By Isaac Lockett
Four teams were one step away from the final on day 14 at the Cool and Smooth T20. Before any team could think about lifting the trophy, there was the simple equation of winning their semi-final. Knock-out cricket can often lead to unexpected outcomes, and rain only added another element to the mix.
The Empire Nation won the toss in the first semi-final and asked the Piggotts Crushers to set a total. Nathan Edward (1-26) claimed the early wicket of Leniko Boucher (6 off 8), but the third wicket partnership between Kristan Kallicharan and Jewel Andrew was impactful. Kallicharan, who hit a half-century during the group stage, looked in impressive form and found the boundary with some regularity during a 52-ball 71. Andrew complimented Kallicharan’s inning through a more supporting role before looking to increase his scoring rate. Andrew finished with 52 off 51 balls during a tournament where he has got a lot of people wondering what comes next for him after impressing throughout the tournament. Micah McKenzie was more expensive than usual for the Nation but picked up 2-41 from his four overs as the Crushers finished with 159 runs on the board.
The threat of rain then turned into a reality with a rain break, meaning that the Nation’s chase was shortened with their target adjusted. After DLS was introduced, the Nation required 125 from 15 overs. This change told that the Nation needed a run rate of 8.33 compared to 7.95, which may not sound like a lot but in T20 cricket, every run counts. Mikyle Louis has been impressive all tournament for the Nation, and he handled the semi-final pressure well, scoring 36 off 26, along with fellow opening batter Tyrone Williams Jr (22 off 17). The pair put on 43 for the first wicket, putting the Nation on track to chase the target. However, four wickets fell between the 7th over and the 10th, meaning that the run rate was climbing and the Crushers were in the driving seat. All-rounder Justin Athanaze has been a common feature with both bat and ball for the Nation and has put in some impressive performances. Athanaze displayed a combination of power-hitting and the ability to run well between the wickets as he finished on 29* off 17. But the question was whether the innings from Athanaze was enough to help the Nation over the line. It all came down to the last over, as Andrew, who had not bowled a ball in the tournament up to this point, was tasked with defending nine runs from the last over. After Tariq Benjamin (11* off 7) hit the second ball for four and then took a single off the fourth ball, it was over to Athanaze. The batter needed three of two balls. After hitting the fifth ball for a two, the scores were level, meaning that if it was a dot ball, the teams would have been headed for a super over. However, nerves were held as Athanaze found a single off the last ball to secure the Nations’ spot in the final.
In the second semi-final, defending champions the Liberta Blackhawks came up against the Bolans Blasters. The Blackhawks have only lost one game in the last three years, but the Jennings Tigers proved that the juggernaut was not impenetrable. Unfortunately, the spin-bowling attack of the Liberta Blackhawks proved to be the undoing of the Blasters, as they lost wickets are regular intervals during the first inning. The Blackhawks bowled 13 overs of spin during the first inning, with those overs combining for 9-54. The final wicket came from a run-out as the Blasters were bowled out for 87 after 17 overs. Tajeja Tonge top scored with the Blasters with 21 off 30, but the score always looked under par. Andre Bailey picked up two wickets for the Blackhawks from his only over to finish with 2-2, while Hayden Walsh Jr finished his four overs for 2-20.
The chase was beyond what anybody could have predicted at the halfway point. The opening pair of Kofi James and Leroy Lugg chased down the target in rapid time as Jamaican Lugg demolished the bowling. On his way to 43* off 16 balls, Lugg hit five sixes and two fours, while James finished with 27 off 15 as the Blackhawks romped home by ten wickets chasing down the target in 4.2 overs. The final is now locked in, with the Empire Nation taking on the Liberta Blackhawks in what will be a winner takes all encounter.
