Simmons-Bravo partnership symbolic of TKR poise

Sarthak Dev looks at the CPL final and analyses the dominance of Trinbago

By the last stretch, they were dancing. Not even a simple jig; they were doing an elaborate, coordinated routine — the kind you do when a party begins to peak. Some runs remained to be scored, maybe one tough bowler to tackle, but invincibility comes with a sturdy cloak of belief.

The true genius of TKR, in their handling of the match and the Simmons-Bravo partnership, could be found when they weren’t doing genius things. In a format as short as T20, the ability to absorb and manoeuvre pressure is as valuable a skill as a good yorker or a strong bottom-hand. This doesn’t only come with experience, which the Zouks had enough of too, but also a familiarity with high-pressure situations, through split-second wins and heartbreaking losses. The Knight Riders, eventually, just had too much knowledge to recall.

The Trinbago Knight Riders are a team of T20 royalty. Most of their core are keenly sought-after names in leagues around the world. Some of them have a World T20 gold medal in their cupboard, some have two. Between Pollard, Narine, and Dwayne Bravo, they have eight IPL titles. The calmness this team oozed when the wind was blowing against them highlighted their steel. 

Right from the toss, Pollard exuded confidence in the TKR thought process. Electing to field in a major final is a bold risk, especially given St. Lucia Zouk’s recent form with the ball; but that’s exactly what Knight Riders wanted to stress-test. Pollard mentioned how he wanted to put the Zouks under pressure by asking their batsmen to set the tone instead.

And fair play, the Zouks responded in style. Andre Fletcher and Mark Deyal stroked themselves to 60 runs in the Powerplay itself. By the end of the 10th over, they were 79-2, ready to launch and bat the Knight Riders out of the final. The absence of Sunil Narine and the inability to use Dwayne Bravo as a bowler seemed to have stung TKR. On the field too, they were sloppy, letting easy runs and easier catches slip.

There is a school of thought in game theory which focuses on decisions more than the outcome. Throughout the initial onslaught, Pollard and the rest of his team looked unfazed. Sure, remonstrative when bowlers and fielders were too loose, but never in panic. If the fielders were dropping catches, it meant that the bowlers were generating enough chances.

Kieron Pollard or Dwayne Bravo may or may not have studied much Applied Mathematics, but a knack for reading situations has never needed glittery graduation robes. So when all those catches went down, their heads didn’t droop; they just tightened up for the next chance. The Knight Riders dropped three catches in the innings; and every time, amazingly, the benefitting batsman was out before the over ended. Kharry Pierre dropped a sitter from the in-form Mark Deyal, but Bravo grabbed his chance on the next delivery; Ali Khan dropped Darren Sammy in the 17th over, but Akeal Hussein snapped up Sammy when he returned on strike; Kesrick Williams’ skier in the 19th over just evaded Pierre, but Williams was run-out next ball.

Left without the services of Narine and Bravo, Pollard had to bowl his full quota of four overs — something he doesn’t do very often. But bowl he did. Ambling in with the pace and intensity of a sprinter on a holiday and then letting rip some deceptively two-paced slower deliveries, he robbed the Zouks middle-order of the one thing they craved most — pace. Knowing that a sub-par total will play into the hands of TKR, the Zouks batsmen went for their shots, and mistimed enough of them to not reach where their scorecard at the halfway mark had promised.

154 isn’t a safe total against the best batting team in the league, but it was still competitive for a final. Sammy did what he had to, and brought on his spinners very early in the innings. No team had a lower dot-ball percentage in this year’s Caribbean Premier League than the Knight Riders, but against Mohammed Nabi and Roston Chase, their batsmen just couldn’t manoeuvre the play enough. At times, Simmons’ lethargic body-language led to increased pressure from one end; and as early as the third over, forced Tion Webster into an ungainly heave off Roston Chase. At the end of the first 10 overs, the Knight Riders hadn’t even crossed the Zouks’ Powerplay score. Simmons and Darren Bravo were both taking their time to get used to the pace of the pitch, and more surprisingly, weren’t running like one would while chasing a score in a major final.

Crucially, Webster and Seifert were their only casualties from the first half. Simmons and Darren Bravo were now set, and with Pollard, Dwayne Bravo, and Sikandar Raza to follow, had the edifice in place for the final flourish. As they began the ascent, they kept one eye on the required run-rate, never letting it move into double digits. Bravo finished the 11th over with a six; Simmons finished the 12th with a six and a four, which also moved him to the top of the CPL 2020 run-scoring charts.

Roston Chase bowled a miserly 13th over, but Darren Sammy had blinked by then. For the next over, he chose to bowl Javelle Glen instead of the Afghan left-arm wrist spinner Zahir Khan, and saw the ball disappear for 15 runs. When he did bring Zahir in for the 17th, it was too late. Darren Bravo and Lendl Simmons were on their victory march. Khan went for 23 and the game was as good as over. That they won with 11 balls to spare is a testament to the immaculate pacing of a tense run-chase by Simmons and Bravo. 

Looking back, long after the presentation ceremonies are done with, it seems only fitting that Trinbago Knight Riders won this year’s Caribbean Premier League. Only the second team to win every match of a T20 tournament, they batted and bowled better than everyone else this year. They had to deal with key absences at different parts of the tournament, but overcame each of those hurdles with the poise of a champion team. 

That their captain, who only bowled because he didn’t have enough options, would drag them back into a slipping final, was poetic. They will be a hard act to follow next year. 

Article edited by Santokie Nagulendran

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