Ranchi: Pacer Ravi Rampaul led a fine bowling performance by scalping four wickets as Trinidad and Tobago defended a small total to beat Brisbane Heat by 25 runs in a low-scoring Champions League Twenty20 match here on Sunday. Put into bat, Trinidad and Tobago could score a modest 135 for nine with captain Denesh Ramdin (48) being the only substantial contributor but their bowlers bowled Brisbane out for 110 in 18.4 overs at the JSCA Stadium here. Rampaul, who was coming back after recovering from an ankle injury, played the pivotal role, claiming four important wickets while conceding just 14 runs in his spell.
Off-spinner Sunil Narine and pacer Rayad Emrit chipped in with two wickets apiece while Samuel Badree got one wicket to help the Caribbean champions begin their Group B campaign with a win. For Brisbane, who struggled for runs from the very beginning of their run chase, opener Joe Burns was the lone main contributor with a 43-ball 45. They were still in with a chance to chase sown the target of 136 when they reached 76 for three in the 14th over but suffered a batting collapse later on. They could add just 34 runs at the expense of seven wickets in 5.2 overs to be all out for 110 and lose the match.
Brisbane captain James Hopes was the first to be dismissed for just four in the third over off the bowling of Rampaul and from then on, the Australian champion side struggled throughout their run chase. The biggest partnership for Brisbane was the 45 for the third wicket between Burns and Daniel Christian (13). But with the T&T bowlers tightening the screws with a disciplined effort, the inexperienced Brisbane batting line-up crumbled with just four of them reaching double digit figures. Both the sides have come here with a depleted squad as some of their key players either pulled out or playing for other teams in the tournament.
Earlier, pacer Alister McDermott grabbed four wickets as Brisbane restricted T&T for a modest 135 for nine. McDermott (4/37) removed both openers Lendl Simmons (14) and Evin Lewis (19) and then returned to scalp the last two wickets after Brisbane were put into bat. Off-spinner Nathan Hauritz also bowled a tidy spell of two for 22 from his four overs while Kemar Roach, Daniel Christian and Ben Cutting got a wicket apiece as Trinidad and Tobago batsmen, except for captain Denesh Ramdin (48), came a cropper.
Jason Mohammed (10) and Samuel Badree (15 not out) were the other Trinidad and Tobago batsmen who reached double digit figures. Hauritz dealt crucial blows immediately after McDermott claimed two wickets in as many overs as half of Brisbane batting line-up returned to the pavilion at 71 for five in the 11th over. T&T started off aggressively with Simmons (14, 3x4) smashing McDermott to the long on ropes and then pulling the bowler for another powerful hit to the boundary before being bowled while going for another big hit.
New batsman Darren Bravo (0) lasted only two balls before being caught behind by Chris Hartley off Kemar Roach. The other opener, Evin Lewis (19, 4x4), departed soon after as McDermott had him caught by Ben Cutting, leaving T&T at 38 for three in the fifth over. Ramdin was left guarding one end and hardly got any support from his team-mates with Sherwin Ganga (0), N Pooran (8), Sunil Narine (8), Rayad Emrit (1) all getting out trying to force shots with the Brisbane side coming up with a couple of spectacular catches and splendid saves on the boundary line. Ramdin's impressive knock, which was studded with four fours and two sixes, ended when Chris Lynn took a brilliant catch off Ben Cutting. Badree, who hit two successive sixes off McDermott, remained not out along with Ravi Rampaul (4).
