Hero CPL t20 cricket… Munro hits masterful unbeaten 70 as Warriors slump to 3rd successive loss

Aug 13, 2017 Sports, http://www.kaieteurnewsonline....3rd-successive-loss/

By Sean Devers in Trinidad
In association with Mings products & Services,
Carib Beer, Vnet Communications and Rose
Hall Town Sports Club

Watched by the largest crowd of the competition, a masterfully constructed unbeaten 70 from 30-year-old Colin Munro and an aggressive undefeated 23-ball 41 from Denesh Ramdin powered the Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) to a seven-wicket win against Guyana Amazon Warriors yesterday morning in the Hero CPL t20 cricket tournament at the Queen’s Park Oval.
A capacity crowd of over 20,000 dancing, flag-waving and horn-blowing fans created a Sea of red and saw Jamaican Chadwick Walton clobber 36 from 24 balls with a four and four sixes to add 40 for the first wicket with Skipper Martin Guptill, who made a 14-ball 24 with two fours and two sixes in 3.1 overs.
But only Roshon Primus with a run-a-ball 23 with two fours and a six of the others reached 15 as the Warriors wasted a rollicking start to be restricted to 156-7 after their middle order scored just 22 runs between the 10th and 15th overs, while losing two wickets in another disappointing batting performance.
Leg-spinner Shadab Khan (4-28) and off-spinner Sunil Narine (2-16) bowled well on good track for the Knight Riders who replied with 162-3 in 19 overs to win by seven wickets and move to six points from four matches, condemning the Warriors to their third successive defeat.
Munro’s innings lasted 47 balls and was decorated with five fours and five sixes. He added 56 in an unbroken stand with Ramdin whose knock included three fours and three sixes to see their team home with an over to spare.
Guptill got going with a six and a four off consecutive balls in the second over off South African Robert Frylinck, while two more blistering boundaries from the Warriors captain followed in an over which cost 22 after left arm spinner Khary Pierre first had produced just two.
Walton clobbered Pierre for a six and a four as he and Munro started like a house on fire much to delight of the large Guyanese contingent and for the first time CPL 2017 actually felt like the biggest party in sport.
Walton powered Shadab Khan for a huge six before Guptill was dismissed at 41-1 in 3.1 overs as Shadab Khan struck, while Babar Azam (2) did not last long and was soon LBW to Narine at 52-2 in the fifth over.
And it was time for the T&T fans to scream their approval as pulsating scoca music blared from Trini Possie stand and the rhythm of Tassa drumming could be heard under a clear night sky.
At the end of the power play the Warriors had galloped to 61-2 from six overs as Walton threw his bat lustily depositing Pierre for a couple of sixes and the roar from the Guyanese could be heard all the way to Georgetown.
Mohammed upper cut Dwayne Bravo for a boundary over point before Walton skied Kevin Cooper ‘miles’ into air as Cooper claimed his seventh wicket to become the tournament’s leading wicket-taker and leave the Warriors on 77-3 in the ninth over.
Gajanand Singh got going with a paddle sweep for four before Mohammed (13) pulled a long-hop from Khan to deep mid-wicket at 89-4, while Singh (7) top-edged Narine to deep backward square seven runs later sweeping at one that bounced.
Primus entertained with a six and four off Bravo off successive balls before under edging Narine for four more, while Sohail Tanvir dispatched a short ball from Khan over mid-wicket for six.
Khan removed Primus and Tanvir off consecutive balls in the 18th over to leave the Warriors on 137-7 before Rayed Emrit (11) clipped Cooper for four, while Paul (14) dumped a slower ball from Bravo for six to take them past 150.
TKR started in horrendous fashion when Brendon McCallum fell to Tanvir for a first ball duck before the Munro show began with a tuck past mid-on for four before hammering Tanvir for two sixes and a scorching boundary in third over.
Munro punched Steven Jacobs gloriously past cover for four before stroking him elegantly to extra cover ropes and took a liking to Emrit; brutally dumping him for sixes off the second and last ball of the fifth over.
Narine (23) badly dropped by Primus, added 79 with the left-handed Munro before he fell to Jacobs in the eighth over to bring Darren Bravo to the crease.
Bravo cut for four before hitting a full ball from Primus for six, but with the introduction of Khan, Bravo was befuddled by a succession of googlies from the leg-spinner who bowled a maiden to him in the eleventh over.
In Khan next over, Munro tried to counter with reverse sweeps to no avail, but the 100 was posted in the 12th over before Bravo (19) was removed by Primus at 106-3 in the 13th over.
Ramdin hit Khan to the mid-wicket boundary and along with Munro took the score to 148 with a six off Tanvir’s last ball of the 18th over leaving TKR to get nine from 12 balls.
Ramdin stroked Emrit for a boundary off the first ball and with two to win from seven balls, smashed Emrit for four to evoke Carnival in August.
“We did not have someone to bat for long and then take it deep into the innings. He (Munro) got away early, we bowled well to other guys. Hopefully, the only way is up. The good thing is that we are improving with every game,” said Guptill, who did use Paul, the tightest bowler in the previous game, for a single over in this game.
The Warriors face the Stars tonight in St Lucia in a game they can’t afford to lose.