Final match of CPL 2022: King’s brilliance steers Tallawahs to 3rd CPL title

By Brandon Corlette

Brandon King came to the party with another royal innings that enabled the Jamaica Tallawahs to clinch the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) title for 2022 at the Guyana National Stadium at Providence. This is the Tallawahs’ third title in the history of the CPL.

The Tallawahs defeated the Barbados Royals by eight wickets through a collective bowling effort from Fabian Allen and Nicholson Gordon, which restricted the Royals to 161-7 in 20 overs. The Royals’ iconic batsman Azam Khan made another fifty, but the Tallawahs ended their innings on 162-2 after 16.1 overs, after King had produced an unbeaten 84.
In the chase, Tallawahs lost Kennar Lewis for a golden duck when he was bowled by Kyle Mayers with the score at 1-1 in the opening over, but Brandon King and Shamarh Brooks, both of whom had scored centuries at Providence this season, consolidated the chase by taking the Tallawahs to 41-1 at the end of the powerplay.

Brooks continued his fine form in playing textbook cricket shots, while King played second fiddle as Tallawahs reached 86-1 in 10 overs, then requiring 76 runs from the last 60 balls. However, after the break, Brooks flicked one into the hands of Ramon Simmonds to give Holder the breakthrough. The 86-run partnership ended after Brooks had made a classy 47 from 33 balls, including six fours and two sixes.
At 87-2, captain Rovman Powell came to the crease, and the runs continued to flow. King showed his royal touch by thumping left-arm spinner Joshua Bishop for four boundaries in the 12th over, wherein the Tallawahs surged past the 100-run mark.
It was all elegant stroke-play for the West Indies opener as he raced away to his fifty from 36 balls.

Powell played spectator as King took the spinner Mujeeb to the cleaners in the 16th over, which yielded 20 runs; and King sealed the match with a maximum off Kyle Mayers as fans at the Providence Stadium danced away.
King’s innings of 84 runs from 50 balls was decorated with 13 fours and two sixes, while Powell was unbeaten on 14 as the Tallawahs recorded a crushing win over the Barbados Royals.
Earlier, Barbados Royals won the toss and opted to bat first. Rahkeem Cornwall and Kyle Mayers, blazing away, registered 63 runs for the opening wicket at the end of the powerplay. Mayers was at his classy best while Cornwall was his dominant self as he slammed Imad Wasim for a 105-metre six over the scoreboard to leave the Tallawahs players and fans in awe. Fabian Allen was then introduced, and he removed Cornwall for a 21-ball 36 after the big man had slammed four sixes and two fours.

During the massive powerplay, the duo of Kyle Mayers and Azam Khan struck eight fours and four sixes, but, six runs later, Mayers was bowled by Allen, and he departed for a 16-ball 29 that included six fours.
At 69-2, Azam Khan was joined by Jason Holder, and the duo added 48 runs for the third wicket. Although Holder looked promising in that partnership, it was the dominant Khan who struck sixes at ease. Khan, son of former Pakistan wicket-keeper Moin Khan, danced down the track and showed his full range.
Holder made a 19-ball 17, which included two fours, before he was bowled by the left-arm spinner Imad Wasim when the Royals’ score was at 117-3 in 14.2 overs. The Royals required a strong finish, but the out-of-form Afghanistan batsman Najibullah Zadran again failed to deliver, instead scoring six from 12.
Khan, who brought up his third CPL fifty in Guyana from 39 balls, departed with the next ball after making 51 runs from 40 balls in an innings that included four boundaries and three sixes.
Devon Thomas came and struck a six, but the Tallawahs kept things tight to restrict Royals to 161-7 when their 20 overs had expired.
Allen was again in the wickets, claiming 3-24 in four overs, and Nicholson Gordon had 3-33 in his quota, having removed Corbin Bosch (07) with the final ball of the innings.