Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) skipper Kieron Pollard was not happy with the new rules of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) that led to lesser fielders outside the 30-yard circle and Sunil Narine getting red-carded for slow over-rate. While Trinbago won the clash against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots easily, Pollard termed the new rules regarding over rate as ridiculous.
"To be honest, it will take away the hard work everyone has done. We are like the pawns, and we are going to do what we are told. We are going to play as fast as we can. If you are penalised for 30-45 seconds in a tournament like this, it is absolutely ridiculous,” Pollard told the broadcasters in the post-match presentation.
After Narine left the field, Sherfane Rutherford used it to his advantage by hitting Dwayne Bravo for three fours and a six in the final over and took his side’s score to 178/5. Earlier only three players were allowed outside the 30-yard circle in the penultimate over as a part of a second over-rate penalty. Against Ali Khan, Rutherford and Dominic Drakes failed to take advantage of just three men patrolling the boundaries.
Earlier, Pollard won the toss and opted to field first. Evin Lewis departed early in the powerplay overs and became Bravo's first victim of the night. Andre Fletcher's 17-ball 32 helped the Patriots get off to a flyer. Bravo got his wicket in the same over as well. Joshua de Silva and Jyd Goolie could not get going and lost their wickets to Narine. Skipper Rutherford shared a crucial 66-run partnership for the fifth wicket Bosch got out in the 18th over bowled by Narine for a 21-ball 30. Rutherford's unbeaten 38-ball 62 laced with four fours and five sixes helped them post 178/5.
In the run chase, openers Chadwick Walton and Martin Guptill departed for single-digit scores. Nicholas Pooran continued his purple patch whereas Lorcan Tucker played second fiddle in the 73-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Pooran scored 61 runs from just 32 balls including five fours and four sixes. Tucker contributed with a 31-ball 36. In the end, cameos from Pollard (15-ball 37) and Andre Russell (8-ball 23) took Trinbago home with 17 balls to spare.
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