Trinidad And Tobago

 The Patriots paired Sheldon Cottrell and Alzarri Joseph with the new ball, but they leaked boundaries to Simmons and Amir Jangoo. But Jangoo’s senior T20 debut was cut short by an excellent pick-up and throw off his own bowling by Cottrell to run him out.

Joseph hit Colin Munro on the hand, and when play resumed after a short shower Munro was unable to continue. Simmons took 11 off Rayad Emrit including a Hero Maximum and then lofted Jon-Russ Jaggesar over midwicket. He followed up with a cut for four, and the Knight Riders were well set at 52/1 off the Powerplay.

Jaggesar and Dominic Drakes kept the Knight Riders boundary-less between the Powerplay and drinks, and Darren Bravo edged just short of Chris Lynn at short third man. At halfway the Knight Riders had only progressed to 68/1.

Simmons and Darren Bravo managed only singles off Emrit. Joseph hit Darren Bravo in the head, but all was well, and Bravo ended a 35 ball streak without a boundary with a pull for four. Simmons too broke free, pulling Emrit for another Hero Maximum, before bringing up 50 off 42 balls with a single.

Simmons hitting Jaggesar straight over his head for his fourth Hero Maximum to bring up the Knight Riders hundred, then cut for four as the Knight Riders took 15 off the over. Emrit went to Cottrell, but he went for 17 as Darren Bravo lofted a Hero Maximum and Simmons picked up two fours. After 15 overs, the Knight Riders were 125/1.

Darren Bravo also hit Drakes for six, bringing up the 100 partnership off just 66 balls. Simmons pulled another Hero Maximum and Bravo creamed a four through extra-cover, making the 16th over another productive one. Emrit went for just four off his last, and Joseph started the 18th well, but Simmons bludgeoned two Hero Maximums to take himself into the 90s and the Knight Riders past 150.

A Patriots bowler finally got a wicket, Cottrell getting Darren Bravo strangled down the leg-side in a good 19th over that went for just 3. Drakes got two wickets in two balls, as Simmons pulled to Cottrell to fall short of a century and Tim Seifert leading-edge and was well caught by Lynn. Raza survived the hat-trick ball, and stand-in captain DJ Bravo smashed the last ball of the innings for a Hero Maximum.

Akeal Hosein and Khary Pierre took the new ball for the Knight Riders, and the latter picked up the dangerous Lewis, Tambe, belying his 48 years, took an athletic catch. Lynn and Joshua da Silva broke free off Pierre, each hitting a Hero Maximum with Da Silva also sweeping for four, but even an over of 18 only took the Patriots to 34/1 after six.

Tambe and Anderson Phillip put the squeeze back on, with only one boundary between the Powerplay and drinks, and at halfway the Patriots needed almost 12 an over. A Tambe maiden pushed that above 13, and with Da Silva going at barely a run a ball and Lynn going at well under four an over there had to be an acceleration soon.

It didn’t come off DJ Bravo, and while Da Silva drove Tambe for four, he was deceived by the Indian leg-spinner and drove a catch back to the bowler. At the end of Tambe’s outstanding spell, the Patriots were 67/2 off 13 and needed well over 15 an over.

Lynn climbed into a DJ Bravo full toss, but then sliced high in the air and was well caught by Raza to end a disappointing innings. Ben Dunk smashed Raza’s first ball for four but off his second got a reverse sweep all wrong and popped up a simple catch to Seifert. With five overs left, Drakes and Ramdin were staring at a required run rate of 18.

That figure jumped above 20 as Pierre’s last over went for just seven, and Ramdin could only find midwicket when he tried to take on Raza. Raza did the work himself to pick up his third, taking a good diving caught-and-bowled as Drakes toe-ended an attempted straight hit. After 17, Raza had figures of 3/8 and the Patriots needed 27 an over.

Hosein picked up a deserved wicket late in his spell, getting Joseph stumped with one flung wide of off-stump. He celebrated by running to hug his childhood friend Khary Pierre. Imran found himself with three slips for company as Hosein finished off the 18th over, and the game was now officially unwinnable.

Emrit added to the Hero Maximum charity fund off Phillip’s 20th, but the Patriots didn't come close to winning this one, and the Knight Riders had made it eight wins from eight without breaking a sweat.

Summary: (Trinbago Knight Riders 174/4 (Simmons 96, DM Bravo 36; Drakes 2/35, Cottrell 1/32) beat St Kitts & Nevis Patriots 115/7 (Lynn 34, da Silva 29; Raza 3/15, Tambe 1/12, Hosein 1/15, DJ Bravo 1/17) by 59 runs)

Upcoming Fixture: Wednesday 2 September - Match 24: St Lucia Zouks v Guyana Amazon Warriors (5:30 pm),  4:30 pm Jamaica at Brian Lara Cricket Academy

Lendl Simmons and Darren Bravo ensured Trinbago Knight Riders completed the first perfect season in franchise T20 history with an unbroken partnership of 138 off 88 balls, the highest of Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2020 and the highest ever in a final. The St Lucia Zouks put up what seemed a competitive total, but ultimately a loss of 7/39 off the last 32 balls of their innings cost them dearly against this history-making Knight Riders squad. 

Rakheem Cornwall swept Akeal Hosein for four but was lucky to edge over DJ Bravo at slip. Knight Riders captain Kieron Pollard gave the second over to Ali Khan, and Ali responded by flattening Cornwall’s middle stump. Andre Fletcher clipped fine for four, the Zouks thus closing the second over at 16/1.

 Mark Deyal slog-swept Hosein for two fours, and Fletcher was aggressive against Sikandar Raza, taking him over cover and long-on for Hero Maximums then cutting for four. Khary Pierre went for just five, but Fletcher twice smoked Ali through cover for four and the Zouks motored to 60/1 off the Powerplay.

 Deyal lofted Pierre over cover for four and launched Pollard for six, but struggled to combat Fawad Ahmed’s googly and edged to DJ Bravo at slip. Hosein returned with a tight over, and at halfway the Knight Riders had slowed the Zouks to 79/2.

Roston Chase clipped through midwicket for four early in Fawad’s second over, which went for 10, but Fletcher’s assault ended as he aimed Pollard down the ground but found only Darren Bravo at long-off. Najibullah Zadran slashed his first ball for four, and the over went for seven to leave the Zouks in need of a partnership at 79/3 off 12 overs.

While Chase slog-swept the last ball of Pierre’s over for a Hero Maximum, he and Mohammad Nabi fell within four balls, the former chipping a Pollard cutter to deep-mid on and the latter clubbing Fawad to long-off. Zouks captain Daren Sammy smashed his second ball for a Hero Maximum, and after 15 overs the Zouks were 123/5.

