Hetmyer’s ton powers Warriors to nine-run DLS win over TKR

The Guyana Amazon Warriors extended their unbeaten run with a nine-run (DLS) win over Trinbago Knight Riders at the Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad on Monday. A century from Shimron Hetmyer helped the Warriors post a sizable 185 in a rain-curtailed 16-over contest. Mohammad Nabi then picked up three wickets to dent the Knight Riders, who despite Alex Hales’ best efforts, were unable to get over the line.

Asked to bat first, the Warriors were jolted early by Akeal Hosein who removed Glenn Phillips and conceded just one run in the first over. The pressure intensified with Sunil Narine following it up with another tight one-run over. Shai Hope broke free and struck two sixes but he was dismissed by Lahiru Kumara in the fourth over. Rain then intervened, delaying proceedings by more than 90 minutes.

Once play resumed, Hetmyer seized control. He began by smacking Jyd Goolie for consecutive sixes in the seventh over before taking Kumara for two fours and a six in the following over. A struggling Matthew Nundu was retired out at the end of the ninth over after making a 21-ball 13. Hetmyer carried on and brought up a 27-ball fifty before smashing 30 runs off the 13th over bowled by Kumara.

Support from the other end arrived soon with Romario Shepherd taking down Dominic Drakes for 27 runs in the 15th over. Hetmyer then notched up his century with a six in the final over as the Warriors finished with an imposing score of 185 for 5 in 16 overs.

Chasing an adjusted target of 182, the Knight Riders, who were without captain Kieron Pollard owing to injury, began well by scoring 52 for 1 in the 4.5 overs Powerplay. While Narine fell early, Colin Munro and Nicholas Pooran shared a quick 35-run stand to get their team off to a strong start. However, Nabi struck immediately after the fielding restrictions eased and removed Munro. That triggered a shocking collapse as TKR slipped from 52 for 1 to 68 for 5 in the space of three overs.

Hales led the fightback, first through a 43-run stand with Hosein and then a 39-run partnership with Drakes. 40 runs were needed off the last two overs when Hales fell immediately after getting to fifty. Joshua Da Silva struck a couple of boundaries to keep the contest alive but the Knight Riders weren’t able to score the 24 runs needed off the final over.

Brief Scores: Guyana Amazon Warriors 185/5 in 16 overs (Shimron Hetmyer 111*, Romario Shepherd 27*; Akeal Hosein 1-11) beat Trinbago Knight Riders 172/7 in 16 overs (Alex Hales 55, Nicholas Pooran 43; Mohammad Nabi 3-20) by 9 runs (DLS).