19/08No result
3rd Match, Caribbean Premier League at Gros Islet, Aug 19 2023
No result
19/08No result
3rd Match, Caribbean Premier League at Gros Islet, Aug 19 2023
No result

12.40pm After so much rain, the game is called off. It continues pouring down considerably, and as a result, the teams share the points. They get a point each from their opening match of the season. But the action at the CPL isn't yet done for today, as GAW face SLK in the day's evening match. Until then, see you and take care!

12.25pm We are just seeing that it's raining again, and the covers are back in place. It looks like heavy rain, even if it's windy at the moment. And in a flash, it has suddenly gotten bright.

11.34am So we can wait until 1.27pm for a five-over match. That is almost two hours from now. And the broadcast shows that though it's dry at the moment, the next official update will be at 12.40pm, which is an hour away.

"Would like to know when we start losing overs..." --- We don't have an update on that yet, Imran. We'll provide one as soon we get it

11.25am Live pictures show the umpires walking out for inspection. There is still a puddle in the right-hander's deep midwicket region from one of the ends. The super sopper, which had gone home for a while, is invited again. More wait for us.

But even as rain takes its rounds in Gros Islet, there's a whole bunch of live matches which you can run through: UAE are hosting New Zealand, the Hundred is happening in England, the LPL is taking place in Sri Lanka, and the Maharaja Trophy is being held in the Indian state of Karnataka.

11.10am So the news is that all covers are taken off. We are getting closer to a restart. The next official update is at 11.30am.

10.44am The main cover is taken off, and almost the entire outfield is also free of covers right now. A bit of sunshine is peeping in as well, and we could resume soon.

10.34am There's some good news: rain has stopped. But because it was a heavy spell, there are quite a few damp patches on the field. But the super sopper is ready, even as things just slightly seems to have become brighter.

10.25am In some unwanted news, rain has got heavier at the Daren Sammy Stadium. It looks gloomy all around, in a hint that this could be a long wait. The super sopper is at work already, with wet patches forming on the outfield.

"TKR playing with only 1 overseas player" --- Excellent observation, Anish. It's almost an achievement to play only one foreigner in the days when teams are so perplexed as to how to best fill the four available slots

10.21am And, and... here comes the rain. The ground staff hurriedly places the cover on the pitch and the outfield, and the players head off. But it's very windy too, as one of the umpires struggles to keep the umbrella on his head.

3.1
1w
Muzarabani to Walton, 1 wide, length ball landing on leg, and angling down further. He shoulders arms to let that go

END OF OVER:
3 | 8 Runs 1 Wkt | TKR: 18/1 | RR: 6.00

  • Chadwick Walton1 (2b)
  • Mark Deyal2 (2b)
  • Sheldon Cottrell2-0-10-1
  • Blessing Muzarabani1-0-7-0
2.6
1
Cottrell to Walton, 1 run, the cover fielder dives to his right but doesn't get a hand, as the ball goes wide of mid-off. Very full length ball on off, and driven down by Walton to get off the mark
2.5
0
Cottrell to Walton, no run, good length ball on off, and tucked down on the off side

Walton

2.4
W
Cottrell to Guptill, OUT, cleans him up! Here comes the salute. Looking at it in real time almost gave the impression that Guptill almost knew where the ball was going the moment he missed it. On the fuller side of a length on off, and angled across the right-hander. But the ball straightens after pitching, and goes between his bat and pad as he looks to play a push-drive towards cover

MJ Guptill b Cottrell 11 (15b 2x4 0x6) SR: 73.33

He runs in to bowl, but loses the ball as his hand hits his pants

2.3
4
Cottrell to Guptill, FOUR, helped behind the wicket on the leg side. On a length on his pads, and he closes the bat face to turn that away and past the keeper's left for four

Eric: "Been quite a poor year for the Knight Riders franchise as a whole, hopefully TKR can turn it around!"

2.3
1w
Cottrell to Guptill, 1 wide, another wide, though this is close. Short and just outside leg, as he looked to pull and missed
2.2
0
Cottrell to Guptill, no run, the point fielder tumbles to his right to cut this off, as Guptill pushes at this shortish ball outside off
2.1
1
Cottrell to Deyal, 1 run, pokes at this short ball which is a bit wide of off, and plays with a flat bat. Single to deep third
2.1
1w
Cottrell to Deyal, 1 wide, wide down the leg side. On a good length on middle and leg, and angles in sharply. Left alone by Deyal

END OF OVER:
2 | 7 Runs | TKR: 10/0 | RR: 5.00

  • Martin Guptill7 (12b)
  • Mark Deyal1 (1b)
  • Blessing Muzarabani1-0-7-0
  • Sheldon Cottrell1-0-2-0
1.6
4
Muzarabani to Guptill, FOUR, finally a nice-looking drive! Typical Guptill shot: he leans into this drive off this full ball outside off, and presents the full face of the bat with high elbows. Four between cover and mid-off
1.5
0
Muzarabani to Guptill, no run, ah, very good ball. Fires in a yorker on off, as Guptill clips but now finds the square-leg fielder

