END OF OVER:18 | 11 Runs | BT: 120/6 | RR: 6.66
- Daniel Sams9 (4b)
- Quinton de Kock44 (43b)
- Navin Bidaisee1-0-10-0
- Naseem Shah4-0-11-2
That's a wrap on today's CPL action, folks. Thank you all for tuning in here at Cricinfo. Time to sign off on behalf of Alex Malcolm, Andrew McGlashan, Harshith Gowda and myself. Goodbye!
Chris Green: "[Difference in these last two games?] I think the consistent factor in the three home games has been our bowling performance. Really proud of our efforts. It's been different bowlers stepping up at crucial times, and as a collective group, we've bonded really nicely. We've got a really good blueprint that's been successful at home here, and hopefully, we can keep that going. As for the last two games with the bat, it's been the cricketing smarts where a senior player, Quinton de Kock, really stood up and anchored the innings, with other players chipping in around him. Full credit to Quinny for getting us over the line there. Like I said, really proud of our performance in the last two games. [What areas do you want to see this team evolve in?] Look, I still think we haven't quite played our best cricket. We're playing really good cricket here at home, and it's so important to perform during your home leg, especially with the finals being held here as well. We said at the start of the tournament that the home team wants to be there for the finals to have that home crowd advantage, and we're one step closer to that. So inch by inch, game by game, we just keep getting better and better.
[Playing in pink for the cause] It's fantastic. I think it's a great initiative that this franchise goes about in donning pink, and it's nice to get a few different match shirts. I understand we're raffling off our shirts for charity after the game, so to contribute to that and be out here in pink tonight was amazing. [How close do you think to your best performance?] I think conditions here over the three games so far have been difficult to bat on. If it stays consistent like that, it's probably about a 150-run wicket, so there have been some lower-scoring, scrappy games. But with the way we've gone about it, particularly in the last two, I think we've applied some learnings from our loss against Trinidad in a low-scoring game, and we've navigated the two lineups nicely. Winning the toss helps, and having the platform to bat around certain players is so important. From a batting point of view, the more partnerships you build, the bigger your score is going to be and the easier it is to chase runs down."
Jason Holder: "[What is going through your mind right now?] A lot. Obviously, we're disappointed. We thought we had a pretty good team this year, but we didn't meet that expectation. Having said that, we had some positives - a couple of good scores from Fletcher, along with strong bowling and all-round performances from Dasun as well as Wanindu. Those performances really stood out for us. Unfortunately, we just didn't get over the line today to take us through. [Are there any moments that stand out?] Yeah, the two games against Jamaica. I thought we should have done a lot better against them and probably won both. We had a close game against Antigua, and unfortunately, one rainout as well, which was out of our control. But all in all, there were a few games we should have won that we didn't. My last two seasons here have been pretty much the same story where we came close, but didn't quite get over the line. On reflection, as a franchise, we've really got to look at ways to turn those around.
[Individual performance] For me, I probably didn't have the best tournament this year and felt a little flat. There's been a lot of cricket played over this entire year, so I'm looking forward to a couple of weeks of rest before seeing where to go from there. But from a franchise standpoint, I still think we've got a lot of work to do. We need more consistency in all three departments. We let ourselves down in the field, were probably a few runs short, and while the bowling has been our most consistent area, there's still room for improvement. [Comeback to Mecca] Always good to play here at Kensington. Even though we only made 118, I felt we were still in the game. It's a new-ball wicket; I've always said that about Kensington Oval. Unfortunately, we lost three wickets in the powerplay, and while they lost three in their powerplay too, they managed to build partnerships later on."
Player of the Match, Chris Green: "It was nice to get some wickets and contribute, but most importantly, getting the win pushes us one step closer to our goal of qualifying and having home finals. When you contribute to a win like that, it always feels nice. [Do you try to change anything or bring a new delivery?] I think you're always looking to evolve your game. Batters and opposition do a lot of research, so for me, it just comes down to execution. If you can execute your best ball and they hit you off that, you tip your cap and try to rinse and repeat. It's about small adjustments here and there, and I got lucky tonight that it came off.
[What about your fielding compared to last season?] Thank you, mate! [Working hard] Yeah, Trevor Penney really prides himself on fielding, and he's been putting us through some extra sessions late at night at venues around the Caribbean. It seems to be paying off. You're still going to drop catches under lights, it's very difficult at all grounds, but I'm proud of our efforts in the field and the way we're responding to pressure situations and going towards the danger. It's been impressive so far, and hopefully we can keep it going."
10:50 pm With today's victory, the Tridents climb to fourth in the standings, while the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots are officially knocked out of the tournament. The playoff hopes remain alive for the Trinbago Knight Riders, St Lucia Kings and Jamaica Kingsmen! Chasing a low-scoring target in a crucial clash, the Tridents endured a shaky start, ending the powerplay at 38 for 3 as Jason Holder unsettled the top order with pace, swing, and extra bounce. On a tricky pitch for batters, Descarte came to the crease and played a couple of clever reverse paddle sweeps to relieve the pressure. He was given a lifeline on 16 when Louis dropped a catch at deep midwicket in the ninth over. QDK and Descarte then built a steadying 38-run partnership, finding boundaries with relative ease before Descarte miscued a full toss from Naseem straight to mid-off to depart for 19. De Kock proved clutch once again, holding the innings together with calm composure and leading from the front. Rutherford provided a late boost in the run chase with a well-struck 23 off 17 balls to keep the run-rate in check. De Kock remained unbeaten on 44 to guide his side over the line, as the Patriots' bowling unit, outside of their strong powerplay spell, rarely troubled the home team's batters thereafter.
Barbados Tridents won by 4 wickets
Navin Bidaisee joins the attack. Daniel Sams is the next batter in.
END OF OVER:17 | 4 Runs 1 Wkt | BT: 109/6 (10 runs required from 18 balls, RR: 6.41, RRR: 3.33)
- Quinton de Kock43 (41b)
- Naseem Shah4-0-11-2
- Waqar Salamkheil4-0-19-1
CJ Green c Mayers b Naseem Shah 3 (10m 5b 0x4 0x6) SR: 60