Despite a Najibullah four, Ali’s return over went for just six, and Sammy should have fallen to Hosein but Ali badly misjudged the catch. Najibullah flicked Hosein for a delightful Hero Maximum over cover, but Hosein recovered to dismiss Sammy LBW. After 17 overs, the Zouks were 138/6.

 DJ Bravo was unable to bowl, and so Pollard had to step up at the death and did so admirably, picking up two wickets with his off-cutter. First Javelle Glenn looped to backward point, then Najibullah failed to clear Raza at deep backward square off another cutter. Kesrick Williams was run out, Ali Khan bowled Zahir Khan with a perfect yorker, and the Knight Riders had bowled the Zouks out for a decent rather than dominant total.

 Simmons pulled Scott Kuggeleijn for four first ball of the chase, becoming Hero CPL’s all-time leading run-scorer in doing so. Webster swept Nabi for four but then top-edged off Chase, Williams taking a fine catch. After three overs, the Knight Riders were 14/1.

Tim Seifert got off the mark with a four off Kuggeleijn but fell edging behind next ball. Darren Bravo too got off the mark with a boundary, a glorious lofted Hero Maximum over long-on off Chase, and Simmons took fours straight, fine down the leg side and backward of point off Williams’ first over to close the Powerplay with the Knight Riders 40/2.

Chase and Nabi put the pressure on, going for just five between them, and Simmons and Bravo both struggled against Zahir. When Simmons did take on the big shot though he nailed it over the fence, and at halfway the Knight Riders were 59/2 and needed 96 more to win.

Sammy brought himself on and bowled five good deliveries, but Bravo smashed the sixth for a Hero Maximum, and Simmons pulled Williams for a six then cut him for four, becoming Hero CPL 2020’s leading run-scorer and bringing up his 50 off just 31 balls. Bravo though continued to struggle against Chase, who closed out a superb spell.

 After 13 overs, Bravo was just 23 off 32 balls, and the Knight Riders needed almost 10 an over, but he eased both of those equations somewhat with two Hero Maximums off Glenn. Williams’s third over went for nine thanks to two wides and a loose short ball, and the Knight Riders entered the last five overs needing 45 with eight wickets still in hand.

Kuggeleijn managed to go for just four off the 16th despite starting with a wide, but Simmons targeted Zahir, taking him for four off the first and six off the second. Bravo added two big Hero Maximums, the second bringing up his 50 off 45 balls. Suddenly, the Knight Riders needed just 18.

Simmons was not going to hang around now, walloping Kuggeleijn for a Hero Maximum over midwicket then clubbing him over cover and slicing him through third man for two fours. The winning runs came off an inside edge, but there was now no denying the Knight Riders’ domination of Hero CPL 2020.

All season, the Knight Riders had absorbed the loss of key personnel - Colin Munro fractured his hand, Ali Khan missed games, Narine had kidney stones removed and was unable to play the final with a knee injury. But perhaps the 12th and final win is the greatest measure of how great a squad Pollard and Brendon McCullum have built - victory was achieved two wickets down, with 11 balls to spare, without DJ Bravo bowling or Pollard batting. The Knight Riders had come together in the bubble and emerged from it to achieve something truly monumental.

Summary (Trinbago Knight Riders 157/2 (Simmons 84*, DM Bravo 58*; Chase 1/13, Kuggeleijn 1/30) beat St Lucia Zouks 154 all out (Fletcher 39, Deyal 29, Najibullah 24, Chase 22; Pollard 4/30, Fawad 2/22, Ali Khan 2/25, Hosein 1/26) by 8 wickets)

According to the Trinidad Guardian, Ricky Skerritt and Dr Kishore Shallow were nominated by the Leeward Islands Cricket Board and was seconded by the TTCB.

The incumbents are being challenged by CWI directors Anand Sanasie, secretary of the Guyana Cricket Board and Barbados Cricket Association Vice President Calvin Hope. Sanasie formally announced his candidacy last week citing the need for visionary leadership.

However, the Azim Bassarath led TTCB decided to back the incumbents during a virtual meeting last Friday citing “how the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic had affected cricket activities in the Caribbean and throughout the world since March 2020 and that it would be unfair to judge the performance of the CWI leadership in the context of an abbreviated term of office’, the Guardian said.

The TTCB also took the position that several initiatives by the current president “gained valuable traction but needed more time to produce the desired results.”

The Patriots had selected the prolific T20 batsman during the CPL draft earlier this month.

The 31-year-old cited travel restrictions caused by the Covid19 pandemic as the reason why he will not be able to fly to the Caribbean for the tournament that is to be held in Trinidad and Tobago starting next month.

“Very sad to announce that I will, unfortunately, miss #CPL this year. Circumstances, lockdowns and closed borders made it impossible for me to get to the Caribbean in these times,” he said in a post on his Instagram account on Tuesday.

“Good luck to the @sknpatriots, a team close to my heart. I will be following the #biggestparty closely.”

Van Der Dussen has scored 406 runs for South Africa in 15 matches for South Africa after making his debut against Zimbabwe on October 9, 2018.

He was the leading run-scorer during the 2017–18 Sunfoil Series, with 959 runs in 10 matches and was the joint-leading run-scorer in the 2018–19 CSA T20 Challenge tournament, with 348 runs in 10 matches.

In franchise cricket, he has represented the Vancouver Knights in the players' draft for the inaugural edition of the Global T20 Canada tournament where he was also the leading run-scorer with 255 runs.

In October 2018, he was named in Jozi Stars' squad for the first edition of the Mzansi Super League T20 tournament.

With months of planning and many late changes, adjustments and restrictions to both crew and equipment logistics due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sunset + Vine and SportsMax teams executed and fulfilled their roles as broadcast, technical and production partners on the ground in Trinidad & Tobago. Over the four weeks of the tournament an uninterrupted high definition signal was sent to viewers around the world.

The Sunset + Vine team have a track record of amazing sports broadcasting and viewers around the globe were provided with the best possible experience. Despite the challenging nature of producing high class coverage during a pandemic, Sunset+Vine delivered a fantastic broadcast that was both innovative and engaging. 

With a camera count of 26, supporting audio and video equipment, more than 300 equipment cases and over nine tons of equipment shipped to the island during a global pandemic getting all of this in place was a massive endeavour. The equipment used during the broadcast, as well as the logistics of getting it in place in Trinidad, was provided by SportsMax productions. 

The broadcast also featured innovations to give the viewers the best possible experience, with this being even more important with the games played behind closed doors. SportsMax successfully integrated Zoom viewing parties in partnership with Digicel in an effort to add to the vibe and engagement of fans.

