Champions League T20 gears up for an anti-climatic day before the main round kickstarts as the two matches scheduled for Thursday hold no value for the six teams involved in the qualification tournament.
With the table toppers already decided, the remaining teams are left to participate in meaningless matches, the first of which will see Trinidad & Tobago taking on Uva Next.
Uva Next, the winners of the inaugural Sri Lankan Premier League, had their dreams of making it big in South Africa cut short as they lost to Yorkshire in the last over.
Their skipper Thilina Kandamby was obviously disappointed at the end result, even more so because of the fact that his side had the grip on the match for a good part of it.
Jacob Oram’s expensive bowling was a disappointment while none of the batsmen could carry on to anchor the innings towards a big total. still, with a competitive total to defend, it was some breathtaking batting by their rivals that denied them a win.
Their opponents, Trinidad & Tobago, came in with similar high hopes as well and had their chances quashed by Yorkshire as well who confirmed their place in the main round courtesy of the two wins.
Denesh Ramdin and Darren Bravo featured in a 93-run partnership after a disastrous start to the batting innings.
The bowlers did keep a hold on things under the circumstances but Kevon Cooper’s off day cost them dearly as they lost the match in the penultimate over.
With nothing to lose, both teams will be focused on ending their short stay in South Africa on a high.
In addition, the players will also know that individual heroics have the potential to earn them rich contracts in the different leagues around the world.
The match will be played at the Bullring in Johannesburg.