Blazing Barath takes T&T to semi-final

T&T's batsmen thrilled the Hyderabad crowd by playing a shot a ball during a relentless assault on the Eagles that propelled them to 213 for 4, the highest total of the tournament. And it wasn't even Kieron Pollard who devastated the bowling, although he did contribute at the end; the damage was inflicted by Adrian Barath, Wayne Perkins and Lendl Simmons.

But it was Barath who stood out. He made quite an impression in his maiden Twenty20 fixture, striking four boundaries and four sixes in his 41-ball 63. He started by ceding floor to his more explosive partner William Perkins, who set the tone with a flurry of boundaries.

Barath then joined in, slashing Victor Mpitsand over point for a maximum. He reserved the same treatment for Dillon du Preez, whom he cut over third man. He favoured the off side, scoring most of his runs in the point and the third-man region, but also displayed his ability with the wrists, working deliveries away behind short fine leg or driving them through midwicket. He even showed his penchant for clearing the ropes, when he slog-swept Thandi Tshabalala over deep midwicket for six.

Barath's innings laid the foundation for a huge T&T total, and the batsmen who followed displayed absolute freedom in going for the big shots to take their team to a match-winning score. T&T qualified for the semi-finals, topped their group, and will play their knockout game in Hyderabad.