CLT20: As it happened - Lendl Simmons' fifty takes Trinidad & Tobago into semi-finals

Chennai Super Kings lost to Trinidad & Tobago by 8 wickets in Delhi in what was the last league match of the Champions League Twenty20. Catch the match as it happened here: (Scorecard | Commentary):

 

22:38 (IST): That's the end of that. Trinidad not only win but win well by 8 wickets. They top the group and hence will play Mumbai Indians in the semis.

 

22:32 (IST): Simmons falls on the verge of a victory. (Trinidad 116/2 in 14.2 overs; Target: 119).

 

22:26 (IST): Simmons gets his fifty as Trinidad march on towarss a place in the last four. (Trinidad 97/1 in 12.2 overs; Target: 119).

 

22:18 (IST): Raina finally gets the breakthrough for Chennai. Evin Lewis departs but not before havingh laid the foundation for a Trinidad victory. (Trinidad 79/1 in 10.1 overs; Target: 119).

 

22:08 (IST): The start by the openers means that there will be no pressure on the middle order as and when they are required to bat. Chennai need a flurry of wickets as nothing seems to be going their way. (Trinidad 57/0 in 8 overs; Target: 119).

 

22:01 (IST): Lewis and Simmons setting a good platform for a Trinidad victory as they build a good partnership in the powerplay overs. (Trinidad 45/0 in 6 overs; Target: 119).

 

21:54 (IST): Trinidad playing risk-free cricket and that is exactly the order of the day. They know the target does not demand big hits or caution to the wind. (Trinidad 28/0 in 4 overs; Target: 119).

 

21:47 (IST): Openers Evin Lewis and Lendl Simmons looking comfortable as they start off in quest of 119. (Trinidad 12/0 in 2 overs; Target: 119).

 

21:41 (IST): Trinidad start off their run chase. They don't need to do anything silly and should keep it simple. (Trinidad 5/0 in 0.3 overs; Target: 119).

 

21:34 (IST): Should Trinidad chase down the target in 17.4 overs or less they will go ahead of Chennai in terms of net-run-rate.

 

21:27 (IST): So it takes a run out to end Chennai's innings at 118. They fall 2 balls short of 20 overs. Rayad Emrit leads the pack for Trinidad with 3/21. A combination of good bowling and fielding ensured Chennai's downfall.

 

21:23 (IST): Jason Holder hits the ball high in the sir, but only gets height and not distance. Trinidad keep on taking their catches. (Chennai 117/9 in 19.2 overs).

 

21:20 (IST): A horrible mix-up results in Badrinath's departure. Trinidad's fielding has been exemplary as they look to leave no stone unturned even so late in the innings. (Chennai 116/8 in 19 overs).

 

21:17 (IST): Rampaul cleans up Albie Morkel. The bowler is rewarded for keeping the basics right. Trinidad running all over Chennai at the moment. (Chennai 106/7 in 18.2 overs).

 

21:11 (IST): Dhoni's lone battle comes to an end as he skies a catch after having made 25 runs. Chennai in danger of not making it to 20 overs. (Chennai 102/6 in 16.5 overs).

 

21:05 (IST): The runs are beginning to dry up for Chennai. Trinidad are using the conditions perfectly to their advantage. (Chennai 94/5 in 16 overs).

 

20:57 (IST): Jadeja is run out and that is a tragedy for Chennai. All hopes on Dhoni and Albie Morkel who is batting for the first time in the tournament. (Chennai 88/5 in 13.4 overs).

 

20:53 (IST): The equation is clear and simple for Trinidad. If they lose by more than 5 runs they will not qualify for the semi-finals.

 

20:50 (IST): Chennai really falling apart now. Dwayne Bravo is gone for just 2 and Dhoni is joined by Ravindra Jadeja at the crease. (Chennai 84/4 in 12.2 overs).

 

20:45 (IST): Raina throws it away! After a good start he falls to Lendl Simmons for 38. Trinidad now have 2 quick wickets and shall look to apply pressure. (Chennai 78/3 in 11 overs).

 

20:33 (IST): Vijay is gone! Lendl Simmons' first ball does the job and the opener is unable to continue his good start. MS Dhoni has come up the order. A change in stategy for Chennai or is it inspired by his 19-ball 63 not out against Hyderabad in Ranchi. (Chennai 62/2 in 8.1 overs).

