Sunil Narine becomes top wicket-taker in CPL history, leaves T20 legend behind
It was a night that belonged to the Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) batters, in particular skipper Nicholas Pooran, who stayed unbeaten on 90 off just 53 balls as the most successful franchise in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) advanced to the second qualifier after beating the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons on Tuesday, September 16, in Guyana. The target of 167 wasn't the biggest but Pooran and Alex Hales got over the line with nine wickets and 15 balls to spare as the Knight Riders reaped the rewards for a fine bowling performance.
The American Saurabh Netravalkar was the pick of the bowlers, but the wicket of Falcons' skipper Imad Wasim helped Sunil Narine enter the record books in league history. Narine became the leading wicket-taker in CPL history, leapfrogging the West Indies T20 legend Dwayne Bravo, with Wasim being his 130th scalp in the tournament. With Bravo retired, Narine's closest competitor, Imran Tahir, is just five wickets away and the 46-year-old is the only overseas bowler in the top five.
Most wickets in CPL
130 - Sunil Narine (GAW/TKR), in 122 innings
129 - Dwayne Bravo (SKNP/TKR), in 97 innings
125 - Imran Tahir (GAW), in 87 innings
110 - Jason Holder (BR/SKNP), in 112 innings
98 - Andre Russell (JT/TKR), in 99 innings
Narine hasn't been in the best wicket-taking form in the tournament for the Knight Riders but his ability to stem the run-flow has been key for the side to keep the opponents in check during the middle overs. Even though he was taken for 36 runs on Tuesday, the likes of Usman Tariq and Netravalkar, apart from taking wickets, were metronomic in their spell and the Falcons didn't get to a challenging total.
Wasim admitted that the team was at least 20 runs short and closer to 200 might have helped them have a shot at qualifying for the next round. The Knight Riders will take on the loser of the first qualifier between the defending champions, Saint Lucia Kings, and Guyana Amazon Warriors.