We would like to thank Sunset+Vine for their tireless endeavours which saw a world-class broadcast delivered around the globe in the most difficult of circumstances. We are also hugely grateful to SportsMax Productions who worked flat out to make sure all the equipment needed to put on a production of this standard was in place and working well,” said Pete Russell, Hero CPL’s CEO.

“The success of this year’s tournament would not have been possible without these two key partners.”

St Kitts and Nevis Patriots won the toss and chose to field first, but it was Faf du Plessis who got the Saint Lucia Kings off to a dominating start by scoring boundaries throughout the opening overs. Johnson Charles then continued to score runs, before big hitting from David Wiese and Roshon Primus powered the Kings to a total of 189-7. 

In their chase, the Patriots could not find fluency as they lost four wickets in the first 10 overs. Wiese was the stand-out bowler for the Kings, taking three wickets for just eight runs as the Patriots finished 140 all out and lost by a margin of 49 runs. 

Saint Lucia Kings had a positive start to their innings with du Plessis and Charles comfortably hitting boundaries at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, although the former would lose his wicket attempting a scoop shot. Despite losing wickets at regular intervals, the Kings managed to score 189-7 largely thanks to the performance of Charles, who scored 61 and was at the crease for over 15 overs. 

St Kitts and Nevis Patriots had begun to build a foundation in their chase but lost both openers Andre Fletcher and Evin Lewis in the fifth over. With Wiese then taking the wickets of both Darren and DJ Bravo, the Patriots began to rebound with Dewald Brevis scoring some crucial runs before he was caught out. As the Patriots lost more wickets, Kesrick Williams proving a threat with the ball, they could not keep up with the required run rate and were bowled out for 140, losing by 49 runs. 

 Scores:  Saint Lucia Kings 189-7 (Charles 61, du Plessis 41; DJ Bravo 1-26, Khan 2-45) beat St Kitts & Nevis Patriots 140 all out (Brevis 32, Khan 26; Wiese 3-8, Williams 3-32) by 49 runs.

A couple of top edges and a bruising straight hit saw Cornwall take 13 off Tridents captain Jason Holder in the first over of the chase, but Rashid’s googly did for him as it has so many before, Shai Hope having ample time to complete a stumping. Jonathan Carter held leg-side catches to dismiss Najibullah Zadran and Nabi, but not before the latter had backed up a superb bowling spell with a six and a four off his countryman Rashid. Andre Fletcher made victory a formality with a Hero Maximum of his own off the champion leg-spinner, and with the scores level, he guided Raymon Reifer through point for four to seal victory with four balls to spare.

At the start of the day, Holder bucked the trend of the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) so far and chose to bat, backing the all-round abilities of his four spinners in glorious conditions that were a far cry from the damp and grey of the end of the match. There was backing for spin too from Daren Sammy, as Saad bin Zafar came into the Zouks XI and recovered well from being cut for four by Johnson Charles to bowl a good first over.

Obed McCoy gave Charles three easy boundaries including the day’s first Hero Maximum, but while the opener dispatched Scott Kuggeleijn’s first ball over long-on, a good leaping catch from Sammy at mid-off saw him depart next ball. He had done his job, however, with 35 off 19.

With Charles so effective, the pressure was off Hope and he responded with two fluent fours off Mohammad Nabi. Corey Anderson couldn’t believe what he’d done when he smashed a high Kuggeleijn full toss straight to cover, Chase physically knocked off his feet as he held on well, but 53/2 represented a good Powerplay.

Nabi gave a middle-overs off-spin masterclass, forcing Hope into attacking the long boundary where Mark Deyal took a simple catch. Holder’s 11-ball cameo gave no hint of the troubles to come, with the long boundary not long enough to stop him taking Rakheem Cornwall for a four and a six in consecutive balls. But if Sammy was relieved when his opposite number toe-ended one to him at long-on, he was ecstatic when his off-spinners ripped through the Tridents’ middle order to turn the game on its head.

Sammy was happy to bowl Nabi out early, and with the death overs approaching he went to his third off-spinner, Roston Chase, who picked up Carter and Kyle Mayers in consecutive balls. Reifer denied Chase the hat-trick, but the Zouks had heaped the pressure on those Tridents all-rounders with the champions 107/6 off 14.

Deyal, yet another off-spinner, became the eighth bowler used and the fifth to take a wicket as Andre Fletcher took a good catch off Reifer’s outside edge. The return of seam released the pressure, Kuggeleijn going for 11, and the Tridents had recovered to 131/7 with 11 balls to go when the darkening clouds finally burst and reduced the chase to the minimum allowable. But the off-spinners had done the damage, and with the rainy season underway captains’ preference for chasing may just be reinforced even further.

Summary: St Lucia Zouks 50/3 (Fletcher 16*, Nabi 15, Cornwall 14; Rashid 2/24, Reifer 1/13) beat Barbados Tridents 131/7 (Charles 35, Holder 27, Hope 19; Chase 2/8, Kuggeleijn 2/28, Nabi 1/19, Deyal 1/3) by 7 wickets (DLS target 47 off 5 overs)

Upcoming Fixture: Thursday 20 August - Match 6: Trinbago Knight Riders v Jamaica Tallawahs (5:30 pm ECT), Brian Lara Cricket Academy

For this 2023 edition, Cricket West Indies (CWI) is introducing a two-day red ball format to add to the pre-existing 50-Over format for the Rising Stars Under 17s Regional Championships. Teams will compete for the West Indies Rising Stars U17s 50-Over Cup and the West Indies Rising Stars U17s 2-Day Championship.

Graeme West, CWI’s High-Performance Manager said: “The introduction of the Two-Day component at the Under 17s level is a significant step forward in the development of multi-format cricketers for the future. It is essential that our young talent enjoy the challenge of the red ball format, igniting their ambitions to play Test Cricket.”

The West Indies Rising Stars Under 17s Tournament will feature five rounds of 50-over white ball matches from August 12-20 and three rounds of two-day red ball matches from August 23-31 to be played at the National Cricket Centre (NCC), Inshan Ali Park, PowerGen Sports Ground and Gilbert Park Cricket Ground (GPCG). A champion will be crowned at the end of each format, as WI Rising Stars Under 17s 50 Over Cup Champions and WI Rising Stars Under 17s 2-Day Champions.

This tournament is a key element of the West Indies Future Stars development programme, allowing the best players in the region to test themselves within their age group. The tournament is pivotal for identifying talent and facilitating player progression to produce the next generation of West Indies senior international cricketers.