 

20:29 (IST): The fifty-run partnership comes up between Raina and Vijay. Chennai will want them to continue and get a sizeable total. (Chennai 62/1 in 8 overs).

 

20:22 (IST): Raina and Murali Vijay starting to build a partnership after the early loss of Hussey. Chennai starting to keep the scoreboard ticking in the powerplay overs. (Chennai 49/1 in 6 overs).

 

20:14 (IST): Rampaul working up a good pace and the short ball is certainly causing some discomfort to Suresh Raina. (Chennai 25/1 in 4 overs).

 

20:07 (IST): Ravi Rampaul strikes! Michael Hussey had know clue about that delivery as the bowler gets through his defences. Trinidad draw first blood. (Chennai 7/1 in 1.4 overs).

 

19:58 (IST): So the game is set to get underway. The Trinidad players are on the field and the Chennai openers walk out to take guard. The crowd is a sea of yellow and blue. The blue is due to the Mumbai supporters who have stayed on for the Chennai match. The spectators let out a great roar as the two teams face off.

 

19:51 (IST): A good crowd has built up. They wait in anticipation to see their favourite stars in action.

 

19:49 (IST): Regardless of which team makes the fourth spot in the semis, they shall be the odd one out as the other 3 are from India.

 

19:39 (IST): The teams are as follows:

Chennai: Michael Hussey, Murali Vijay, Suresh Raina, S Badrinath, MS Dhoni(w/c), Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Albie Morkel, Jason Holder, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohit Sharma

Trinidad: Lendl Simmons, Evin Lewis, Darren Bravo, Yannick Ottley, Nicolas Pooran, Denesh Ramdin(w/c), Sunil Narine, Rayad Emrit, Navin Stewart, Ravi Rampaul, Samuel Badree

 

19:34 (IST): Trinidad & Tobago opt to bowl against Chennai Super Kings. Ramdin is clear cut about his decision while Dhoni does not mind having to bat first.

 

19:28 (IST): The pitch is very dry and has cracks in different areas. Interesting to see what the captain winning the toss does.

 

19:17 (IST): A sight that any cricket fan would die for. Two legends of the game, Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar standing together. The Delhi crowd have clearly got their money's worth as they get to witness to modern masters who in their prime were the scourge of many a bowling attack.

 

19:13 (IST): Chennai have all the ingredients required for a champion team. Their batting is made up of some of the biggest hitters in the format, the bowling is backed up by excellent fielding and last but not the last, they have an exceptional leader in command at the helm. All in all, Chennai have what it takes to be champions.

 

18:59 (IST): Both T&T and Titans have eight points each from two wins but the former side have a better run-rate (+0.407) as compared to the Titans (+0.228). But given the form the Chennai-based team is in, T&T skipper Denesh Ramdin would be urging his boy to go all out to accomplish what would be an arduous task. T&T have impressed with the bat, with decent contributions coming in from opener Evin Lewis and experienced international Darren Bravo. The team would be expecting Nicolas Pooran and Lendl Simmons, who impressed with the ball in the last match, to step up and take the side home in a crucial clash, besides banking on Ramdin's experience. On the bowling front, they heavily rely on pacer Ravi Rampaul and spinner Sunil Narine to deliver the goods and the duo has done a decent job so far to keep them in the hunt for a semi-final spot. Narine leads the highest wicket takers tally with eight wickets in the competition.

 

18:54 (IST): Chennai, who are already into the semi-finals, will look to use this game as a warm-up. When one considers their reputation, do not expect them to ease up in any manner.

 

18:48 (IST): So Mumbai Indians have booked a spot in the last four after a comprehensive 6-wicket win over Perth Scorchers. That makes 3 Indian teams in the semis. Otago Volts unlucky to miss out on net-run-rate. So the fourth spot is up for grabs now with Trinidad and Titans both in contention.

 

18:45 (IST): If T&T fail to tame the Chennai giants, given the run-rate scenario in Group B, the Islanders would want to curtail the margin of defeat as they are placed second, ahead of the Titans in the table.

 

The Caribbean side, which finished runners up in 2009, face their toughest test in the league so far against the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led unit which has already sealed its spot in the final four.

The T&T side was blessed by a Duckworth-Lewis win over Titans on Monday to put their campaign back on track after they were blown away by Thisara Perera of Sunrisers Hyderabad in the earlier match.

They got the better of the South African side by six runs in their last match to shrug off the loss against the Sunrisers after starting in a convincing fashion against Brisbane Heat of Australia.