Pollard Seals Victory for Trinbago Knight Riders

Kieron Pollard's explosive 52 off just 19 balls propelled Trinbago Knight Riders to a thrilling victory, as they successfully chased down St Lucia Kings' target of 188 with five balls to spare, securing a four-wicket win. Despite a strong finish by Roston Chase and Bhanuka Rajapaksha, who guided the Kings to 187/6 after an early wobble, Pollard’s finishing fireworks ensured TKR's second win of CPL 2024, while handing St Lucia their second consecutive defeat.

Batting first, St Lucia Kings made a strong start, scoring at 9.5 runs per over in the powerplay. Johnson Charles contributed a rapid 29 off 14 balls, while captain Faf du Plessis added a solid 34 off 26 deliveries. After a quiet first over, Charles took the charge to Jayden Seales with a flurry of boundaries but was soon dismissed by Sunil Narine, who had him caught at long-off in the fourth over. Narine’s bowling tightened the grip on the Kings, even though du Plessis continued his attack. However, Waqar Salamkheil ended du Plessis’ stint with a sharp turning delivery, cleaning up the stumps.

Chase and Rajapaksha then steadied the ship with an 80-run partnership for the fourth wicket, shifting gears as the innings progressed. Rajapaksha launched consecutive sixes off Salamkheil, but it wasn’t until the 17th over that Chase really found his stride, hitting big shots on both sides of the wicket. Pollard broke their partnership, removing Rajapaksha with a slower ball, but Chase continued to fire, finishing unbeaten on 56. Late cameos from Tim Seifert and Matthew Forde pushed the Kings to a competitive total, despite Narine’s brilliant bowling, as he ended with figures of 2 for 13.

In response, TKR’s chase got off to a flying start, with Narine smashing two sixes in a quick-fire eight-ball cameo. Shaqkere Parris followed suit, clearing the boundary on his first ball and hitting three more in Khari Campbell’s first over, pushing TKR to 70/1 in just five overs. Though Noor Ahmad slowed the run flow by dismissing Jason Roy, Parris continued his assault, reaching his half-century in just 20 balls with six sixes.

However, St Lucia fought back in the middle overs, as Sadrack Descarte returned to remove Nicholas Pooran and Noor trapped Parris with the mounting dot-ball pressure. The Knight Riders managed just 35 runs between overs 10 and 15, with Descarte tightening the screws.

But Pollard, as he often does, turned the game around. After hitting a six on his second ball, he unleashed a barrage of boundaries in the 19th over, smashing four more sixes to complete a blistering 50 off 19 balls. His powerful knock took TKR over the line, completing the chase at 189/6 in 19.1 overs.

Brief scores:

- St Lucia Kings: 187/6 in 20 overs (Roston Chase 56, Faf du Plessis 34; Sunil Narine 2-13, Waqar Salamkheil 2-37)

- Trinbago Knight Riders: 189/6 in 19.1 overs (Shaqkere Parris 57, Kieron Pollard 52; Noor Ahmad 2-35, Matthew Forde 2-9)

TKR won by 4 wickets.