CAPE COBRAS V BARBADOS TRIDENTS - CLT20 2014 | COB vs BT

In a rollercoaster of a match at the Punjab Cricket Association in Mohali, the Cape Cobras outclassed the Barbados Tridents in an Oppo CLT20 2014 contest that was decided by means of a Super Over. That, after the Cape Cobras, who were at one point coasting in pursuit of 175, suffered a mid-innings stutter and finished their allotted 20 overs at 174 for 5 – just as many as the Barbados Tridents had scored earlier in the evening. (Also Read: QUICK STATS: M12 - CAPE COBRAS V BARBADOS TRIDENTS)

Ravi Rampaul was superb in the Super Over, in which the Cape Cobras batsmen – Richard Levi and Dane Vilas – could only score 11 runs. In reply, the Barbados Tridents batsmen – Dilshan Munaweera and Jonathan Carter – managed only 10 runs against Engelbrecht’s off-breaks.

The Cape Cobras looked like they would run away with the four points when openers Richard Levi and Hashim Amla blitzed to 50 in 3.5 overs. Levi, who holds the record for the fastest century in T20 Internationals, was in the zone – smashing the Barbados Tridents bowlers mercilessly. He scored 39 runs from 18 balls – and hit four boundaries and three sixes – and dominated the 56-run opening stand.

The 31-year old Amla, who has this uncanny knack of accumulating runs silently, took over after his opening partner was dismissed. He was fluent in his 42-ball knock – which was studded with seven boundaries and a six - scoring 59 runs, before a rush of blood cost him his wicket in the 15th over.

Cape Cobras were in control of the run-chase just prior to Amla’s dismissal, at which point they needed 49 runs from 33 balls. But Amla’s dismissal, followed by some more irresponsible batting against the leg-spinner Jeevan Mendis, landed them in a dire situation.

Cape Cobras needed 13 from the final over, which came down to 3 runs off the final delivery after Barbados Tridents skipper Rayad Emrit bowled a fantastic final over. Wicket-keeper Shane Dowrich failed to gather a return from the outfield and missed the chance to run the batsman out, thereby allowing the batsmen to complete the second run, which resulted in the Cape Cobras finishing with 174 runs on the board – just as many as the Barbados Tridents had posted earlier in the evening.

Jeevan Mendis was the most successful bowler of the night, returning with four wickets, while left-arm spinner Akeal Hossain picked up his first-ever wicket in T20 matches when he saw the back of the dangerous Levi.

Earlier in the evening, after being asked to bat first, the Tridents got off to a disastrous start losing two wickets with just seven runs on the board, before Dilshan Munaweera and Carter took the attack to the opposition and rescued their team with a 75-run partnership. 
Munaweera was the usual free-flowing batsman he is known to be, scoring runs all round the park and finding the boundary regularly. He was particularly severe on Aviwe Mgijima, hitting him for three boundaries, and deposited Justin Kemp and Sybrand Engelbrecht into the stands. He raced to 42 from 21 balls before he was caught short of his ground attempting a tight second run.

Carter – with a T20 career strike-rate of 98.28 before this match – was a revelation, for the manner in which he imposed himself on the Cape Cobras bowlers. The 26-year old’s knock was the sum of many parts; he was circumspect to begin with, broke the shackles briefly, reined himself in for a brief while again, before cutting lose to coast to his century. He has scored only three runs from the first eight balls he faced before picking up three consecutive boundaries. He reined himself in again, scoring 24 runs off the next 25 balls. He brought up his half-century with a neatly timed sweep shot in the twelfth over. There was no stopping him thereafter, as he raced to his century and finished with the highest score by a Barbados Tridents cricketer. He consumed 68 deliveries for his 111 and hit ten boundaries and five sixes.

Apart from his association with Munaweera, Carter was also involved in stands of 27 and 42 with James Franklin and Jeevan Mendis respectively.

The Barbados Tridents finished with 174 for 8 – just as many as they’d posted on the board in their previous outing against Kings XI Punjab.
Cape Cobras were a much improved outfit with the ball – restricting the Barbados Tridents to the lowest total they have conceded in their three outings so far, though Justin Kemp, Aviwe Mgijima and Justin Ontong conceded 64 runs in five overs between them. Charl Langeveldt, Vernon Philander and Sybrand Engelbrecht were the wicket-takers for the South African side. 

Match Tied (Cape Cobras won the Super Over)

Brief Scores:Brief Scores: Barbados Tridents 174-8 in 20.0 Overs (Dilshan Munaweera 42, Jonathan Carter 111*, Charl Langeveldt 2-29, Sybrand Engelbrecht 2-24) tied with Cape Cobras 174-5 in 20.0 Overs (Richard Levi 39, Hashim Amla 59, Jeevan Mendis 4-27). 

Result: Result: Cape Cobras won the Super Over

Man of the Match:Man of the Match: Sybrand Engelbrecht, for his all-round performance. He finished with figures of 2-24 in the Barbados Tridents innings, remained unbeaten on 19 (10 balls) in the run-chase, and returned to bowl a tidy over in the Super Over.

Vilas: "It was pretty hectic there, pretty amped! Very relieved unfortunately we couldn't get over the line in the real game. The guys had a massive buzz but equally a lot of cool heads with the likes of Amla in our side, which helped. We felt spin was the most difficult to bat against and it came through."


Emrit: "That's how it goes. Ravi said he wanted the Super Over and we backed him. We were looking for the 11, but two close games and we know it's T20 cricket and anything can happen."

source: clt20.com