Awesome Trinidad show their strength
Trinidad and Tobago installed themselves as Champions League favourites with a brutal 24-run victory over the Diamond Eagles that saw them top League A.No team had pipped the 200-run mark in the competition before - the Cape Cobras' 193 for four in Hyderabad was the previous highest tally - but the Caribbean side did it with ease, every one of the top six batsmen coming good in a violent score of 213 for four which the Eagles simply couldn't match.
Adrian Barath was the most impressive of the lot, hammering four sixes and four fours on his way to 63 from 41 balls on Twenty20 debut. Filling in for the unfit Darren Bravo, Barath started slowly as he watched fellow opener William Perkins get Trinidad off to a flying start with 35 from 25 balls.
When Perkins was bowled by Thandi Tshabalala in the seventh over, Herath got stuck in and raced to fifty in 39 balls as Lendl Simmons backed him up with 40 from just 25 deliveries. No matter what Eagles skipper Boeta Dippenaar tried, the ball disappeared over the boundary and on such a good pitch even star bowler CJ de Villiers went for 12 an over in his three fruitless overs.
Kieron Pollard, the hero of Friday's stunning win over New South Wales, received a huge ovation from the crowd and maintained the momentum with two huge sixes on his way to 23 from 13 balls before mistiming one out to long-on. However Navin Stewart, whose last big Twenty20 match came against Middlesex in the Stanford Series last year, finished the innings beautifully by pounding three sixes on his way to an unbeaten 33 from 11 balls.
The Eagles had to achieve their target of 214 in 86 balls if they were to qualify for the semi-finals - an impossible task - but openers Morne van Wyk and Rilee Rossouw at least gave them a chance of victory by putting on 54 for the first wicket. When van Wyk fell, Adrian McLaren kept Rossouw company as the youngster went to work on Simmons, hitting him for 18 in one over to put the Eagles on 72 for one after five.
However, once Rossouw was caught at deep midwicket for 44 from 19 deliveries the game was up, and even with a head start on the run-rate Boeta Dippenaar and Dillon du Preez were unable to keep up. When the 13-over mark did come up the Eagles still needed 92 runs and with no-one able to inject significant life back into their chase, the match as a contest fizzled out as the South African side ended on 189 for five.
The result ensured that Trinidad finished top of League A and will now stay in Hyderabad to play the second semi-final here on Thursday, while New South Wales will play the side who tops League B in Delhi on Wednesday.
Monday's final League game sees Delhi host the Cape Cobras, who will only pip Victoria in League B if they beat the Daredevils.
