Make it four in a row for the Trinbago Knight Riders at home.
A sea of red filled the stands of the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in South Trinidad as TKR claimed victory in all four home matches, with one more left against St Lucia Kings, before heading to Guyana for their next match against the Amazon Warriors.
The first home match was played against the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons; TKR won by eight wickets with eight balls remaining. They won the toss and chose to bowl.
ABF’s Jewel Andrew (40), Imad Wasim (unbeaten 37), and Usama Mir (34) helped the Falcons reach a total of 146.
In reply, TKR reached 152/2 with important contributions from Alex Hales’ unbeaten 55 and Keacy Carty’s 60.
In the second match against the Barbados Royals, TKR won by seven wickets with 13 balls remaining after they again won the toss and chose to bowl.
The Royals scored a competitive 178/6 from their 20 overs. Sherfane Rutherford 45, Kadeem Alleyne 41, Rovman Powell 31, and Brandon King 29 all contributed to their side’s total.
TKR reached 179/3 in 17.5 overs, with Collin Monroe’s 67 providing the foundation and Nicholas Pooran’s unbeaten 65, with support from Alex Hales (19) and Kieron Pollard(19) carried their team across the finish line.
In TKR’s third and probably the most anticipated home game was against the Guyana Amazon Warriors. TKR won the toss and chose to bowl for the third time.
GAW posted 163/9 with important knocks from Shai Hope, making the highest score of 39, Quentin Sampson 25, Dwaine Pretorius 21, Romario Shepherd 19, Hassan Khan 17, and Ben McDermott 14.
TKR won by six wickets with 16 balls left in the innings, scoring 169/4. Alex Hales top-scored with 74, his opening partner Collin Munroe also contributed a quick 52, and Andre Russell supported with an unbeaten 27 to get their third consecutive win at home.
In the fourth match against the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, the TKR were sent in to bat first, posting 179/6 from their 20 overs. Nicholas Pooran (52) formed two important partnerships, first with Darren Bravo, which consisted of 51 runs from 38 balls, and then with Kieron Pollard (65), which consisted of 90 runs from 49 deliveries.
Both partnerships proved crucial in getting up to their eventual total. In reply, the Patriots started off well and were on course. Openers Andre Fletcher (67) and Evin Lewis (42) provided the foundation for their team but the Patriots were only able to reach 167/6 from their 20 overs.
The win carried TKR to the top of the rankings with 12 points from seven matches, winning six and losing one.
