Dwayne stars in big chase as T&T power their way into final

They overcame the blues against New South Wales in the group stages,they quelled the flight of the Eagles in the Super Eights and on Thursday,Trinidad &Tobago survived the bite of the Cape Cobras to book their berth in the inaugural Champions League T20 final.....

They overcame the blues against New South Wales in the group stages,they quelled the flight of the Eagles in the Super Eights and on Thursday,Trinidad &Tobago survived the bite of the Cape Cobras to book their berth in the inaugural Champions League T20 final.

So far in the tournament,its been the juniors in the team who have danced and sung their way into the headlines,but chasing a big total in the high-pressure semi-final,it was Darren Ganga and Dwayne Bravo the two most recognisable faces in the team before the tournament began who put their hands up with an unbeaten 93-run partnership at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.

They have been the flair team here,entertaining the crowds before and after the three Indian teams made early exits; but it has been their tenacity to fight their way out of difficult situations that has stood out about T&Ts dream run.

And just when the men from the Caribbean seemed to have dug themselves a hole as they chased down 176,Bravo brought the smiles back with an unbeaten 34-ball 58,including four fours and three sixes.

T&T had started the second half of the match in customary cavalier fashion,as Adrian Barath (29 off 16 balls) went after Monde Zondeki. But a mix-up between him and William Perkins began the temporary slump for the unbeaten Trinidadians. Barath fell LBW to JP Duminy,before Lendl Simmons was dismissed by Justin Ontong as they were reduced to 85 for three.

But Ganga,who remained unbeaten on 44 off 31 balls,and Bravo,who had a terrible night with the ball earlier,began the rescue act in cautious fashion before sealing the deal in the final over.

They got a fair bit of assistance from the Cobrass fielders,who would have struggled to catch a cold in Hyderabad on the night.

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Earlier,the South African side did well having chosen to bat first on a pitch that looked full of runs. Herschelle Gibbs,who hasnt really found any form in the tournament,finally came to the party,smashing five fours and a big six off the pacemen to provide his team with the perfect start.

The in-form JP Duminy dominated from there on,top-scoring with an unbeaten 40-ball 61,but failed to get much of the strike in Ravi Rampauls final over which only went for just two runs.

And while that proved crucial,Bravo and Ganga did give the impression that no target would have been too big for them.