Leicestershire v Trinidad & Tobago – Champions League T20 qualifiers – Match Preview
The third match of the CLT20 2011 qualifiers sees England’s domestic T20 champions, Leicestershire Foxes, playing their first fixture against the Trinidad & Tobago outfit from the Caribbean.
It was a slow start to the tournament with first two encounters failing to match the hype which has surrounded the competition. Rather than having high-scoring matches, the bowlers impressed on pitches which assisted the spinners.
Now the attention turns to the second day of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Thomas-George-Burrows-c93472he qualifiers, which sees T&T in a good position to qualify for the group stages after they beat Ruhuna by 5 wickets.
They only played one proper seamer in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Daren-Ganga-c52410 preferred to play slow bowlers, all of whom were effective enough to keep their opponents' total to a manageable tally.
However, the concern for them will be their batting, with only http://www.senore.com/Cricket/DM-Bravo-c1386 showing the maturity to sensibly weather out the attack. His unbeaten knock of 44 ensured his side opened the tournament with a win under their belt.
Apart from Bravo, Sherwin Ganga’s late cameo innings of 39 from just 15 deliveries was the turning point of the match. His innings, which included four fours and 2 sixes, tilted the balance in favor of his side.
As it turned out, building partnerships remained the key and failing to do so came to the Sri Lankan domestic team’s demise.
Having won the first match somehow does not ensure an automatic berth in the group stages, so the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/West-Indies-c760 contingent cannot put their foot off the gas and will have to ensure that they come up trumps in their second fixture.
Leicestershire’s road to the qualifiers has been a fairy tale. Financially strapped and a dismal performance in the County Championship (first-class) did not stop them from claiming the title of the Friends Life T20 tournament.
Under veteran English pacer, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Matthew-Hoggard-c1926, the team managed to pull the strings and booked their flight to play in the Champions LeagueT20. It will be a great boost for them if they qualify for the group stage, which guarantees them a big pay check.
Despite under-performing throughout the domestic season, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Andrew-McDonald-c1042.
The Pakistani player will be the second from his country to play in the competition after http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Razzaq-c84421 can be devastating on his day and with the sub-continent conditions suiting his play, one can expect fireworks.
The Aussie representative, McDonald, was the team’s highest run-getter in the Friends Life T20, scoring 584 runs. With ability to bowl at the depth, McDonald is a valuable member of the team.
Apart from the duo, 39-year-old South African, Claude Henderson, would relish the opportunity to bowl under these conditions, after seeing the other spinners achieve success on the track.
The temperatures will be touching almost 30; however, the weather is expected to cool down as the day progresses. The pitch will again be on the slower side so hard hitting will be difficult.
The match is scheduled to begin at 16:00 local time and promises to be another exciting competition.
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