Miles Bascombe, Director of Cricket added: “The addition of the two-day format presents coaches and players with the opportunity to craft skills for the longer format at an earlier stage in the players’ development. It is also a tangible way for CWI to demonstrate its commitment to securing the future of West Indian Test Cricket.”

CWI’s strategic plan has committed resources into developing the game at every level and these tournaments therefore play a vital role in the strategy to develop the talent pool and produce the next generation of West Indies players. The West Indies Rising Stars Under 17s Championships completes the full 2023 calendar of CWI’s regional age group cricket which featured the men’s West Indies Rising Stars Under 15s and Under 19s Championships, as well as the Rising Stars Women’s Under 19s Championship.

You can follow LIVE ball-by-ball scoring of the West Indies Rising Stars Under 17s Championships matches on the new www.windiescricket.com match centre. 

MATCH SCHEDULE

West Indies Rising Stars Under 17s 50-Over Cup Championship

Matches start at 9:30am local time (8:30am Jamaica time)

Saturday 12 August

Trinidad and Tobago vs Windward Islands at NCC

Barbados vs Guyana at GPCG

Leeward Islands vs Jamaica at Inshan Ali Park

Monday 14 August

Jamaica vs Guyana at NCC

Trinidad and Tobago vs Leeward Islands at Inshan Ali Park

Windward Islands vs Barbados at GPCG

Wednesday 16 August

Leeward Islands vs Barbados at Inshan Ali Park

Windward Islands vs Guyana at GPCG

Trinidad and Tobago vs Jamaica at NCC

Friday 18 August

Trinidad and Tobago vs Guyana at PowerGen

Leeward Islands vs Windward Islands at NCC

Barbados vs Jamaica at GPCG

Sunday 20 August

Trinidad and Tobago vs Barbados at NCC

Leeward Islands vs Guyana at Inshan Ali Park

Jamaica vs Windward Islands at GPCG

West Indies Rising Stars Under 17s 2-Day Championship

Matches start at 10am local time (9am Jamaica time)

23-24 August

Trinidad and Tobago vs Leeward Islands at Inshan Ali Park

Windward Islands vs Barbados at PowerGen

Jamaica vs Guyana at NCC

26-27 August

Windward Islands vs Guyana at NCC

Trinidad and Tobago vs Jamaica at GPCG

Leeward Islands vs Barbados at Ishan Ali Park

30-31 August

Leeward Islands vs Jamaica at GPCG

Barbados vs Guyana at Inshan Ali Park 

Trinidad and Tobago vs Windward Islands at NCC

FULL SQUADS

BARBADOS: Zion Brathwaite, Zishan Motara, Xaundre Baptiste, Shaquan Belle, Gadson Bowens, Joshua Branch, Preston Clarke, Reviera Cottle, Edwin Currency-Barnett, Kyron King, Akeem McCollin, Jatario Prescod, Dre Springer, Jaden Webster.

GUYANA: Jonathan Van Lange, Rampersad Ramnauth, Kevin Kisten, Vickash Wilkinson, Romeo Deonarain, Ari-Afrizal Kadir, Nityanand Mathura, Sanjay Algoo, Golcharran Chulai, Salim Khan, Bruce Vincent, Darwin Joseph.

JAMAICA: Tyriek Bryan, Jordan Pinnock, Demarco Scott, Brian Barnes, Kev-Aundrae Virgo, Aan Ennis, O’mari Wedderburn, Eejay Spence, Dantae Calrke, Niclo McKenzie, Roshawn McKenzie, Rasheed Harriott, Ralique Thomas, David.

LEEWARD ISLANDS: Matthew Miller, T’yanick Honore, Eirette Richards, Zavio Henry, Jevon Manners, Ozan Williams, Jared Jno Baptiste, De-Andre Drew, Israel Morton, Caiden Francis, Carlton Pluck, Mekaili Tonge, Xaveek Toppin, Devanand Singh.

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO: Fareez Ali, Cristian Rampersad, Riyaad Mohammed, Luke Ali, Brendan Boodoo, Samir Saroop, Niall Maingot, Aaidan Racha, Ishmael Ali, Aneal Rooplal, Alexander Chase, Alvin Sonny, Jordan Mohammed, Stevon Gomez.

WINDWARD ISLANDS: Justin John, Jelani Joseph, Edmund Morancie, Joel Durand, Jahson Vidal, Earnisho Fontaine, Kirtsen Murray, Kirt Murray, Johnathan Daniel, Theo Edward, Khan Elcock, Tyler Venner, Devonte McDowall, Kodi Grant.

"I appreciate it has been over four years since I last played for West Indies but today I am announcing my retirement from international cricket," said the 35-year-old Narine who last played for the West Indies in 2019.

“Publicly I am a man of few words but privately there are a few people who have given me unwavering support throughout my career and helped me realize my dream of representing West Indies and to you I express my deepest gratitude."

Notwithstanding the announcement, Narine said he will end his international career by winning the ongoing Super50 league for the Trinbago Red Force. "I love representing Trinidad & Tobago, the country of my birth, and to add another title by winning the Super50 Cup will be the perfect send-off," he said.

Narine played 122 international matches, which included six Tests, 65 ODIs and 51 T20Is and was a member of the West Indies team that won the T20 World Cup in 2012. He has played for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League since 2012.

He will continue to play for KKR in the IPL, Abu Dhabi in the International League T20, Trinbago in the Caribbean Premier League and Los Angeles in Major League Cricket. He is also part of the Hundred men's competition with Oval Invincibles and also plays in the Big Bash League, Pakistan Super League and Bangladesh Premier League.

The inaugural tournament in 2022 was played in St Kitts and Nevis, while last year's showpiece was played in Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago. This year's edition scheduled for August 21-29, will see Guyana Amazon Warriors, Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) and reigning champions Barbados Royals battling for top spot, at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy (BLCA) in Tarouba.

“We would like to thank Trinidad and Tobago for agreeing to host this tournament and we are excited to be having the Massy WCPL taking place before we get the men’s tournament underway,” said CPL chief executive, Pete Russell.

“The commitment that the Trinidad & Tobago government has shown to women’s sport has been phenomenal and we are looking forward to another superb exhibition of world class cricket over these seven matches from 21 to 29 August," he added.

The three teams will clash in six group games, with the top two teams featuring in the final.

Meanwhile, Trinidad and Tobago's Minister of Sport and Community Development, Shamfa Cudjoe-Lewis, expressed joy that the twin island republic will be host to the women's tournament, which will for the first time be contested before the men's edition.

"We are delighted to host once again the Massy Women's CPL, where the extraordinary talent of women in sport from across the region will be showcased. This tournament highlights the incredible skills of our female cricketers and underscores Trinidad and Tobago's unwavering commitment to promoting gender equality and fostering inclusivity in sport," she said.

