Trinbago Knight Riders got home to their third win of the season and the first against the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons, as on a slightly sluggish track, the bowlers came to the fore for the hosts in Tarouba, before Keacy Carty and Alex Hales finished the job with an 87-run stand.
Alex Hales wasn’t at his fluent best on a sluggish track at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, Trinidad on Wednesday, August 27, but the senior Englishman was able to guide the Trinbago Knight Riders to their first win of the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons in four matches in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL). Hales stitched an 87-run partnership with Keacy Carty, who also made a well-compiled half-century as the Knight Riders knocked off the 147-run target with eight balls to spare.
Hales remained unbeaten on 55 off 46 while Carty played 45-ball 60, as both got better as their innings progressed, with the ball not coming on early. This was Hales’ 88th half-century in T20 cricket and he equalled the legendary Chris Gayle on the fifty leaderboard in the format. Hales and Gayle have now scored the joint-fifth highest half-centuries in T20 cricket, with David Warner topping the list at 113 half-centuries.
Most half-centuries in T20 cricket
113 – David Warner (423 innings)
105 – Virat Kohli (397 innings)
96 – Jos Buttler (440 innings)
93 – Babar Azam (309 innings)
88 – Chris Gayle (455 innings)
88 – Alex Hales (503 innings)*
Hales now has 95 fifty-plus scores to his name in T20 cricket, going with seven centuries. After a tough Major League Cricket (MLC), the 36-year-old is slowly coming into his own on the circuit this year, having skipped the English domestic season. Hales has formed a strong opening pair with Colin Munro, with the likes of Carty, skipper Nicholas Pooran, Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell to follow and the Knight Riders look good for another playoffs spot.
Earlier, it was Mohammad Amir’s three-fer, which helped the Knight Riders restrict the Falcons to 146 in their 20 overs. The Falcons now find themselves in a fix with three wins and as many losses in seven matches and just three more games are left for them to make an impact and push for a spot in the top four.