T&T power into last four

A comfortable 24-run win over Diamond Eagles saw Trinidad and Tobago cruise into the semi-finals of the Champions League Twenty20.

Trinidad and Tobago cruise past Eagles to book place in semis

Champions Twenty20 League A Hyderabad
Trinidad & Tobago 213-4 (A Barath 63) v Eagles 189-5
Trinidad & Tobago beat Eagles by 24 runs A comfortable 24-run victory over Diamond Eagles saw Trinidad and Tobago cruise into the semi-finals of the Champions League Twenty20 on Sunday. Opener Adrian Barath top-scored with a 41 ball 63 as T&T raced to an astonishing 213 for four, with brutal knocks from William Perkins (35), Lendl Simmons (40) and Navin Stewart (33). To secure a place in the last four the Eagles' needed to win with 5.4 overs or more to spare. Opening batsmen Rilee Rossouw (44 off 19 deliveries) and Morne van Wyk kept them in touch but the South African outfit ran out of steam managed 189 for five in reply. Perkins blasted Victor Mpitsang for a four and six in his first over with the new ball and continued to hit boundaries at will. He and Barath, scoring at a slower rate in comparison, raised the 50 in just 4.2 overs finishing with 64 for no loss from the powerplay. Perkins fell to Off-spinner Thandi Tshabalala as he backed away to clobber on the off-side but his wicket offered little respite as it only brought Simmons to the crease.

Hammered

He smashed the next ball for a six and followed up with a boundary as he Barath put on 76 for the second wicket before eventually falling to Ryan McLaren. Kieron Pollard, who destroyed New South Wales Blues in the previous managed only 23 off 13 but Stewart hammered three boundaries and a six to take T&T past the 200-run mark. Rossouw set the early pace in reply smashing Ravi Rampaul for consecutive blows and Dwayne Bravo for a boundary and two sixes in the first two overs of the innings. The Eagles reached their half century even quicker than their rivals, Van Wyk also contributing with some big shots to take them past 50 off just 22 deliveries. Van Wyk fell leg before to spinner Sherwin Ganga in his first over before dismissing Adrian McLaren as the Eagles began to lose momentum. And when the big-hitting Rossouw holed out to Pollard in the deep off Simmons the Eagles' chas Skipper Boeta Dippenaar (33) and Dillon du Preez forged ahead but they both fell in quick succession, leaving the Eagles requiring 58 from 19 deliveries - they managed only 33.