Steve Smith scored 63 and took 2/19 as Barbados Tridents stole a remarkable two-run Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) victory against Jamaica Tallawahs in Florida.
The Tallawahs’ failure to chase down 157 having powered to 80/0 in the first nine overs of their run-chase means it’s now three defeats from three at Central Broward Regional Park for a team that started their Hero CPL campaign with three straight victories.
Even when a few wickets fell around the midway point of the innings and the required rate began to climb the Tallawahs always appeared to have things under control. Even when tight bowling from Mohammad Irfan and Wahab Riaz left Raymon Reifer with nine runs to defend in the final over the game appeared to be the Tallawahs’ to lose.
But Ross Taylor and David Miller were only able to take five runs from the first four balls of the over and suddenly the pressure was all on the batsmen. When Reifer delivered the perfect yorker with the fifth ball, the Tallawahs had somehow needed four from the final ball of a run-chase that had looked so straightforward.
Miller could only heave the final delivery down the ground for a single, prompting celebrations from the Tridents players while Andre Russell was left unused on the Tallawahs bench.
Reifer took the congratulations for a fine closing over – making amends for a poor initial spell and two dropped catches in the deep – but there was no doubt about the hero of the hour for the Tridents.
Before his two wickets to stop the Tallawahs running away with it, Steve Smith had been the chief architect of the Tridents’ recovery from 39/3, sharing an intelligent and increasingly assured 103-run partnership with Shai Hope. The Tridents’ 156/6 looked a few runs below par at the halfway stage, but it gave them something to bowl at which would prove so critical later in the night.
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