Fabian Allen best ever bowling figures in T20 cricket restrict St Lucia Kings (SLK) to a low score which Jamaica Tallawahs (JT) chased down and won the match by 5 wickets.
SLK scored 125/9 in 20 overs which JT chased down easily in 17.2 overs and made 126/5.
Already both of them met in their last league matches with each other where again with the help of Alex Hales blistering knock Jamaica defeated the Kings by a huge margin of 122 runs.
Skipper Brandon King after winning the toss invited Kings to bat first.
Kings find it difficult to bat against the furious bowling lineup of Jamaica. Roston Chase (40 runs) was the highest scorer from the side. His catch was dropped earlier but he somehow managed to score. He hit 4 fours and a six in his innings. Khary Pierre(13 runs) and Sikander Raza (19 runs) somehow guided the team above 6 runs per over. They scored 125 runs in 20 overs by losing 9 wickets.
Fabian Allen achieved a great feat for himself as he bowled his career best figures in the T20 and took 4 wickets by giving away only 25 runs in his 4 over spell. Chris Green also took 2 wickets with an economical spell of 19 runs in 4 overs. Imad Wasim, Nicholson Gordon and Shamar Springer claimed 1 wicket each.
Tallawahs started pretty well and scored 43 runs in just 4 overs. Brandon King (30 runs) and Alex Hales (24 runs) batted well in the powerplay. But suddenly within a fraction of seconds the score was 73 runs and they lost 4 wickets. The match was looking like a tight moment. But Raymon Reifer (30 runs) clinched the win from the Kings and scored 126 runs in 17.2 overs by losing 5 wickets.
Matthew Forde tries his best and makes a strong move by taking 4 wickets in his 4 overs spell and gives only 23 runs but since the target is too low he can’t do anything much. Khary Pierre got 1 wicket.
Now they will meet from the loser of Qualifier 1 (TKR vs GAW) and will meet in Qualifier 2.
Fabian Allen, JT, Player of the Match
“Difficult surface. Bowling in the right areas paid off. That’s what big players do. We’re always ready for the challenge. Tonight was the night for me to execute. We’re confident. Last year we won from a similar situation.Hopefully we can do it again. We are unbeatable now.”
Sikander Raza, SLK Captain
“Today was just tough. Didn’t think the conditions would be that spin friendly. We sat on the back foot for far too long before taking the game to the opposition. Forde has been one of the shining lights for us. He’s been a real fighter in our team. If only we had a few more guys fighting like him. Given the conditions, we thought we needed a leg spinner. I thought the selection was good. Grateful for the support.”
Brandon King, JT Captain
“It’s similar to last year, playing our best cricket at this time. Same coaches as well. They’re always willing to give their advice, during the game as well. It was an exciting challenge. Have had the fortune to get advice from the senior members. It’s a day by day thing. Working with the physio, still not fully fit. I Hope Amir will be ready. Fabian came up trumps for tonight. He had an incredible game. I think the bowlers made it easy for us. Wasn’t the easiest wicket to bat on.”