Woeful Tridents bow out with fourth straight defeat

TAROUBA, Trinidad (CMC):

Barbados suffered the embarrassment of becoming the first reigning champions of the Caribbean Premier League to miss out on the playoffs in the following season when they crashed out of the tournament with a six-wicket defeat to Guyana Amazon Warriors here on Thursday night.

Sent in at the Brian Lara Stadium in a must-win contest, Tridents produced another shocking performance with the bat to be limited to a mediocre 89 for nine of their 20 overs – the third straight time the Jason Holder-led side failed to reach triple figures in the tournament.

In reply, left-hander Shimron Hetmyer stroked a patient unbeaten 32 and opener Chandrapaul Hemraj, 29, as Amazon Warriors reached their target in the 15th over to end on 12 points from their full complement of 10 games.

The defeat was the fourth straight for Tridents and their seventh of the campaign, ending a wretched run in the tournament still with a game remaining.

Only two days prior, Tridents were restricted to 92 in another humbling defeat to Amazon Warriors – the franchise they beat in last year’s final – and failed to improve their fortunes this time around.

The indifferent batting effort was underscored by the fact that not a single player reached 20 as South African leg-spinner Imran Tahir (3-12) and fast bowler Romario Shepherd (3-22) snatched three-wicket hauls to destroy the innings.

Johnson Charles was first to fall for 10 in the third over, guiding a rank Shepherd long hop to New Zealander Ross Taylor at cover, and Rashid Khan, inexplicably promoted to number three, slogged the very next ball to Brandon King at deep mid-wicket to perish for a first-ball ‘duck’.

Shamarh Brooks, in for his first game, made just eight before falling to a brilliant one-handed catch by Taylor leaping at short mid-wicket in the sixth over off off-spinning captain Chris Green, and with no addition to the total, Justin Greaves missed a flick at a Tahir googly and had his stumps shattered at 28 for four in the seventh over.

Kyle Mayers punched off-spinner Kevin Sinclair for a six over long off in scoring eight but then miscued a swing at Tahir and skied to Hemraj at mid-off in the ninth over, and when Holder recklessly holed out to long on off Shepherd for three, the innings was falling apart at 39 for six in the 11th over.

New Zealander Mitchell Santner (18) tried yet again to salvage the innings, combining with Nyeem Young (18) in a 30-run stand to stem the flow of wickets.

But Santner was deceived and bowled by a Sinclair arm ball in the 16th over, and Tridents meandered thereafter, managing to garner only 24 runs from the last five overs.

With little margin for error, Tridents started well when King played back to the first legitimate delivery of the run chase and was bowled by left-arm spinner Santner.

Hetmyer arrived to join Hemraj, however, and the pair put on 34 for the second wicket to stifle Tridents’ hopes.

While Hetmyer struck two fours in a measured 33-ball knock, Hemraj proved the aggressor, belting three fours and a couple of leg-side sixes in an entertaining 22-stay at the crease.