Free hit

1.5
1nb
Muzarabani to Guptill, 1 no ball, tickled to short fine leg! Guptill looks so stunned there. It was there to be dispatched, with the ball being quite full outside leg, while being angled in. Guptill flicked and found the fielder... but hang on, it's a no-ball, as Guptill gets a life

Slip in now

1.4
2
Muzarabani to Guptill, 2 runs, lofts this good length ball outside off unconvincingly over cover, as he opens the bat face late after making a bit of room
1.3
0
Muzarabani to Guptill, no run, now he looks to launch this down the ground, but this length ball on middle and off angles in quite a bit to go over the stumps and beat him on the inside edge
1.2
0
Muzarabani to Guptill, no run, ah, beaten outside off. Length ball on middle and off, which was angled in, but straightened after pitching, as Guptill tried to block but was beaten
1.1
0
Muzarabani to Guptill, no run, shortish ball on sixth stump, as Guptill taps that to point. The fielder there over-ran to his left, before getting in control of it

Muzarabani from the other end

END OF OVER:
1 | 3 Runs | TKR: 3/0 | RR: 3.00

  • Martin Guptill1 (5b)
  • Mark Deyal1 (1b)
  • Sheldon Cottrell1-0-2-0
0.6
1
Cottrell to Guptill, 1 run, shorter side of a length on leg, and nudged behind to fine leg

Slip taken off

0.5
1
Cottrell to Deyal, 1 run, length ball on off, and tucked to mid-on to get a single rather quickly

Deyal facing his first ball. Slip for him too.

0.4
1lb
Cottrell to Guptill, 1 leg bye, almost a yorker on leg, and it takes his pad as he tries to flick. Leg bye for TKR to get off the mark

Nick: "Wooow, n° 4 to 8 for TKR: Pooran, Pollard, Russell, Bravo, Narine !! Amazing middle order!"

0.3
0
Cottrell to Guptill, no run, almost a mix-up there! Guptill taps this fullish ball on off to cover, and takes off. But seeing no response from Deyal, he is sent back
0.2
0
Cottrell to Guptill, no run, pulls his length back to go on a good length on middle and off. Dabbed down by Guptill towards cover
0.1
0
Cottrell to Guptill, no run, bowls quite full on off, as it is angled across. Pushed down to mid-on with half a stride forward

Cottrell has the new ball for STKNP. Guptill on strike, as a slip awaits.

9.57am We are starting on time despite the rain around. The TKR openers wait to walk out, as the super sopper still swings itself on the outfield. But we are good to go: the STKNP fielders rush out, followed by the two batters.

Yoel: "Cricket teams shouldn't be allowed to hold so many stars like T"

So among the highlights, former India and CSK batter Ambati Rayudu makes his CPL debut, as he lines up for STKNP.

TKR: 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Chadwick Walton (wk), 3 Mark Deyal, 4 Nicholas Pooran, 5 Kieron Pollard (capt), 6 Andre Russell, 7 Dwayne Bravo, 8 Sunil Narine, 9 Akeal Hosein, 10 Kadeem Alleyne, 11 Jayden Seales

STKNP: 1 Evin Lewis (capt), 2 Andre Fletcher (wk), 3 Corbin Bosch, 4 Sherfane Rutherford, 5 Ambati Rayudu, 6 Joshua Da Silva, 7 George Linde, 8 Dominic Drakes, 9 Sheldon Cottrell, 10 Oshane Thomas, 11 Blessing Muzarabani

9.46am News is that STKNP win the toss and bowl. Pollard, TKR's captain, finds total contrast to most of the night games which his side have played in the past, with this one being played early in the morning. Mbangwa says the pitch "looks good", though there are patches he is concerned about.

Afeef: "TKR have the biggest Carribbean T20 superstars in their team (except Chris Gayle). They better win the trophy this season. They were similarly star-studded last season too but finished last. Sad to see Colin Munro no longer with TKR after he was a constant for them for 7 seasons, but Rossouw is a like-for-like replacement."

So here comes confirmation that toss is at 9.45am, and first ball is at 10am.

9.34am The umpires inspect the outfield because of some rain in the recent past, even as there is some sunshine at the ground at the moment. It is windy too, and Pommie Mbangwa reports that there's some water beyond the boundary line. However, he says it is "much better" on the actual field of play. He hopes we can start soon, though when that happens is hardly known now.

9.15am The fact that the quintet of Bravo, Pollard, Pooran, Narine and Russell are on the same side tilts this contest TKR's way already. But the fact that this is a T20 probably provides STKNP some relief already, because only one over in this format can sometimes tend to be enough to turn this game around. This is Himanshu saying hello ahead of the third match this CPL, as both TKR and STKNP start their campaign.