"The Ministry of Sport and Community Development takes pride in spearheading the advancement of women's cricket and sport tourism in TT and we look forward to welcoming players and fans alike to our shores for an electrifying display of cricketing excellence," Cudjoe-Lewis noted.

 Having elected to bowl first, Tallawahs captain Rovman Powell could not have hoped for better than the Edwards yorker which bowled Brandon King first ball of the match. Anthony Bramble, playing his first Hero CPL game since 2016, survived LBW shouts from both Edwards and Mujeeb, but Shimron Hetmyer was not so lucky off the Afghan spinner.

Bramble was unable to settle, playing out eight straight dot balls including a Mujeeb maiden before pulling Edwards straight to the captain on the fence. Only Ross Taylor clubbing Andre Russell for a Hero Maximum then pulling him for four got the Amazon Warriors as far as 30/3 off the Powerplay.

Taylor hammered Powell for four, but Carlos Brathwaite conceded just 10 off his two overs, and Lamichhane started beautifully. At halfway the Warriors had crawled to 53/3, and it was only to get worse against the Tallawahs’ high-class spinners.

Mujeeb turned a carrom ball to bowl Nicholas Pooran, whose only boundary in his 17 ball innings was an edge past the keeper, and Lamichhane’s googly deceived Sherfane Rutherford into giving up an easy catch to Asif Ali at cover.

Russell chipped in with an inswinger to trap Taylor LBW, and Mujeeb got captain Chris Green with a beauty that Green edged to his opposite number at slip. Mujeeb was unplayable, as evidenced not just by his 3/11 but by 18 of his 24 deliveries being dot balls.

The Amazon Warriors became frantic, and only a full-length dive saved Keemo Paul from being run out. Lamichhane’s last over was just as good as his first three, and even his outstanding figures of 1/12 might have been a little harsh on him.

Five wides from Edwards were the Amazon Warriors’ first ‘boundary’ in 58 balls, and the first off the bat took another 12 after that. It was a fine straight hit from Naveen for a Hero Maximum, but it did come after Edwards picked up Paul LBW with another big inswinger. A farcical run out involving four separate fielders off the last ball was a fitting reflection of the Amazon Warriors’ innings.

Where King had been bowled first ball of the Amazon Warriors’ innings, Phillips smacked the first of the Tallawahs’ for four. Walton, however, was bowled by a Tahir googly, which the South African again celebrated by taking the knee. Jermaine Blackwood, playing his first Hero CPL in five years, hammered his first ball for four but his second almost bowled him, ending a dramatic over.

Tahir caused havoc in his second over too, but Blackwood drove Ashmead Nedd for four and Phillips swept Green over square leg for a Hero Maximum to keep things moving against the spinners. But while Phillips took Naveen for a straight six and a four through point, the Afghan fast bowler got his own back when the New Zealander sliced to Paul at point. The Tallawahs reached 40/2 off the Powerplay, and the required run rate was now under 5 RPO.

Asif, trying to fulfil his role as a power-hitter, was brilliantly caught off Paul by a diving Green coming in from long-off. Green then took a fine catch off Nedd too, this time above his head inches from the rope, to send back Powell just as Powell had caught him earlier. Nkrumah Bonner came in above Brathwaite and Russell, and the Tallawahs plodded to 58/4 after 10 overs.

Blackwood sweetly drove Naveen for four first ball after the drinks break, but under-edged the second to keeper Pooran who took a smart low catch. That brought Russell to the crease, which in turn prompted Green to bring back Tahir. Russell and Bonner decided to play out the veteran, and thus the over went for just three. 

Bonner ensured Paul’s over would beat that total with a classy glide past point off the first ball, but with 7 overs to go the game was still far tenser than 37 needed off 42 balls would suggest. Nedd continued to impress, his final over going for just two. The Tallawahs struggled again to rotate the strike, and Bonner was lucky not to edge a wild hack off Naveen. Remarkably given the target, the Tallwahs went into the last five overs needing over a run a ball.

That, however, was as close as it got. Russell sent Tahir clean over the roof and then Paul hard and flat into the stands, Bonner almost took out the umpire with a straight drive off Paul, and when Naveen returned Russell somehow poked a wide ball through point for four and Bonner finished in style with ten off two balls. Unlike on Saturday, this time Russell didn’t have to do it by himself, and the win was, in the end, a formality.

 Summary: (Jamaica Tallawahs 113/5 (Bonner 30*, Phillips 26, Russell 23*, Blackwood 23; Naveen 2/35, Paul 1/16, Nedd 1/17, Tahir 1/23) beat Guyana Amazon Warriors 108/9 (Taylor 25, Naveen 20*, Pooran 15; Mujeeb 3/11, Edwards 3/30, Lamichhane 1/12, Russell 1/17) by 5 wickets)

Upcoming Fixture: Wednesday 26 August - Match 13: St Lucia Zouks v Barbados Tridents (10 am), Queen’s Park Oval

 The Amazon Warriors won the toss and opted to field first and they produced a disciplined performance with the ball that kept the Knight Riders in check throughout. 

Led by Tabraiz Shamsi’s 4-36, wickets were taken at regular intervals to ensure that no batter ever felt comfortable at the crease as the Knight Riders reached 150-8.

 Needing 151 to win the Amazon Warriors got off to the worst possible start losing Paul Sterling for a duck and three wickets in total in the power play.

Shimron Hetmyer and Colin Ingram briefly threatened to take the game away from the Knight Riders but when Andre Russell removed Hetmyer the collapse began and the remaining Amazon Warriors batters fell for just 26 runs.

Earlier on the Knight Riders had constructed their best total of the Hero CPL campaign courtesy of a well-compiled 42 from Colin Munro. Overcoming the early loss of Tion Webster and Nicholas Pooran, Munro combined with Tim Siefert to compile a 51-run partnership that set a foundation for some late order risk taking.

 Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard and Ravi Rampaul hit a combined five sixes to help the Knight Riders set a total of 150 runs that always appeared as if it would be tricky to chase.

 This proved to be the case in the Amazon Warrior reply. No batter was able to face more than 20 deliveries despite reaching 81-4 in the 10^th over. The Amazon Warriors lost their remaining six wickets for 43 runs to succumb to a heavy defeat.

 The returning Akeal Hosein proved to be crucial in the Knight Riders' bowling attack taking 3-36 and he was ably supported by the parsimonious Andre Russell (3-16) and Sunil Narine (2-9).

