Tailender Anand Joseph smashed an unbeaten 16 off three balls in the final over to snatch a dramatic one-wicket victory for Thrissur Titans over Trivandrum Royals and book their spot in the Kerala Cricket League final.
Tailender Anand Joseph produced a breathtaking late-game display, smashing an unbeaten 16 off just three balls in the final over to pull off a thrilling one-wicket victory for Thrissur Titans over Trivandrum Royals at the Sports Hub Greenfield stadium. The heroics secured the Titans' place in the Kerala Cricket League final.
Requiring 15 runs off the final over bowled by left-arm pacer Rahul Chandran, Titans faced mounting pressure as Chandran conceded just two runs off the first two deliveries. However, Anand turned the match on its head, launching a towering six over long-off, slamming a boundary past mid-on, and sealing the win with a six over mid-wicket as Titans reached 167 for nine in 19.5 overs.
Earlier in the match, Anand contributed with the ball, picking up two for 31 after removing Vishnu Vinod and in-form captain Krishna Prasad to reduce the Royals to 31 for two. Left-arm spinner Biju Narayanan tightened the grip with figures of two for 20 to leave Royals at 93 for five, but an unbroken 70-run stand off 35 balls between Akshay Manohar (53 not out off 26 balls) and M. Nikhil (28 not out off 15 balls) rescued the innings to reach 163 for five.
Titans lost their openers early in the chase before a 45-run third-wicket stand between Ahammed Imran (43) and Shoun Roger (23) got them back on track. Captain S. Akhil kept the chase alive with 27, but his dismissal in the 19th over left Titans on the brink before Anand's final-over blitz.
In the other match, Calicut Globstars earned a spot alongside the Titans in Saturday's final after defeating Alleppey Ripples by 36 runs. Half-centuries from Varun Nayanar (59) and Abdul Basith (53) propelled Globstars to 218 for five, and they restricted Ripples to 182 for eight after Jose Perayil broke a threatening 152-run third-wicket partnership between K.A. Arun (82) and Sachin Baby (72).
Reporting sourced from The Hindu Cricket. Photo courtesy The Hindu Cricket.