CPL 2014: Andre Russell hits four and six from final two balls as Jamaica Tallawah's register dramatic win
In a league match in the Caribbean Premier League on Saturday, Jamaica Tallawahs’s Andre Russell smashed a 24-ball 58* to guide his side to a dramatic 6-wicket victory over the Guyana Amazon Warriors. The 26-year-old hit a four and six of the last 2 balls to provide a memorable finish.
Russell came into bat when the Tallawah’s were 62/4 in the 14th over, needing a further 76 runs to win from 40 balls which looked like a herculean task on a pitch where nearly all batsmen struggled to score at a high strike-rate.
The all-rounder did not waste any time to get going as he hit left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul for two sixes in the first four balls he faced.
With 55 runs needed from the final 4 overs, it looked like the Amazon Warriors had the game in the bag. But Russell had different ideas. Ronsford Beaton was treated with disdain as the Jamaican took him to the cleaners, hitting him for 2 sixes and 1 four, in an over that yielded 19 runs.
Russell’s next target was Krishmar Santokie, who bowled the 19th over and gave away 14 runs to ensure a grand stand finish.
New Zealand all-rounder Jimmy Neeshan was given the responsibility of bowling the last over in which the Jamaican side need 13 runs to win. In the first 4 balls of the over, the 23-year-old conceded just 3 runs as Russell and Owais Shah toiled hard to get him away but failed to do so. With 10 runs required from the final 2 balls, a Tallawah’s win looked improbable.
Neeshan bowled a full toss on the penultimate delivery of the game, which Russell eased over cover for a boundary to keep the Chris Gayle-led side in the game. With nearly the whole of Sabina Park behind him on the final delivery, the West Indian battered a full-length ball all the way for a six to hand the home team a famous victory.
Watch the video of the final-ball six below: