A master class 165-run stance from Red Force skipper Nicholas Pooran (99 not out) and Darren Bravo (67 not out) launched Trinidad and Tobago into the CG Insurance Super50 Cup semi-final after an emphatic seven-wicket win over Windward Islands Volcanoes at Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Tarouba, on Saturday night.
Pooran and Bravo, partnered with a fine knock of 43 from opener Kjorn Ottley, led the hosts to a breath-taking 249/3 after 39 overs in a rain-affected match, which saw the Red Force chase a revised target of 248.
This came as a result of an over two-hour rain delay at the south venue, in the middle of a brave fightback from the Windward Islands, led by Sunil Ambris (90 not out) and captain Andre Fletcher (68 not out), who carried them to 201/4 after 40 overs before the heavens opened.
When play resumed at 7.45pm, Red Force were tasked with a challenging new target of 249 for victory following the application of the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method.
Despite losing fellow opener Amir Jangoo (two) with 32 runs on the board, Ottley and Jason Mohammed teamed up to form a good 49-run partnership.
Ottley hit Volcanoes pacer Preston McSween for consecutive fours down the ground and also targeted spinner Kavem Hodge while Mohammed chipped on to 25 from 43 balls before he was caught behind by Johnson Charles off Justin Greaves.
At 71/2 after 16.1 overs, Bravo entered. Ottley, however, fell 13 runs later, bowled by Greaves. His exit made way for new batsman Pooran to join Bravo in the middle.
Needing a hefty 165 runs from 131 balls, the TT pair then took turns dousing the Volcanoes’ attack. Pooran and Bravo were clinical and stroked the ball around the stadium with clear intent.
They smartly rotated the strike and eased the pressure on each other by disposing of the bad balls and taking quick singles.
With ten overs to go, the duo smashed a quick-fire 39 runs in three overs which brought them to 198/4, and needing 51 runs from 42 balls for victory.
Scenting his century, Pooran sliced Graves for four then scored 12, inclusive of two consecutive boundaries, off Shadrack Descarte, to spearhead the chase.
With Pooran on strike, on 96, and just seven runs needed from 12 balls, the skipper played a single to let Bravo face Descarte.
Bravo, however, hit a four, and although it significantly aided their chase, he apologised to Pooran for taking so many runs off the board knowing full well his captain’s urgency for a domestic century.
Bravo then struck a single off Descarte’s penultimate delivery to bring the scores level.
With Pooran needing one run for victory and two for an anticipated century, he settled for the former this time around, falling agonisingly short with his match-winning, unbeaten, captain’s knock of 99, but also securing a spot in the Super50 Cup semi-final.
The win for TT affirmed the top spot with 18 points after six preliminary round Zone A matches. Also moving on to the knockout stage from this group was Guyana Harpy Eagles, who beat Combined Campuses and Colleges by 129 runs ea
