Hetmyer’s Masterclass Silences T&T Celebrations as Amazon Warriors Conquer the Oval
- WI Lifestyle Magazine
- 7 hours ago
- 5 min read
The air was electric, the tension was palpable, the philosophical question ‘Curry Chicken Or Chicken Curry?’ was on everyone’s minds as excited fans crammed into the Queens Park Oval on Monday night for the showdown between Trinbago Knight Riders and Guyana Amazon Warriors. At 4.45pm, just fifteen minutes before the start of the match, the streets surrounding the Oval, which at this hour would normally be choked with snaking queues and bustling crowds, were conspicuously scant. Inside the stadium though? it was the opposite. It was night vs day. The air inside the packed stadium was buzzing with excitement, this was the match we were waiting for, and we the fans were ready.
Trinibagonians are a vibrant people and when it comes expressing themselves, they excel at it. We surpass expectations, we revel in the notion of making our voices heard. We. Are. Loud. And today we had a lot to say, today our passion for friendly banter, for sport and for country for made its way into the spotlight as fans littered the stands with banners and placards expressing the sentiments closest to their hearts. My personal favorite, who also won the title of ‘Fan of the Match’, was that one supporter dressed as Kermit the Frog from Sesame Street with his placard conveying his fervent desire for TKR to jump to first place in the current CPL standings, I also adored the little Spider-Man on the stands with his placard expressing his wish for a rich uncle. From funny, to fan favorites, to encouraging and optimistic, there was no lack of banners and placards at the Oval yesterday. The TKR/GAW rivalry is one citizens of both countries enjoy and scintillating placards added to the entertainment on the stands on Monday afternoon.
The creativity our Caribbean people is truly exquisite, and the cameras that passed through the crowds during the game, this game, more so than the those before it this year in Trinidad, captured this for the world to see. This particular energy though was borne out of the competitive camaraderie existing between the Trinbagonians and Guyanese peoples even before we were facing off each other on the cricket fields, and now as we were about to square off on the fields, that friendly rivalry and the fact that we were two top teams competing about to clash made the anticipation all the more tangible.
TKR won the toss and went in to bowl.
From the first over, TKR ignited the flames of hope their fans had been thirsting for. Glen Phillips and Matthew Nandhu paired up to get the ball rolling for the GAW team, and in the third ball of the first over Phillips was caught out for 0 runs by Akeal Hosein, bowled by Dominic Drakes. The crowd went crazy, this is the kind of cricket we live for. Shai Hope came in next to bat. TKR was doing a splendid job of suppressing the GAW score, at 3.5 overs with GAW at 19 runs, Hope was caught out by Alex Hales bowled by Lahiru Kumara and TKR the stands erupted with cheers. Our boys were doing very well and we the fans were very optimistic at this point, blissfully unaware of the havoc Shimron Hetmyer, who was next in the GAW batting line-up, was about to unleash on the field.
The rains that came in the middle of the 5th over held off the impending onslaught by Hetmeyer, while the rain pelted down relentlessly, the stadium partied. Why? Because that is what we do in Trinidad, we love to fete. Upon resumption of the game, the overs were reduced to 16 with 4.5 in the powerplay and Hetmyer returned to the field with a vengeance. To say that he dominated the remaining overs is an understatement. The 13th over was the height of his performance, scoring an amazing three 6s and three 4s, with a final epic score of 111 not out Hetmyer was named ‘Man of the Match’, if I wasn’t a TKR fan crying buckets of tears on the stands I would be completely bewitched by the majesty of this player. As for the remaining batsmen, Matthew Nandu retired out at 13 runs and was replaced by Mohammad Nabi who was caught out by Nicholas Pooran for 6 runs, bowled by Usman Tariq. Quentin Sampson was up next, he was bowled out by Narine at 7 runs. The last to bat in the team’s innings was Romario Shepherd who made 27 runs not out, paired with Hetmyer still at the crease. The final score stood at 181 for 5.
Chasing a target of 182 runs the Trinbago Knight Riders batsmen took to the field. One would assume that after witnessing the pandemonium caused by Hetmyer the TKR fans would have been crestfallen, but we doh care about that and we refused to give up on our team. The game wasn’t over until it was over. Sunil Narine and Collin Munroe took their places on the field and the dream lived. The overs felt long and drawn out as the TKR batsmen kept a sustained yet encouraging pace. Tension was slowly building within the stands. When Narine’s wicket fell our hearts fell with it as he walked off the field with a score of 1 run, caught out in an astounding catch by Glen Phillips, bowled by Dwaine Pretorius. Nicholas Pooran was next to bat. The Munroe/Pooran team-up was not destined to last as Munroe was caught out for 22 runs by Imran Tahir, bowled by Mohammad Nabi. At this point we were at 52 runs in 4.5 overs, the moisture gathering on the brows of the TKR fans was not only from the dew. Alex Hales took the floor and the runs kept coming, painstakingly slow but etching toward the goal as GAW fought to keep TKR’s boundaries and overall runs in check. Pooran was next to go for a solid 43 runs, caught out by Quentin Sampson, bowled by Mohammad Nabi. Jyd Goolie’s stay on the field was short lived, LBW, out for 0, then came Justin Greaves, who was just as quickly sent off the field for 1 run, bowled out by Imran Tahir.
Two wickets in four balls, the future was beginning to look bleak for team TKR as Akeal Hosein went in to bat, his wicket was taken by Khary Pierre who both bowled and caught him out for 18 runs.
Undaunted Hales stole the show, clocking 55 runs before he was bowled out by Shamar Joseph, his gallant effort breathed life into the aspirations of team TKR and kept the entire stadium on the edge of our seats straight until the end of the game. On his departure from the field the score stood at 150 for 6, we needed 32 to win from 8 balls. The baton was passed to Dominic Drakes and Joshua Da Silva, they carried our hopes on their backs. In the last two balls of the 15th over Drakes scored two 4s bringing down the target to 24 runs from 6 balls. We all knew anything was possible, my pressure vein was throbbing and the stands were tense as Shepherd went in to bowl. A desperate Drakes made 2 runs off the first ball, then an unfortunate leg bye from the next ball, 1 run for TKR. 21 to win from 4 balls. As funny as it sounds, we the TKR fans were all hoping against hope for four 6s, anything is possible in cricket, this third ball was the match defining shot, Shepherd let loose and as the bat connected Da Silva Scored 4. Our hope was shattered. With a final score of 172 for 7, the game went to the Guyana Amazon Warriors.
The Guyana Amazon Warriors did not come out to compete. They came to conquer. They did a fantastic job. And so did team TKR. While GAW celebrated victory, TKR fans left the stadium disappointed but we remain devoted fans, we remain team TKR.
Written By: Kerrie Ann Subhanie
Photos Taken by Denzel Lamont and Kerrie Ann Subhanie
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