 Scores: Trinbago Knight Riders 150-8 (Munro 42, Seifert 27; Shamsi 4-36, Shepherd 3-22) beat Guyana Amazon Warriors 124 all out (Hemraj 28, Hetmyer 20; Russell 3-16, Hosein 3-36) by 26 runs 

The Tallawahs won the toss and surprisingly opted to bat first and that decision backfired almost immediately.

 Losing four wickets in the PowerPlay, the Tallawahs were in trouble at 25-4 and despite a 50-run partnership between Fabian Allen and Imad Wasim too much was left to do at the back end. 

116-7 never looked like it was enough but the Tallawahs fought gamely to defend the total taking out six wickets in the process. 

However, Andre Russell and Akeal Hosein saw the chase home to move the Knight Riders into the top four. 

Earlier on Ravi Rampaul impressed to uproot the Tallawahs batting, the seam bowler took 4-19 including three in the PowerPlay to put the Knight Riders in complete control. 

 The Tallawahs only had an energetic Fabian Allen half-century to thank to prevent a total collapse. 

 The Knight Riders made hard going of what should have been a simple chase. Openers Nicholas Pooran and Tion Webster both fell for ducks to leave the Knight Riders 0-2 in the first two overs. But Colin Munro and Tim Seifert rebuilt the innings with a 50-run partnership.

 When the pair fell in quick succession the Tallawahs had a moment of hope but Russell and Hosein ensured there would be no dramatic defeat, guiding the Knight Riders home with five balls to spare.

Scores: Trinbago Knight Riders 119-6 (Munro 40, Seifert 28; Amir 2-15, Green 1-12) beat Jamaica Tallawahs 116-7 (Fabian 50, Brooks 20; Rampaul 4-19, Narine 1-21) by 4 wickets.

 Kieron Pollard countered Rayad Emrit’s decision to bat first by putting himself in at bat-pad for both Akeal Hosein and Sikandar Raza’s first overs. Chris Lynn did hit Hosein for a Hero Maximum over mid-on, but two balls later he failed to clear deep midwicket even with a favourable breeze and a short boundary. After three overs, the Patriots were 13/1.

Evin Lewis chewed up deliveries, still scoring at only three an over even after sweeping Hosein for six, and it was not a surprise when he hacked at Raza and gave keeper Tim Seifert an easy catch off the top-edge. Lewis faced 19 dot balls in his 24 ball innings and contributed to a Powerplay in which the Patriots stuttered to 27/2.

 Ben Dunk too fell to a top-edge, Pravin Tambe taking an outstanding catch at short-third man off his fellow leg-spinner Fawad Ahmed. Tambe got a wicket of his own, skidding one on to trap Joshua da Silva LBW, and Fawad trapped the promoted Imran Khan in a similar fashion for a duck. Emrit and Denesh Ramdin did at least break a run of four straight overs with a wicket falling, but at halfway the Patriots were 36/5, and every over had been bowled by spinners on a perfectly serviceable pitch.

Ramdin showed intent to resist, smashing Fawad for a flat Hero Maximum over the short leg-side boundary, but in between that and the previous boundary, the Patriots had lost 4/15 in 35 balls. Tambe’s third over went for just four, and in the 13th over the fit-again Ali Khan came on for the game’s first over of pace and struck third ball, Ramdin finding Darren Bravo on the long-on boundary. Tambe bowled out going for just one, leaving the Patriots 64/6 after 14.

 Anderson Phillip’s first over went for just two, and Fawad picked up two wickets in his last over to finish with his best ever Hero CPL figures. If Emrit was unlucky to edge onto pad and see the ball roll onto the stumps, Colin Archibald’s stumping was all due to Seifert’s poise waiting for the moment the foot lifted. Alzarri Joseph swung a Hero Maximum over Hosein’s head, but soon after picked out Phillip at long-off, and the Patriots were 75/9 off 17.

A leg bye took the Patriots past their lowest ever Hero CPL total, 75 away to the Jamaica Tallawahs in 2016, but Phillip soon put the innings out of its misery. It was the first innings in Hero CPL history where a team did not hit a single four.

Tion Webster, in contrast, hit two fours off Sheldon Cottrell in the first over of the chase. With Narine and Lendl Simmons rested, Amir Jangoo got another game and started calmly, not allowing many dot balls and giving the strike to the fluent Webster, who hit Imran for two more fours to take the Knight Riders to 27/0 off four overs. Jon-Russ Jaggesar was tight in both his overs, but Webster and Jangoo both hit Joseph for fours to take the Knight Riders to 42/0 off the Powerplay.

Webster was mostly content to hit through rather than over the field, but did launch Joseph onto the grass bank for a Hero Maximum to take the Knight Riders opening pair past 50 - remarkably, the first time they had done so for the first wicket all season - but Jangoo fell to Emrit next ball to end the stand at 54. Seifert joined Webster, and the Knight Riders coasted to 63/1 at halfway, needing just 15 more to win.

Seifert finished the innings in style with a Hero Maximum, consigning the Patriots to just three points from the group stage, and emulating last season’s perfect league stage from the Guyana Amazon Warriors to march undefeated into Tuesday’s semi-final against the Jamaica Tallawahs. A team with two world-class spinners and Andre Russell can never be discounted, but the Knight Riders machine will take some stopping.

Summary (Trinbago Knight Riders 78/1 (Webster 41*, Jangoo 19, Seifert 16*; Emrit 1/14) beat St Kitts & Nevis Patriots 77 all out (Ramdin 19, Emrit 15, Lewis 12; Fawad 4/21, Hosein 2/25, Phillip 1/3, Raza 1/6, Tambe 1/9, Ali Khan 1/10) by 9 wickets)

Upcoming Fixture: Sunday 6 September - Match 30: St Lucia Zouks v Jamaica Tallawahs (2:15 pm), 1:15 in Jamaica at Brian Lara Cricket Academy

The Knight Riders crushed the inconsistent Jamaica Tallawahs by nine wickets in Tuesday’s semi-final match to claim a spot in the final and a shot at their fourth Hero CPL title.

Asked at a pre-final press conference on Wednesday whether winning 11 of 11, brings pressure or confidence, the TKR captain was unequivocal.

“Confidence, there is always pressure. Before you play the first game there is pressure, throughout the tournament, there is pressure as well,” he said.

“At the end of it, I’ve played in finals and it’s just another game because you have nothing to lose.

Four other teams would have liked to be in the position both teams are in…so it’s to go out and play good consistent cricket and at the end of the day the result will speak for itself.”

He believes TKR holds an advantage over St Lucia Zouks in that its players have been there before.

“One good thing is that we have guys who would have played in finals before, so we would be able to settle nerves over the ones who these things are new to,” he said.

