In the end, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) realised they had made a total hash of it. Despite Albie Morkel finishing off with two huge sixes, Trinidad & Tobago won by 12 runs.
Once CSK slipped to 53 for 5 in 12 overs, Trinidad and Tobago's 123/8 looked like a mountain to climb. The sparse crowd, that swelled by just a fraction in the night to see the home team chase, was getting one jolt after another.
Trinidad & Tobago's total on a slow MA Chidambaram Stadium pitch must have given them hope that CSK, languishing at fourth spot in the pool of five, would roll over their opposition and get a step closer to the semis. But Dhoni's top-order batsmen, including top draws Suresh Raina and Mike Hussey, failed to click. It is not just Graeme Swann among off-spinners who have had the measure of Raina. Little-known Sunil Narine too made the left-hander dance to his tune.
The match oscillated right from the start. T&T began well but lost track. Lendl Simmons and William Perkins added 52 for the first wicket but after their dismissal, the Caribbean side kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Were it not for lower order batsman Kevon Cooper's 23, it might have not reached the total they eventually did.
{{/usCountry}}The match oscillated right from the start. T&T began well but lost track. Lendl Simmons and William Perkins added 52 for the first wicket but after their dismissal, the Caribbean side kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Were it not for lower order batsman Kevon Cooper's 23, it might have not reached the total they eventually did.
{{/usCountry}}Brief scores: T&T 123/8 (Perkins 34, Cooper 28, Bollinger 3-30, Jakati 2-18); CSK 111/6 (Bravo 32 n.o., Narine 3-8).