19 October,2009 08:39 AM IST | | IANS
Trinidad and Tobago compiled the biggest total of the tournament enroute a 24-run victory over Diamond Eagles to move into the semi-finals of the Champions League Twenty20 here Sunday.
Electing to bat, the West Indian side smashed 213 for four with the top-order putting together a powerful batting performance.
Faced with the enormous chase, Eagles kept pace with the run rate for the first 10 overs before their challenge fizzled out and they finished at 189 for five.
The sizeable turnout at the stadium was treated to a run feast with more than 400 runs being scored in the match. Twenty sixes were hit in the match with 13 of those coming from Trinidad and Tobago batsmen.
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Trinidad and Tobago thus qualified for the semi-final as the top team from league A. The other team to reach the last four was New South Blues.
Right from the start, Trinidad and Tobago showed intent and got off to an electrifying start through openers Adrian Barath (63 off 41 balls) and William Perkins (35 off 25 balls). The two openers smashed 66 runs in 40 balls. Barath hit four fours and four sixes while Perkins struck three sixes and three fours.
There was no respite for Eagles' bowler even after the duo was separated as Lendl Simmons (40 off 25), Kieron Pollard (23 off 13 ) and Navin Stewart (33 not out off 11 balls) continued in the same vein.
Diamond Eagles made a brave attempt to chase down the target and looked right on track when openers Morne van Wyk (25 off 14) and Rilee Rossouw (44 off 19 balls) knocked off 54 runs in just 3.6 overs. Ravi Rampaul and Dwayne Bravo bore the brunt of their onslaught.
Off spinner Sherwin Ganga (2-25) got the important breakthrough as he removed Van Wyk and then dismissed Adrian McLaren (9) in the next over.
Rossouw was the next to go, dismissed by Lendl Simmons, leaving Diamond Eagles at 81 for three.
Dillion du Preez (35) and skipper Boeta Dippeanaar (33) kept the team in the hunt, but Pollard (2-35) shone with the bowl also to put the match beyond Eagles' reach.
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