Hashim Amla fought a futile lone battle in trying to take the Trinbago Knight Riders to victory over the Jamaica Tallawahs in the CPL.
He scored 42 off 36 balls (2×4, 2×6), but had little support until Denesh Ramdin (34) came in at No 6, and helped him put on 54 for the fifth wicket. But when he was dismissed, on 104-5 after 15 overs, the innings folded and the Riders fell 19 runs short, chasing 159 for victory.
Amla at least emerged with honour. Having ignored the commercial T20 scene for so long, until he got a late call-up to the IPL, he has settled well and has been the leading run-scorer in the Caribbean series for the majority of it. In seven innings, he has scored 324 at an average of 46.28 with a strike rate of 124.
Dale Steyn played a major part in the Knight Riders’ stumbling performance, taking 2-21 off four, including a maiden, in support of Andre Russell’s 4-23.
Having sent the Tallawahs in to bat, Trinbago would have been satisfied in restricting the run-rate to 7.9, especially after dismissing Chris Gayle for 0. Russell and Rovman Powell, with 44 apiece, provided the backbone of that innings as Kevon Cooper picked up 3-22 and Dwayne Bravo 2-39.
But the Knight Riders’ reply never got off the ground as they struggled to 139-9.
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