chase floundered.

Skipper Rovman Powell scored a pedestrian 18 runs from 21 balls, but no other Royals batsman scored in double digits as Jordan and Terrance Hinds ran through the lower order.

Hosein ended with 3-15 from his four overs, Jordan took 3-33 and Hinds 2-22.

Earlier, the Knight Riders recovered from losing Roy to the third ball of the innings, thanks to solid contributions from their middle order.

They were in a spot of bother at 35 for three after Naveen-ul-Haq and Jason Holder struck to get rid of Nicholas Pooran (27) and Shaqkere Parris for five, respectively.

However, Keacy Carty, who made 32, along with Pollard and Russell came to their side’s rescue.

Carty and Pollard frustrated the Royals in a 70-run partnership for the fourth wicket that took them past the 100 mark.

Carty became ul-Haq’s second wicket and Pollard was dismissed by Maheesh Theekshana, paving the way for Russell to bolster the back end of the innings with some superb hitting.

He hit Theekshana for a four and six off consecutive balls in the 15th over and in the ensuing over, he twice hit Jason Holder out of the ground.

Russell hit Theekshana for another six off the penultimate ball of the 17th over, but the spinner got his revenge the very next ball when he had him caught at backward point.

Tailenders Jordan and Hinds then cracked 21 runs from the last two overs to help the Knight Riders finish in style.

Theekshana and ul-Haq both ended with 3-35 from their four overs for the Royals.