KINGSTON–Jamaica Tallawahs became the first side to qualify for the playoffs of the Caribbean Premier League when they completed a clean sweep of their home games with a dominant 36-run victory over Barbados Tridents, at Sabina Park here Wednesday night.
In a game reduced to 18 overs per side following rain at the start, Tallawahs marched imperiously to 195 for five, powered by Chadwick Walton's 97 off 54 balls, Kumar Sangakkara's 50 off 31 deliveries and rookie Rovman Powell's electrifying, unbeaten 34 from a mere 14 balls.
Fast bowlers Ravi Rampaul (2-35) and David Wiese (2-45) finished with two wickets apiece.Tridents, in reply, never rose to the occasion and slumped 159 all out, with two balls remaining in the innings.
They were declining swiftly at 90 for six in the 12th over but left-hander Nicholas Pooran's top score of 51 from 25 balls brought some respectability to the total.He was the only batsman to pass 20 as fast South African bowler Dale Steyn, in his final game for Tallawahs, wrecked the innings with a haul of four for 27 from his four overs.
Seamer Timroy Allen supported well with two for 27.Tallawahs have 13 points, three clear of Guyana Amazon Warriors with Tridents still third on seven points.
Earlier, Chris Gayle's run of single digit scores continued when he made eight before pulling Rampaul to Raymon Reifer at short fine leg, with the score on 22.
The innings was then propelled by a fabulous 127-run, second wicket stand between Walton and Sangakkara, as Tridents were thrown into disarray.
Walton was unrelenting, striking nine fours and five sixes while Sri Lankan star Sangakkara counted four fours and two sixes as he offered support.
They were galloping along at the rate of knots when Sangakkara holed out in the deep off the first ball of the 15th over from Wiese and Andre Russell followed three balls later without scoring, top-edging a swish behind to Pooran.
Powell then single-handedly provided the flourish at the end, blasting a four and four sixes–three coming in one over from Wiese which cost 21 runs.
Scoreboard
Jamaica Tallawahs vs Barbados Tridents
TALLWAHS
C Walton c A Shehzad b Rampaul 97
C Gayle c Reifer b Rampaul 8
K Sangakkara c S Malik b Wiese 50
A Russell c wkp Pooran b Wiese 0
R Powell not out 34
Shakib Al Hasan run out 0
T Allen not out 0
Extras (w4, nb2) 6
TOTAL (5 wkts, 18 overs) 195
Bowling: Rampaul 4-0-35-2 (w1, nb1), Wiese 4-0-45-2 (nb1), Reifer 3-0-36-0, Nurse 2-0-21-0, Stewart 3-0-31-0, Pollard 2-0-27-0.
TRIDENTS
K Hope c wkp Sangakkara b Steyn 13
Ahmed Shehzad c wkp Sangakkara b Russell 15
A Hosein c Steyn b Allen 8
Shoaib Malik c Powell b Allen 10
N Pooran run out 51
K Pollard c Walton b Steyn 16
D Wiese c Gayle b Steyn 0
A Nurse c wkp Sangakkara b Williams 10
R Reifer not out 9
N Stewart c wkp Sangakkara b Steyn 0
R Rampaul c Shakib Al Hasan b Gayle 14
Extras (b1, lb4, w7, nb1) 13
TOTAL (all out, 17.4 overs) 159
Bowling: Russell 3-0-33-1 (w1), Steyn 4-0-27-4, Williams 4-0-36-1 (w1), Allen 3-0-27-2, Powell 3-0-23-0, Gayle .4-0-8-1 (w1).
Result: Tallawahs won by 36 runs.
Points: Tallawahs 2, Tridents 0.
Man-of-the-Match: Chadwick Walton.
Toss: Tridents.
Umpires: L Reifer, J Ward; TV–P Nero. (CMC)