By Kurtis Hinds
Player of the match Shikha Pandey grabbed 3 wickets for 17 runs and also took 2 catches, as the Trinbago Knight Riders Women defeated the defending champions, Barbados Tridents, by 21 runs in the opening game of the Women’s Caribbean Premier League at Kensington Oval on Saturday.
After being sent in to bat by the three-time defending champions, the Knight Riders were bowled out for 155 off the final ball of their innings.
This represented a major fightback from the Tridents, after the Knight Riders had earlier cruised to 71 for 1 at the end of the powerplay.
Opener Laura Harris hammered 38 from just 19 deliveries, including 4 fours and 3 sixes, while fellow opener Yastika Bhatia added 35 and Madeline Penna 27, but the Knight Riders’ last six batters failed to get into double figures.
For the Tridents, Qiana Joseph took 3 for 27, Suzie Bates 2 for 25 and captain Hayley Matthews 2 for 26.
In their turn at the wicket, Matthews and Joseph got the Tridents’ reply off to a solid start before Matthews was dismissed for 19 from 13 balls, off the last ball of the fifth over.
Joseph was then dismissed for 25 off the penultimate ball of the next over, as the Tridents ended the powerplay at 47 for 2.
Batting at number three, Kiran Navgire top-scored with 28 off 21 deliveries, while Maddy Green added 24, but the Tridents failed to build partnerships after the powerplay overs and eventually slipped to 134 all out, with six balls remaining in their innings.
Medium-packer Pandey was accurate and economical, taking three for 17, while Deandra Dottin grabbed 2 wickets for 24 runs and Samara Ramnath 2 for 16.
