T&T win, but fail to make semis

CHENNAI, India (CMC-IANS):

Kevon Cooper blitzed a late 25, catapulting Trinidad & Tobago to a three-wicket victory over Cape Cobras of South Africa, but both sides were knocked out of the Champions League Twenty20 yesterday.

The 22-year-old all-rounder struck one four and two sixes from 11 balls to earn the Man-of-the-Match award and bring T&T back from a seemingly hopeless position, taking the Caribbean champions to 138 for eight, replying to the Cobras' 137 for four.

Cooper pulled Charl Langeveldt to wide long-on for two to formalise the result with two balls remaining in the penultimate Group A match at the Chidambaram Stadium.

crushed Indian Premier League champs

The result moved T&T to four points, but New South Wales Blues of Australia crushed Indian Premier League (IPL) and previous CLT20 champions Chennai Super Kings by 46 runs a few hours later at the same venue, becoming the second side from the group, along with the Mumbai Indians, to advance to the semi-finals.

Scores in that match were New South Wales Blues 201 for two off 20 overs (David Warner 135 not out, Steve Smith 31, Shane Watson 21); Chennai Super Kings 155 off 18.5 overs (Mike Hussey 37, Suresh Raina 28; Steve O'Keefe 3-28, Mitchell Starc 2-21, Stuart Clark 2-34).

T&T finished third in the group ahead of the Cobras and the Super Kings.

Samuel Badree and Ravi Rampaul condemned the Cobras to a shaky start before discarded England batsman Owais Shah smote half-dozen fours and a six in an unbeaten 63 from 50 balls and Dane Vilas creamed seven fours in 54 from 44 balls to get the South African side a competitive total.