SportsMax– Jamaica Tallawahs captain Andre Russell has chided the team for not playing ‘fearless cricket’ following a two runs loss to the Barbados Tridents in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) on Wednesday.
The Tallawahs crashed to a third straight defeat at the seemingly unlucky Lauderhill venue but this time around the Jamaica-based franchise had to work very hard to do so. After restricting the Tridents to 156, a flying opening stand took the team to 80 in nine overs and seemingly set to overhaul a total that always seemed short.
With 10 wickets in hand and having 11 overs left to get 77, the Tallawahs, however, somehow ended up on the losing end. Australia batsman Steve Smith proved handy work with the ball as his part-time spin removed both openers Johnson Charles and Glenn Phillips in the space of five balls. With a powerful batting, which includes the likes of Russell and Rovman Powell, it hardly seemed likely to be an issue for the Jamaica-based franchise.
The loss of the opening wickets, however, marked the beginning of a mighty struggle at the crease. In at three, Kennar Lewis, who had been opening before Charles returned, scored 17 off 16. Ross Taylor and David Miller, however, put on an even more pedestrian showing at the crease with 26 from 28 and 25 from 20. “Earlier this evening I had a meeting with the guys and I asked them to play fearless cricket. Tonight wasn’t fearless, it’s like guys were afraid to get out,” Russell said in the post-match interview.
“I’m not afraid to get out, it wouldn’t be the first I got out in cricket and it won’t be the last,” he added.
“I back myself to hit whether the ball is there or the ball is not there and that’s the kind of spirit we needed, to be fearless. I didn’t see that tonight and that’s why we were on the losing end.”
