For a second consecutive match, Powergen scored a six off the last ball to seal a win. This time it was Central Sports who were on the receiving end in the T&T Premiership I T20 Festival at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, San Fernando on Wednesday evening.
Guyana fast bowler Nial Smith came into bat with the last ball to face with three runs required. Smith then brought the match home with a mighty six for all of the marbles.
In a match that featured two teams that have already qualified for today’s semifinals, Central Sports were sent into bat and got a 40-run opening stand with Kamil Pooran, the first batsman to depart for 11 in the fifth over. Fellow opener Keagan Simmons stuck around for 10 more runs before he departed for 23 at 50 for two in the sixth over.
Aaron Alfred scored 22 off 14 balls as he was the third batsman to return to the dugout at 76 for three in the ninth over. Red Force batsman played the anchor role with 34 from 31 and was the sixth batsman out at 116 in the 15th over.
Smith was the pick of the Powergen bowlers with figures of four for 15, while Navin Bidiasee took three for 32, and Uthman Mohammed had figures of two for 46.
In reply, Powergen lost Daniel Williams (13) at 26 for one, before Cephas Cooper, who made only five in another 26-run partnership with Evin Lewis. Lewis was then joined by skipper Jason Mohammed who scored 64 from 45 balls. Lewis was dismissed for 34 from 19 as Powergen was reduced to 65 for three.
Some disciplined bowling from Central Sports put Powergen in a position of needing 23 runs to win in the last six balls. Powergen was awarded five penalty runs for Central Sports' slow over rate to start the over bowled by Mark Deyal.
Two consecutive sixes from Jason Mohammed (third and fourth balls) saw Powergen needing three runs in the last two balls. But Mohammed’s dismissal (caught by Joshua Sankar) meant that Smith had one simple job - get three runs from the last ball. He did not just get the three runs, but he got six runs for good measure sending the Powergen dugout in a frenzy as Powergen won by one wicket on the last ball.
Roshan Primus was Central’s best bowler with three for 34 while Deyal and Terrence Hinds both had two wickets each.
The Powergen win means that they will play Clarke Road in Friday’s semifinal in a battle of the two top teams in Penal, while Central Sports will clash with Queen’s Park Cricket Club in the other semifinal at the same venue. The first semifinal starts at 3 pm while the second semifinal is at 7 pm.
SCORES:
Central Sports 163 (20 overs) (Aaron Alfred 34, Keagan Simmons 23, Nial Smith 4-15, Navin Bidiasse 3-32) vs Powergen 167/9 (20 overs) (Jason Mohammed 64, Evin Lewis 34, Roshan Primus 3-34, Terrence Hinds 2-36, Mark Deyal 2-39). Powergen won by one wicket.
Comets 150/9 (20 overs) (Sanjay Jawahir 45, Nicholas Ali 35, Jacen Agard 3-15, Daniel Babb 3-30) vs Victoria 156/2 (19 overs) (Marcelle Jones 57 not out, Kyle Roopchand 56, Sanjiv Gooljar 1-28). Victoria won by 8 wickets.
