Chennai, Oct 2 (IANS) A determined Trinidad and Tobago snatched a dramatic 12-run win against title holders Chennai Super Kings to record their first win in the Nokia Champions League T20 tournament here on Sunday.
Batting first on winning the toss, Trinidad and Tobago, who had narrowly lost their previous two encounters, scored 123 for eight and then off-spinner Sunil Narine turned in a brilliant performance (3 for 8) as the Super Kings could manage 111 for six to suffer their second defeat in three games.
The result left the Super Kings, who had lost their opening game to Mumbai Indians, and Trinidad and Tobago tied on two points at the bottom of Group A. Mumbai Indians head the group with five points, followed by New South Wales Blues on four and Nashua Cape Cobras on three.
The Super Kings chase began on a bright note as 20 runs came off the first two overs before the hosts went off the rails. Openers Murali Vijay and Michael Hussey, followed by Suresh Raina departed with Narine picking up two wickets and seamer Ravi Rampaul one as the Super Kings crashed to 28 for three.
Then came a brief recovery through Subramaniam Badrinath and Wriddhiman Saha, but the latter fell leg-before to Kevon Cooper and the home team was left struggling.
There was no respite for Super Kings as Badrinath, who was playing a dour innings, was next to go, run out when backing up too far leave them floundering at 52 for five in the 12th over.
With the pitch getting lower and slower, stroke-making was at a premium and the asking rate kept climbing all the time. Narine, brought back for his second spell, foxed skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni into giving a return catch as Super Kings seem to slide further into quicksand.
Thus, with three overs left, the Super Kings needed another 48 runs to win with Bravo and big-hitter Albie Morkel at the crease.
The 18th over bowled by Rampaul fetched 14 runs with Bravo smashing two boundaries leaving the Super Kings to get 34 off 12 balls. Only seven came off the 19th, leaving the hosts to get 27 from Rampaul’s last over off which 14 runs were struck to leave Trinidad and Tobago winners by 12 runs.
Earlier, Trinidad and Tobago’s innings had a steady start with Lendl Simmons and his new partner William Perkins putting on 52 runs, but thereafter, they seemed to lose their way, losing three wickets in as many overs, courtesy some brilliant fielding.
Perkins, threatening to open out, was caught at point a ball after he smacked Jakati for a massive six, his second of the night.
In the next over, Simmons was caught short attempting a single as Daren Bravo played Jakati to square-leg where Wriddhiman Saha swiftly picked up and threw to Dhoni who whipped off the bails.
Jakati, who has suffered a painful blow on his finger while attempting a return catch off Simmons in his very first over, then struck again, accepting a return catch to dismiss Bravo as Trinidad and Tobago slid to 57 for three in the 11th.
Adding to Trinidad and Tobago’s misery was off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin who had skipper Daren Ganga top-edging to Suresh Raina and Super Kings took control even as Denesh Ramdin and Adrian Barath joined him in the dug-out soon after with Dwayne Bravo and Doug Bollinger picking up a wicket apiece.
A flurry of sixes by Cooper at the death added important runs to the Trinidad and Tobago total while Bollinger collected two more wickets in the final over of the innings to complete a profitable night.
