The word Lewis essentially means “famous warrior”. Two Lewis put together helped Trinidad and Tobago (T&Treve) keep their hopes of making the Champions League semifinal alive. We are definitely not referring to Carroll or Hamilton but the lesser-known Evin and Tony.
On Monday, a certain 21-year-old by the name of Evin Lewis enabled T&T to first post a competitive score against the Titans. Then, the weather combined with the Duckworth-Lewis method (devised by Frank and Tony) ensured their survival in the Group B tie.
But on Wednesday, the Trinidad outfit has a Herculean task at hand –taming the shrewd Chennai Super in New Delhi. A win would take them through to the next stage alongside Super Kings. And though the Caribbean side (+0.407) enjoys a better net run rate over Titans (+0.228), a heavy defeat would let the latter sneak into the last four.
Both sides look equally menacing on paper. In fact, T&T emulated Super Kings’ feat when they registered their 11th overall win in CLT20 on Monday. If CSK have a set batsman in Suresh Raina, T&T boast of Sunil Narine, who is the joint highest-wicket taker (8) in the tournament so far and has one of the best economy rates (4.75).
Led by a steely Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the Super Kings have excelled so far with three wins from as many games. Besides Raina and himself, Dhoni can bank on the ever-reliable Mike Hussey. On the bowling front, Raina has come in handy, grabbing a couple of wickets while R Ashwin has been both economical and effective.
We will also get to witness a sibling rivalry with the Bravo brothers in opposite teams. Darren has come good for T&T, scoring two half-centuries in three games. CSK’s Dwayne has scored only 44 from three ties but has four wickets in his kitty. Their performances can turn the game around by its head and might determinate the fate of their teams.
Skippered by a determined Denesh Ramdin, T&T’s batting strength lies with Darren and Lewis. Apart from Narine, Ramdin has at his disposal the services of Ravi Rampaul and Rayad Emrit in bowling.
For T&T to get this one right, they need to do more than just come good as a unit — they can’t afford any mistake. Else, the Super Kings will devour them.