TTCB – News

Pollard blasts Redbacks to victory
January 7, 2010

By ZAID MOHAMMED

TRINIDAD and Tobago allrounder Kieron Pollard slammed a characteristic robust half-century and returned to snare two valuable wickets which set up a dominant victory for the South Australia Redbacks in the Twenty20 Big Bash on Thursday.

The Redbacks through the efforts of their mercurial player beat the Victoria Bushrangers by 91 runs and edged them closer to the final of the club championship.

In the process Pollard won a showdown with the Trinidadian teammate Dwayne Bravo who had a disappointing match.

The right-handed Pollard scored 52 runs off just 22 balls hammering the Victoria bowling and then took two wickets for eight runs at the Adelaide Oval.

South Australia, winning the toss and batting first piled up 202 for seven in their allotted 20 overs on the back of Pollard’s innings.

Then Shaun Tait ripped through the Bushrangers’ batting taking three wickets for 12 runs to send them tumbling for just 111 in 14 overs.

Despite Pollard’s superb allround match-winning display, Taitt was given the prestigious “Man-of-the-Match” award.

Earlier Daniel Harris rattled up 48 from 33 balls and wicketkeeper Graham Manou slammed 21 from 11 balls as South Australia reached 56 in just 27 balls.

But when they were dismissed, the Redbacks stuttered to 120 for five in the 14th over before Pollard strode on stage and took charge blasting three fours and four huge sixes.

He posted 45 from 27 balls for the sixth wicket with Cameron Borgas before he was run out on the final ball of the innings.

Andrew McDonald, John Hastings and Clint McKay all took two wickets apiece for Victoria.

Bravo, who has been starring in the tournament so far, flattered to deceive and after lofting the fourth ball he received for four over wide long, could not maintain the tempo and was run out in the eighth over.

Top scorer for losing team was Aaron Finch who made 48 from 38 balls including six fours and a six.