An outstanding unbeaten half-century by opener Chadwick Walton propelled the Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) into the final of the 2023 Caribbean Premier League (CPL). They secured a convincing seven-wicket victory over the Guyana Amazon Warriors. Led by Kieron Pollard, TKR will now face the winner of Qualifier 2, which is set to take place between the Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW) and the Jamaica Tallawahs on Friday, September 22 at Providence Stadium in Guyana.
The Qualifier 1 clash between Guyana and TKR was highly anticipated, as Guyana had earned their spot in the fixture by finishing at the top of the points table during the group stage. Led by Imran Tahir, Guyana accumulated an impressive 17 points from 10 games, securing the top position. In contrast, TKR concluded their group-stage campaign in second place, boasting six wins and a total of 13 points.
Here’s a video of Chadwick Walton’s mesmerizing knock:
A perfect innings from Chadwick Walton means he is tonights @Dream11 MVP ?#CPL23 #GAWvTKR #CricketPlayedLouder #BiggestPartyInSport #Dream11 pic.twitter.com/G3rSYgBkaG
— CPL T20 (@CPL) September 21, 2023
TKR won the game by 7 wickets
TKR won the toss and elected to field first in the first qualifier. They restricted the Warriors to a competitive 166/7 in 20 overs. Saim Ayub top-scored with 49 off 39, featuring four well-placed boundaries and a huge six. Azam Khan with 36 off 27 resulted handy. His knock included three masterful fours and one gigantic maximum. Handy contributions down the order boosted the score past the 160 mark. Terrance Hinds and Waqar Salamkheil returned with two wickets each while Ali Khan and Akeal Hosein bagged one each.
In reply, Chadwick Walton spearheaded the chase for the Knight Riders. His 80* off 57 featured six expert fours and four huge hits that cleared the fence. Nicholas Pooran followed him in terms of scoring with 33 off 24. However, the chase remained mostly a one-man show. Dwaine Pretorius continued his good form with a ball, returning two wickets while Imran Tahir scalped one. That was it for the Warriors who could not deal with the might of the Knight Rider’s batting strength. In the end, they achieved a seven-wicket victory with 11 balls to spare.