He credits a change of attitude for the success the team has had so far this season, making adjustments from lessons learned last season when they were eliminated by eventual champions Barbados Tridents.

“We look forward to it, (the finals). Last year we were pretty disappointed to lose in the semi-finals and we made some changes and decided to come with a different sort of mentality this year and it has shown on the cricket field so it’s just a matter to jump the last hurdle and hopefully be four-time champions.”

TKR led by Lendl Simmons’ unbeaten 84 and Darren Bravo 58 not out steered their team to an emphatic eight-wicket win over the first-time finalist St Lucia Zouks.

Chasing 155 for victory, TKR lost two early wickets but Simmons and Bravo mounted a match-winning partnership of 138 that propelled the team to their 12^th win from 12 matches with 11 balls to spare.

TKR thus became the first team in CPL history to go undefeated for an entire season.

Pollard, who was named Hero of the Tournament, for his 204 runs and eight wickets, said the team used the disappointments of last season as fuel this season’s unprecedented success.

“Great, great feeling. We have worked really, really hard. When we sat in the dressing room last year, you could have seen the disappointment (after losing in the semi-finals),” he said.

“We had rigorous conversations and the mentality the guys came through even before the camp. This was destined to happen. They always wanted to improve every game.”

In the final, TKR was without their main strike bowler Sunil Narine - ruled out because of injury.

However, Pollard led by example, taking 4 for 30, a performance that went a long way in restricting the Zouks to 154 all out off 19.1 overs after they had got off to a strong start reaching 77 for 2 in the ninth over.

However, Pollard believes winning the title was a “total team effort.”

“We knew they (Zouks) were going to come hard, they had a lot of confidence from the semi-final, but that's where we used our experience. We knew in the team Bravo wasn't going to bowl but just having him in the field was a boost,” the winning captain said.

Throughout the tournament, pitch conditions were a concern. The surfaces were mostly spinner friendly but they also offered assistance to the faster bowlers. Meanwhile, many batsmen and by extension, teams struggled for runs.

However, Pollard said that they never allowed the conditions to determine how TKR played their cricket.

“We said we're not going to play the pitch or the conditions, we're going to play the round, white ball,” he said.

“We knew that each time we set up the game, we will finish well. We had the power in our line-up. Each and everyone who came in did their role. “The guys believed in what we wanted to achieve. It would have been brilliant if the fans were here but we know what's going on (the pandemic). We hope we entertained each and everyone.”

 Sikandar Raza opened the bowling and turned his first ball sharply but his sixth went straight on to bowl Brandon King, and Khary Pierre deceived Chandrapaul Hemraj and Nicholas Pooran to leave the Amazon Warriors 12/3. Pollard sensed blood, putting himself under the helmet practically on the batter’s toes. 

Ross Taylor was positive, pulling Raza hard for four. Pollard almost pulled off a blinder at silly-point, just failing to hold as Taylor lunged forward off Pierre. But Taylor found Raza easier, cutting for four, slog-sweeping in trademark fashion for six, and paddle-sweeping for another four to take the Amazon Warriors to 39/3 off the Powerplay.

Fawad Ahmed troubled Hetmyer with his googly, but unlike many others, Hetmyer was able to find singles. Pollard brought himself on, but even someone with his experience couldn’t have expected what happened next.

Taylor took only a few strides before turning around, but keeper Tim Seifert was out of the blocks like a sprinter, got to the ball while taking off one glove, and in mid-air threw down one stump with Taylor still scrambling. It was a spectacular piece of work and left the Amazon Warriors 44/4 after 8 overs.

Fawad and Pollard hustled towards the drinks break. Seifert dropped Sherfane Rutherford on 1, but with the Amazon Warriors 51/4 at halfway Pollard was the happier captain. Fawad used the googly well to keep the 11th over quiet, and in the 12th on came yesterday’s history-maker, DJ Bravo, who also only went for singles

When Pierre returned, Rutherford launched into a slog-sweep, but then came more fielding magic. Tion Webster took the catch as it came over his shoulder, released the ball millimetres from the rope, and stopped his momentum in time to run back into the field of play and re-catch the ball. It was a masterpiece.

Colin Munro dropped a sitter to gift Hetmyer a Hero Maximum and deny Pierre a fourth wicket. But the reprieve didn’t last long - Hetmyer smashed DJ Bravo straight to cover to leave the Amazon Warriors 77/6 off 16. The lower order energised the innings - Keemo Paul punished Fawad for overpitching by launching him over the sightscreen, and Romario Shepherd sent a Bravo length ball out of the ground.

 A back spasm had forced Ali Khan out of the game early, but Pollard filled in well at the death to pick up his first wicket of Hero CPL 2020, Seifert diving to hold a steepling Shepherd top edge. Paul responded with a flat-bat six, but Bravo was as good as ever in the 20th, conceding just five and sending his team into the innings break strong favourites.

Amazon Warriors started well through Hemraj and captain Chris Green. But Lendl Simmons smashed Imran Tahir over midwicket for six, and Webster cut Hemraj for four then lofted a straight Hero Maximum. Green was forced to go to Naveen-ul-Haq, who spoiled an otherwise good over by gifting Simmons a four down the leg-side, and at 32/0 off five overs, the Knight Riders were comfortable.

Tahir did his best to change that. First, a googly ripped past Simmons’ slog, next ball a big leg-break did the same to Munro, and though Darren Bravo denied Tahir the hat-trick the Knight Riders needed to reset. 

Green and Paul were accurate, but Webster ended a run of 26 boundary-less balls by spanking a Hero Maximum. As a bonus, he drove Shepherd for four, and at halfway the Knight Riders were well-set at 51/2.

Captain Green ended Webster’s charge, with Hetmyer taking a smart low catch. Seifert was lucky not to be bowled at least once by Paul but found a gap at square leg to close the 12th over with a four.

Naveen returned and went for just four, and with two overs of Tahir looming Green invited the Knight Riders to attack Shepherd. Seifert and Bravo took the bait, and the over went for 13 to leave the Knight Riders needing 35 off 36 balls.

Green opted to only use one of Tahir’s overs, and it went for just two. A Paul over went boundary-less, and off Naveen Hetmyer very nearly outdid Webster’s earlier effort, leaping athletically to hold and release a Bravo loft before he hit the rope, but Green wasn’t quite close enough to take the release.

Bravo did however clear the ropes in that over as Naveen served him a juicy full toss, and Seifert went after the first ball of Tahir’s last over and hit it miles. With the pressure now off, the over went for 11, and Seifert sealed the win with two crunching fours.

