Yorkshire’s Gary Ballance produced a stunning innings to help his team to their second win in the Karbonn CLT20 2012 Qualifiers and power their way into the main event. Set to chase a competitive 149, Yorkshire got past the finish line with four wickets in hand and seven balls to spare.

It took a special effort from Ballance to see his team through. After the match remained in the balance for fifteen overs, Balance launched an incredible assault and snatched the match away from Trinidad & Tobago in a matter of a few overs. Yorkshire needed 47 runs from the final five overs, but Ballance hit five sixes and two fours in that period to sway the contest decisively in favour of his team. The 22-year-old would remain unbeaten on 64 (37 balls), while Adil Rashid remained unbeaten on 33 (27 balls).

T&T will reflect on the lack of discipline in their bowling and their poor display in the field; their bowlers conceded nine runs through wides and no balls, while the fielders were guilty of dropping at least two opportunities in the outfield.

Earlier, Yorkshire stumbled at the start of their run-chase after they lost openers Andrew Gale and Phil Jaques in the first three overs. The wickets of Adam Lyth and Joe Root closer to the half-way mark meant T&T were always in contention. However, the Caribbean T20 winners lost grip on the match in the final quarter as Ballance went berserk in the company of Adil Rashid. The pair added 103 runs in 10.2 overs.

It was smart cricket from Yorkshire that they saw off the two bowlers in the T&T line-up who posed the biggest threat. Samuel Badree had completed his spell at the end of eight overs, while Ravi Rampaul was left with only one over in the second half of the run-chase.

Earlier in the evening, it took Denesh Ramdin’s best effort in Twenty20 cricket to help his team recover from a precarious position and end up with a respectable total. After opting to bat first, T&T quickly slipped to eight for three – with Lendl Simmons, William Perkins and Adrian Barath back in the hut. Ramdin first stemmed the rot in the company of Darren Bravo and then turned the heat on in the final few overs to guide his team to 148 for nine.

Though Ramdin and Bravo stopped the carnage initially, they couldn’t quite force the pace, and runs continued to trickle in. After nine overs, T&T were placed at 37 for three, and that’s when Ramdin and Bravo decided to take a few chances. They chose to go after the leg-spinner Adil Rashid first up and scored 13 runs off the tenth over, and then followed it up with another 12-run over.

Though Bravo played out several dot deliveries initially, he ensured he stayed in the middle and made a contribution. He made a gritty 45 (off 49 balls) and hit three boundaries and two sixes in his knock. His
partnership with Ramdin, which lasted 12.1 overs, was worth 93 runs.

Ramdin’s approach was more enterprising; while he was quick to pounce on anything that was pitched short and made sure he took full toll of them, he also created shots by chipping down the track or stepping to the leg side to play through backward point. If not for a confusion in the running
and his subsequent dismissal by a run-out, Ramdin looked good to make more than the 59 he struck during his 40-ball stay at the crease. He hit six boundaries and a six during his hour-long stay in the middle.

Kevon Cooper (15 off 9 balls), Ravi Rampaul (6 off 4 balls) and Yannick Ottley (5 off 2 balls) used the long handle effectively in the final overs to help finish the innings on a high. T&T eventually finished at 148 for nine, with 98 runs being scored in the second half of the innings.

For Yorkshire, Ryan Sidebottom was the pick of the bowlers; the lanky left-arm seamer made the most of the helpful conditions at the Centurion Park, and used his angles well, to pick up three wickets. Joe Root, Steven Patterson and Adil Rashid chipped in with a wicket each.

Brief Scores: Trinidad and Tobago 148-9 in 20 overs (Denesh Ramdin 59, Darren Bravo 45,
Ryan Sidebottom 3-13) lost to Yorkshire 154-4 in 18.5 overs (Gary Balance 64*, Adil Rashid 33*, Samuel Badree 1-22, Ravi Rampaul 1-22) by 6 wickets.

Man of the Match: Yorkshire’s Gary Ballance, for his stroke-filled unbeaten 64, which led his team to a 6-wicket win.