Mayers defies Mujeeb, Lamichhane to inspire Tridents win
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Kyle Mayers defied the magic of Mujeeb-ur-Rahman and Sandeep Lamichhane with a sensational half-century to propel Barbados Tridents to a 36-run victory yesterday over struggling Jamaica Tallawahs and reignite the reigning champions’ ailing title defence.
With Tridents under a vicious spin assault from the unrelenting duo, the left- handed Mayers counter-attacked brilliantly with a career-best 85 off 59 deliveries, which steered the innings to a competitive 148 for seven off 20 overs.
Mujeeb, the 19-year-old offspinner from Afghanistan, finished with three for 14 from his four overs while Lamichhane, a 20- year- old leg- spinner from Nepal, claimed two for 16 from his full quota.
In reply, Tallawahs never looked the part and crumbled for 112 for nine off 20 overs, with only Nkrumah Bonner with 31 and Jermaine Blackwood, 28, showing any enterprise albeit briefly.
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Mitchell Santner spearheaded the Tridents attack with a miserly four- over spell which yielded two for 10 after he was handed the new ball, while left- arm seamer Raymon Reifer (2-13) and fast-bowling captain Jason Holder (2-18) gave adequate support.
The die was cast once Tallawahs slumped to 27 for four at the end of the seventh over and with superstar Andre Russell sitting out the contest, they were without any firepower at the back end of the run chase.
For Tridents, the victory broke a three-game losing skid and lifted them to third place in the sixteam standings with four points from two wins.
Tallawahs, meanwhile, remained on four points but slipped to fifth, with just two wins in five outings.
Sent in at Queen’s Park Oval, Tridents tumbled to 20 for two in the fourth over, after Mujeeb knocked over both openers Shai Hope (8) and Johnson Charles (3) in successive overs.
The right-handed Hope, still searching for form, missed a reverse sweep and was adjudged lbw while Charles played down the wrong line and edged to captain Rovman Powell at first slip.
Mayers then led an incredible counter-attack, slamming three fours and eight sixes as he dominated a 63-run, third wicket stand with Holder (15).
Exuding both elegance and power, Mayers smashed a four and two sixes from the eighth over sent down by Powell which leaked 17 runs before reaching his maiden T20 half-century in the 12th over.
Holder fell in the 11th over as Tridents lost four wickets for seven runs in the space of 17 balls in the middle overs but Mayers survived the mesmerising onslaught from Mujeeb and Lamichhane to launch yet another counter-attack, this time in a 50-run, seventh wicket partnership with Santner (20 not out).
Dropped behind on 54 in the 15th over off Mujeeb, Mayers made the Tallawahs pay dearly, belting 29 runs off the 18th over – including four sixes and a four – bowled by seamer Carlos Brathwaite.
Left-hander Kyle Mayers slammed a career-best 85. Tridents then struck early in Bonner, who faced 28 balls the run chase, Santner bowling and struck three fours and a six, Glenn Phillips with the fifth ball and Blackwood, who counted a of the innings without a run on four and two sixes in a run-a-ball the board and Holder removing knock, tried to revive the run the out- of- form Chadwick chase in a 39-run, fifth wicket Walton (10) to a catch behind in stand. the next over. But once Blackwood miscued
Powell (4) and Asif Ali (2) a heave at Santner and holed out followed in quick succession and on the edge of the circle, the Tallawahs were crawling at 36 innings plunged into further without further loss at the halfdecline. way stage of the innings.