Global T20 Canada, Vancouver Knights vs CWI B Team, 14th Match: 5 Talking Points
In a clash between the table-toppers, CWI B Team suffered their first loss of the tournament as they fell short in pursuit of Vancouver Knights’ 175.
CWI B Team who are sitting pretty at the top of the points table won the toss and opted to field first. The Knights got off to a good start as Evin Lewis and skipper Chris Gayle put on 50 for the first wicket.
But Lewis’ dismissal put the brakes on as CWIB bowlers bowled tight and didn’t allow the big hitters to get away. Gayle scratched his way to 63 before Andre Russell came in and scored a quickfire 32 to lift the score to 175.
In reply, CWI B Team lost 4 wickets in the powerplay and were reduced to 50/4. Kavem Hodge and Fabian Allen shared a 71-run stand reviving the hopes but once they were dismissed, it all fell away for the table toppers.
It was their first loss in this tournament and despite that, they advance to the next round as the best team of the tournament.
#5 An up and down powerplay
Vancouver Knights haven’t had the best opening partnerships in this tournament. Chris Gayle and Evin Lewis have had stands of 30, 0 and 7 in the first three games. However, both of them strung together a good 50-run opening stand, giving the Knights a strong start.
They did get off to a slow start as Gayle played 10 balls for one in the first two overs. Kavem Hodge and Derval Green bowled tight lines and gave nothing away. But both Gayle and Lewis exploded in the next three overs as they scored 43 runs between overs two-five.
Then came the final over of the powerplay where the CWI B Team pulled it back again. They got rid of Lewis and Chadwick Walton as the Knights reached 55/2 at the end of the six-over mark.
Both teams had their moments in the powerplay and it did end on pretty much even terms with CWIB getting a couple of wickets and VCK scoring 55.