An unbeaten half-century from veteran Jason Mohammed helped the Trinidad & Tobago Red Force earn a nervy draw against the Windward Islands Volcanoes in their first round West indies Championship fixture at the St. George’s Cricket Ground in Grenada on Friday.
The Windwards entered day four in a dominant position, finding themselves 397-3 with a huge 325-run lead over the Red Force on first innings with captain Alick Athanaze (49) and Sunil Ambris (42) at the crease.
The pair started the day looking for quick runs and both batsmen brought up their half-centuries before Athanaze went off the bowling of Terrance Hinds for 51. Ambris ended up finishing not out on 55 while Justin Greaves (6) and Tevyn Walcott (6 not out) provided late cameos as the Volcanoes declared on 425-5 off 113.4 overs, leaving the Red Force needing 355 for victory.
With Vikash Mohan once again unable to open the innings, the Red Force went with Jeremy Solozano and fast bowler Uthman Muhammed to open the innings.
The move did not work as Muhammad only lasted six deliveries before he was dismissed by Darius Martin for four.
With the score on 43, the Red Force lost their second wicket when skipper Darren Bravo was bowled by Ryan John for 23 in the 13th over.
On the stroke of lunch, John picked up his second wicket, removing Solozano for 22 to leave the Red Force reeling at 55-3 off 16.3 overs.
After the break, the vastly experienced pair of Jason Mohammed and Yannic Cariah carried the score up to 93 in the 38th over before Cariah was dismissed by Kavem Hodge for 12.
Tion Webster, who got 79 in the first innings, joined Mohammed at the crease and the pair batted well to put on 49 before the tea break. Trinidad & Tobago entered tea 142-4 with Webster on 38 and Mohammed on 31.
The pair resumed their fight after the break, needing a further 213 runs for victory.
Mohammed brought up his fifty off 111 balls in the 52nd over before Webster brought up his half-century off 50 balls in the 53rd over.
With the partnership on the brink of 100, Webster’s stay was brought to an end for 58 by John in the 58th over to leave the Red Force 191-5, needing 163 runs to win.
The volcanoes were able to take the wickets of Amir Jangoo (8) and Terrance Hinds (0) before the match came to an end with the red Force on 225-7 off 83 overs.
Mohammed ended not out on 79 from 201 balls while Khary Pierre ended eight not out.
Scores: Windward Islands Volcanoes 243 off 63.1 overs (Tevyn Walcott 87*, Sunil Ambris 55, Bryan Charles 4-46, Terrance Hinds 4-72) & 425-5 off 113.4 overs (Kimani Melius 192, Kavem Hodge 80, Sunil Ambris 55*, Alick Athanaze 51, Bryan Charles 2-92)
Trinidad & Tobago Red Force 315 off 92.1 overs (Amir Jangoo 86, Tion Webster 79, Terrance Hinds 52, Ryan John 5-18, Darius Martin 2-80) and 225-7 off 83 overs (Jason Mohammed 79*, Tion Webster 58, Ryan John 3-27, Kavem Hodge 2-54)
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Pooran's blistering 61 not enough as Shai Hope's Capitals edge LSG by 19 runs to keep slim play-off hopes alive
Delhi Capitals defeated Lucknow Super Giants to boost their hopes of making the Indian Premier League play-offs.
The Capitals claimed a 19-run victory on Tuesday, with Abishek Porel (58) and Tristan Stubbs (57 not out) starring.
Their efforts propelled Delhi to 208-4 from their 20 overs, with Shai Hope (38) and Rishabh Pant (33) chipping in with useful contributions as LSG's bowling attack struggled badly. Hope faced 27 balls and had three fours and two sixes in his knock.
Nicholas Pooran top-scored with a 27-ball 61 in Lucknow's chase, while Arshad Khan plundered an unbeaten 58, yet it was not enough, with the Super Giants only able to reach 189-9 in response. Pooran's knock included six fours and four maximums, while Khan had three fours and five sixes in his 33-ball knock.
Shai Hope found his range after a quiet start.
Ishant Sharma, with 3-34, was the pick of the Capitals' bowlers, as they must now wait and see if Chennai Super Kings or Sunrisers Hyderabad slip up enough to send Delhi into the top four.
LSG are down in seventh, and they must beat Mumbai Indians heavily in their last match to stand any chance of making the play-offs.
Data Debrief: Ishant hits double figures... again
Introduced as the impact player, Ishant fulfilled his duty with three swift wickets inside his first three overs, with Quinton de Kock, KL Rahul and Deepak Hood all taken out.
Ishant has now taken 10 wickets this season, and is onto 93 across his entire IPL career. It is the sixth season Ishant has reached double figures for wickets, and his second in a row.
Afridi lauds 'world class' Babar and Rizwan as Pakistan win Ireland series
Shaheen Afridi lauded Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan as "world class" after the pair guided Pakistan to a T20I series victory over Ireland on Tuesday.
Babar's side were defeated in the first meeting with Ireland last week but responded with two convincing chases to secure a 2-1 triumph.
Ireland captain Lorcan Tucker's 73 helped his side to set a target of 179 in the winner-takes-all-decider, but Pakistan had little trouble in easing to a six-wicket victory with 18 balls to spare.
Rizwan, who managed an unbeaten 75 in the second meeting, crafted a well-made 56, while Babar carried Pakistan to within touching distance after his 42-ball 75.
Big-hitter Azam Khan blasted 18 off just six deliveries to see the visitors over the line, though Afridi was quick to credit the work of the two experienced Pakistan campaigners.
"For us, before the World Cup, it's important to have these games to ready ourselves and there are a few areas to improve," said Afridi, who impressed with 3-14 in the first innings.
"They're both world-class players [Babar and Rizwan]; they know how to play their role and they have done really well on this pitch."
Babar bludgeoned four of his five sixes off Ben White's bowling in the 14th over, while sharing 139 runs with the in-form Rizwan for the second wicket.
"We had good communication in the middle because we have played a lot of cricket together; we were trying to play on our strengths and the aim was to match with the run rate," Babar added.
"Lots of positives for us to take and we were able to execute our plans.
"We have a big tournament coming up and this is good practice; we are now looking forward to the England series."
Mark Adair was the only Ireland bowler to impress with his economical 3-28, though Tucker was still satisfied with his side's efforts.
"It was brilliant and a great privilege to captain," Tucker said at the post-match presentation. "It would have been nice to start with a win.
"We set up a platform nicely but unfortunately, we couldn't finish well. We gave everyone a go with the ball. Credit to the lads, they bowled well in tough conditions.
"Maybe it was a bit disappointing with the result but we had positives from the series."
IPL: KKR ensured top-two spot after washout
The first abandoned game of the Indian Premier League ensures Kolkata Knight Riders will finish in the top two and Gujarat Titans’ elimination from playoff contention.
A combination of lightning and rain meant there was not even a toss, with the intense storm ripping banners from the stands, which later wrapped around the floodlights.
KKR had all but ensured a place in the top two due to their dominating net run-rate, but a 19th point of the season confirmed it, leaving them with one game to try and clinch top spot for the first time.
The Titans needed to win their final two games to give themselves any hope of reaching the playoffs, though it would have proven tough for the side with the lowest net run-rate in the league.
It is the first time GT have failed to make the playoffs since they joined the competition before the 2022 season.
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