Trinbago Knight Riders Smash Highest Score In Franchise T20 Cricket, Beat Jamaica Tallwahs

Colin Munro's blazing 96 off 50 balls and Lendl Simmons' 86 off 42 balls, backed by Kieron Pollard's 17-ball blitz of 45 helped Trinbago Knight Riders create history in their Caribbean Premier League Twenty20 encounter against Jamaica Tallawahs at Sabina Park, Kingston on Saturday. Trinbago Knight Riders notched up 267/2, the highest score in Twenty20 franchise cricket as they defeated the Jamaica Tallawahs by 41 runs to notch up their fourth consecutive win in the tournament. This was the highest team score by a team in franchise cricket, beating the previous mark of 263/5 set by Royal Challengers Bangalore against Sahara Pune Warriors in the 2013 Indian Premier League. Overall, this is the third-highest T20 score, with Afghanistan blasting 278/3 against Ireland in Dehradun in February 2019. Czech Republic smashed 278/4 against Turkey at Ilfov County in August 2019.

Jamaica Tallawahs chose to bowl and they made a horror start with 11 runs being conceded off the first over. Sunil Narine piled on the agony by launching a six and smashing a four off Derval Green and then continued the onslaught with two fours off Oshane Thomas. However, Zahir Khan, the Afghanistan chinaman, removed Narine for 20 but Munro started brilliantly with a four and six off the spinner. 
Munro was taking guard outside the off stump and this flustered the Jamaica Tallawahs bowlers who sprayed too often on leg stumps and were punished. At the other end, Simmons was in fine form as he neared his fifty with a six off Zahir Khan. Simmons was benefited by two dropped catches in the 10th over bowled by Ramaal Lewis as Jamaica Tallawahs wilted. 

Rovman Powell's 13th power saw both Simmons and Munro hammering sixes as the bowler leaked 23 runs, with Simmons reaching his fifty. The 14th over saw more carnage, with Munro hitting two sixes off Zahir and Simmons launching yet another six. Simmons greeted Thomas with two fours and a six and things got worse when a no-ball was hit for a boundary but Simmons was run-out for 86. 
Pollard stepped in and blasted two sixes off Jerome Taylor as the bowler overstepped twice and 30 runs came in the 18th over. Munro thumped two sixes and a four off Thomas while Pollard slammed his fifth six. Trinbago Knight Riders blasted 171 runs in the last 10 overs and they were boosted to a big total. In response, Jamaica Tallawahs got off to a flier with Glenn Phillips hitting Mohammad Hasnain for two fours and two sixes. 

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Phillips looked in good touch and Gayle started off confidently with two fours off Narine. After Phillips two fours off James Neesham, he was dropped by Hasnain while Gayle blasted two sixes off Narine. Phillips hammered a four and a six off Neesham while Gayle also found the boundary on a regular basis as Jamaica Tallawahs reached 84/0 after seven overs. 

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Hasnain returned and he sent back Gayle for 39 and in the same over, removed Chadwick Walton for 6. Phillips reached his fifty and he targeted Khary Pierre with two fours. However, Pollard sent back Phillips for 62 and the chase fizzled out. Most of the batsmen struck boundaries regularly but the asking rate just mounted and they lost the match by 41 runs.

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HIGHLIGHTS

• Trinbago Knight Riders notched up the highest score in T20 Franchise cricket.
• RCB had held the previous record with 263/5 in 2013 IPL.
• This was Trinbago Knight Riders fourth consecutive win.