BRIDGETOWN – Barbados Tridents lost their eighth straight home match in the Caribbean Premier League dating back to 2017 when the Jamaica Tallawahs pulled off a thrilling five-run victory in a low-scoring Twenty20 cricket encounter at Kensington Oval here on a chilly Monday night.
Chasing the Tallawahs’ total of 127 in 20 overs which was built around opener Glenn Phillips’ top score of 41 off 35 balls, the Tridents gave an equally poor batting display and were restricted to 122 for nine in 20 overs.
Leg-spinner Imran Khan, with three for 19 and fast-medium bowler Shamar Springer, who took three for 32, were the Tallawahs’ bowling heroes, admirably defending a small total.
Left-arm spinner Zahir Khan also bowled three tight overs for just 11 runs while taking the key wicket of England opener Alex Hales, who struck two sixes and a four in making 16.
It seemed the Tridents would finally get a home win after losing all five of their matches last year when they were 74 for four off 13 overs, requiring 54 off 42 balls.
But it did not materialise despite all-rounder Raymon Reifer’s gallant late big-hitting.
After being Reifer smashed by Ramaal Lewis for two sixes and a four in the final over of the Tallawahs’ innings, which yielded 17 runs, Reifer tried to make amends and win the game for the Tridents.
He clouted two sixes and two fours in a knock of 26 off 12 balls after the equation came down to 30 runs off the last two overs with only two wickets in hand.
Left-hander Reifer hoisted a delivery from Springer for a huge six onto the roof of the Three Ws Stand and collected two more fours in an expensive penultimate over which cost 15 runs.
The experienced Dwayne Smith was entrusted with the final over with 15 runs required for victory. Sandeep Lamichhane got a single off the first ball to give Reifer the strike.
Reifer swung Smith for a massive six onto the roof of the Greenidge and Haynes Stand to bring the target down to eight off four deliveries.
He then gathered two runs with a straight hit over the bowler’s head but in trying to hit a six over extra cover, was caught inside the boundary by Springer.
It meant that Lamichanne needed to get six runs off the last two deliveries but Smith held his nerve and delivered two dot balls which the batsman swung at outside the off stump and missed.
Lamichhane had bowled impressively, taking two for 17 with his leg breaks and googlies in four overs while Tridents’ captain Jason Holder also took two wickets for 21 runs, including veteran West Indies batsman Chris Gayle for one, in his first over.
The result left both the Tallawahs, who have two games remaining and Tridents, with four matches left, on four points.
Summarised scores:
Jamaica Tallawahs 127 in 20 overs (Glenn Phillips 41, Ramaal Lewis 27, Chadwick Walton 13, Imran Khan 10; Sandeep Lamichhane 2-17, Jason Holder 2-21, Raymon Reifer 2-31). Barbados Tridents 122-9 in 20 overs (Johnson Charles 31, Raymon Reifer 26, Jonathan Carter 17, Alex Hales 16; Imran Khan 3-17, Shamar Springer 3-32, Dwayne Smith 2-22). Tallawahs won by five runs.