Trinidad and Tobago dream run halted by New South Wales

New south wales wins CLT20

New South Wales beat Trinidad and Tobago by 41 runs to lift the inaugural Champions League trophy in Hyderabad.

NSW did not get their usual fiery start, with Ravi Rampaul and Dwayne Bravo chipping away at the top-order wickets at regular intervals to reduce the opposition to 83/6. In came Brett Lee and what a rescues act he engineered! 5 sixes and a four emerged from his blade and when he departed for an excellently carver 31 ball 48, T&T neeeded to score 160 to claim the winners title.

As T&T started their chase, it was that man Lee again, as he struck twice in his first 2 overs to dent the venomous batting order. Keiron Pollard was in his elements once again, scoring a quick-fire 26 off 15 helped by some towering sixes. But he lacked support from the other end and the innings folded 41 runs short of the target.

Brett Lee earned the man of the match for his all-round performance. NSW earned $2.5 million as their prize money while T&T got richer by $1.3 million.

There were some defining plays in the match. T&T starting their bowling with a spinner, Dave Mohammed taking a stunner to dismiss Warner, Lee’s fighting knock, Pollard’s mighty sixes and then Moses Henriques unbelievable catch to dismiss Navin Stewart. The crowd too was energetic all along and they were not disappointed.

It was a great final, fitting for a tournament of this stature. The format itself is interesting with T20 teams coming from all across the world. It serves the purpose of the game in the way that even club cricketers get to play against international stars and get due recognition for their talent.

T&T should not be disappointed from their only loss in the tournament, which needless to say, came at the most inopportune moment. Their country should be proud of its team that played its cricket with true caribbean spirit. After the IPL teams failed to make it even to the semis, the tournament was in danger of fizzling out. But the game got its life from the Trini-Tobagonians who entertained the crowd with their fearless and carefree cricket.