Defending champions will face St Lucia tonight to get back on the winning track in Caribbean T20 League 2021.
Match Timings: August 31, 7:30 PM IST
Team Preview
Last season’s two finalists Trinbago and St Lucia will lock horns tonight in Caribbean T20 League 2021. Both sides will face for the second time this season and previously they met in Warner Park when St Lucia won a thriller by just 5 runs. After losing to Jamaica by huge 120 runs, St Lucia made a fine comeback to win their first game of the season. St Lucia defended 157 with disciplined bowling.
St Lucia batted well after losing four wickets on 69 in the first 10 overs, courtesy of Tim David’s fine innings. Chase and David helped them to get a competitive total. St Lucia’s bowlers kept Trinbago silent in the chase. Defending champions lost only three wickets but their run-rate haunted them till the end. Munro scored just 40 off 46 balls, while Seifert contributed a quick 16-ball 40. This difference creates trouble for the Trinbago and they fell short of 5 runs.
Trinbago suffered two defeats in three games and it’s a concern for them. Munro’s approach was so poor and it put pressure on other players. Seifert played a good knock but he could have got more deliveries to seal the game for Trinabgo. When Pollard got out, Trinbago required 56 off 21 balls and Munro failed to add any impact. Seifert fought hard but the damage was done earlier. Munro’s slow batting in the middle-order created a problem for them. Ravi Rampaul was excellent with the bowl for Trinabgo and scalped three wickets for 29. Pollard would a defeat now as they already have lost two games out of three.
Meanwhile, St Lucia will be highly boosted after a good team performance and it was their first win with the new franchise. They conceded 255 in their opening game and bowled out for 135 runs. It was the biggest defeat for any side in Caribbean T20 League. St Lucia needed a victory and it came against the defending champions.
Tim David has been a great inclusion. He scored 56 off 28 balls in the first game and contributed 43 in the second game. St Lucia should try him up in the order. Top-order was not in good touch in both games. Wahab Riaz looked better in the last game after a humiliating figure against Jamaica. The controlled bowling put extra pressure on Trinbago. They kept Munro silent and grabbed two points. Both teams are great on paper but Trinabgo looked slightly better despite coming off two defeats from three games. St Lucia should find support from its batting unit.
Pitch Report
Warner Park’s surface is good to bat and we have seen some attacking cricket past week. Pacers can take a good amount of help. It adds good balance bat and ball. Batting first would be a good call after winning the toss.
Possible XI
Trinbago
Lendl Simmons, Sunil Narine, Colin Munro, Tim Seifert, Tion Webster, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Kieron Pollard (c), Isuru Udana, Akeal Hosein, Ravi Rampaul, Jayden
St Lucia
Rahkeem Cornwall, Andre Fletcher (wk), Faf du Plessis (c), Roston Chase, Mark Deyal, Tim David, Keemo Paul, Wahab Riaz, Alzarri Joseph, Usman Qadir, Jeavor Royal
Key Players
Trinbago
Tim Seifert
Ravi Rampaul
St Lucia
Tim David
Faf du Plessis