He and Bravo had again finished what the bowlers had started, and the Knight Riders machine rolled on. It’s instructive, and worrying for the other five franchises, that once again Sunil Narine’s absence was hardly mentioned.

Summary (Trinbago Knight Riders 115/3 (Seifert 39*, Webster 27, DM Bravo 26*, Simmons 19; Tahir 2/25, Green 1/15) beat Guyana Amazon Warriors 112/7 (Paul 28*, Taylor 26, Hetmyer 26; Pierre 3/18, Pollard 1/15, DJ Bravo 1/23, Raza 1/30) by 7 wickets)

Upcoming Fixture: Saturday 29 August - Match 17: Barbados Tridents v Trinbago Knight Riders (10 am), 9 am at Jamaica time Queen’s Park Oval

The Leewards batting first posted 162 all out in 48 overs, with a half-century for skipper Matthew Miller. He shared in a 63-run partnership with Jaheem Clarke as the pair showed resistance to the spin of Yasir Deen and Alejandro Kassiram. Deen and Kassiram finished with figures of 3/34 and 3/9 respectively.

Lall and Dimitri Ramjattan then posted a 77-run opening partnership before Ramjattan was caught for 19. Trinidad and Tobago lost three more wickets in pursuit of victory, but Yasir Deen nudged the ball for the winning single in the last ball of the 35th over.

In the end, the champions reached 163-4 with Lall making 52 and Zane Maraj 28*. Kunal Tilokani finished with figures of 2/45.

The Windward Islands took home a four-wicket win over Jamaica at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium to close of their championship on a winning note. Batting first, Jamaica posted 146 all out in 42.3 overs, thanks to a top score of 39 from Demarco Scott and 36 from Odane Binns. Theo Edward was the pick of the Windward bowlers with figures of 4/27.

Edward then starred with the bat as well with 59 as the Windwards reached 149-6 off 35.5 overs. Nicoli McKenzie, Geovanni Gray and Joel Williams all ended with two wickets for Jamaica.

In the third match, Guyana beat last year’s winners Barbados by seven wickets at Liberta Sports Ground. Batting first, Barbados was all out for 69 in 20.5 overs. Oliver Gooding top-scored for the Bajans with 23. Arun Gainda 3/10, skipper Dave Mohabir 3/13 and Jonathan Mentore 3/14 were the leading bowlers for Guyana.

Mentore then returned to score 17 runs and 14 from Romario Ramdeholl, but it was the 25 runs that came via extras that took Guyana home to a comfortable win at 70-3 in 23 overs. Akobi Crichlow-Byer was the best Barbados bowler with figures of 2/18.

Earsinho Fontaine of the Windward Islands finished as the leading run-scorer with 197 runs while T&T’s Yasir Deen ended with 14 wickets to lead the tournament. In the field, T&T teammates Christiano Ramanan (9) and Scyon Charles (6) led the tournament in dismissals and catches, respectively.

The Jamaicans, who have only managed to score over 150 once in four matches, saw their batting woes continue when they were dismissed for just 102 in 34.4 overs. No Jamaican scratched 20 as Yasir Deen (3-18 off nine overs) and Alejandro Kassiram (3-20 off six overs) were the chief destroyers for T&T.

The chase was a simple one thanks to a second consecutive fifty (50) from Brendan Boodoo and 23* from Zane Maraj. T&T needed only 30.4 overs to reach 106-4 and complete victory.

At the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, defending champions Barbados rebounded from back-to-back losses with an eight-wicket win over the Windward Islands.

Akobi Critchlow-Byer took 4-18 from his 10 overs and Javed Worrell claimed 3-18 from seven as Barbados dismissed the Windwards for 112 in 40.1 overs.

Barbados then faced only 20.2 overs to reach 113-2, completing the easy win. The successful chase was led by Gadson Bowens’ 45* and Oliver Gooding’s rapid 14-ball 25.

Guyana used an excellent bowling effort to complete a huge 101-run win over the Leeward Islands at the Liberta Sports Club.

Guyana used valuable contributions of 28 from Razam Koobir and 22 each from Dave Mohabir and Shane Price to post 154 off 36.5 overs batting first.

Kunal Tilokani took 4-21 off his 10 overs while Jaheem Clarke took 3-21 off seven for the Leewards.

The chase then went horribly for the Leewards with three of their top four batsmen being run out and two more falling to leave them 32-5 in the 12^th over.

Eventually, they were dismissed for 53 in 28.2 overs as Arun Gainda ended with 3-13 off seven overs.

The fifth round takes place on Wednesday with Barbados facing Guyana at the Liberta Sports Club, Jamaica taking on the Windward Islands at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium and the Leeward Islands facing leaders Trinidad & Tobago at Coolidge.

In a match reduced to 20-overs-per-side due to rain, the Windwards, who comfortably beat the Leewards in their first game, were bowled out for 71 in 18.2 overs.

Only first game centurion Earsinho Fontaine (23) and captain Theo Edward (14) were able to get double figures as the Trinidadian bowling effort was led by Yasir Deen who took 3-9 from four overs and Brendan Boodoo who ended with similar figures.

With the bat, T&T needed just 11.5 overs to reach 75-3 with Zane Maraj and Christian Lall finishing 18* and 7*, respectively. Earlier, Boodoo top scored with 21 while Darrius Batoosingh got 16.

At the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium, Guyana got their first win when they defeated Jamaica by 15 runs via the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method.

The Guyanese were bowled out for 121 in 42.2 overs in their turn at the crease. Romario Ramdeholl led the way with an unbeaten 54 as Nicoli McKenzie took 4-25 off eight overs and Demarco Scott 3-21 off 10.

A rain delay with Jamaica 13-0 early in their reply meant they ended up needing 112 off 33 overs for victory.

They ended up being bowled out for 96 in the 33^rd over. Tyson Gordon Jr made 23 while Joel Williams finished 19* as Dave Mohabir and Dhanesh Persaud took two wickets, each.

At Coolidge, the Leewards beat Barbados by four wickets via the DLS method.

Batting first, Barbados was restricted to 129 in 41.4 overs. Seth Smith top-scored with 23 and Jakeem Pollard made 19 against Kunal Tilokani’s 4-17 off seven overs and four balls and 3-19 off seven overs from Amoree Jones.

Due to lengthy rain delays, the Leewards’ target was reduced to 78 off 20 overs. They successfully reached 78-6 off 18 overs thanks to 18* from Matthew Miller.

The teams will next be in action on Saturday with the Leeward Islands taking on Jamaica at Liberta Sports Club, Trinidad & Tobago facing Barbados at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium and Guyana facing the Winward Islands at Coolidge.