Stanford Superstars stifle Trinidad

Stanford Superstars stifled Trinidad and Tobago to win the Stanford Twenty20 Super Series opener by a comfortable 22 runs on Saturday.

After posting a modest 146-5, the Superstars - a West Indies all-star team - restricted Trinidad to 124-8 in its 20 overs at Stanford Cricket Ground.

The star turn was ultimately from Superstars stand-in captain Sylvester Joseph with an undefeated 31-ball 45. He shared in a third-wicket stand of 55 with opener Travis Dowlin (35) to revive their innings after they were pegged at 34-2 in the eighth over.

Joseph deputized for West Indies captain Chris Gayle, who withdrew from the game because his mother and brother were ill. World player of the year Shivnarine Chanderpaul also opted out.

Joseph, who hammered two sixes off spinner Sherwin Ganga, also added a useful 39 for the fifth wicket with Kieron Pollard, whose 25 included a huge six over mid-wicket.

After having opener Andre Fletcher (25) caught in the deep, Trinidad legspinner Samuel Badree captured his second wicket on the next ball when Ramnaresh Sarwan was bowled playing down the wrong line. Badree finished with 2-20 and seamer Navin Stewart took two late wickets for 2-33.

Trinidad's reply started badly when pacer Jerome Taylor induced Lendl Simmons to edge the third ball behind with only four runs on the board.

Captain Daren Ganga (13) and William Perkins (16) didn't last long either as Trinidad slipped to 56-3 after 10 overs.

A 42-run fourth-wicket partnership between left-handed Justin Guillen, who topscored with 31, and Stewart, whose 26 included two sixes, raised Trinidad hopes briefly. But it was all dashed when Stewart holed out on the boundary to left-arm spinner Dave Mohammed at 98-4 in the 16th and Guillen followed two balls later.

Taylor's 2-24 and left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn's 2-15 were the best figures for the Superstars who looked a tad rusty in the field.

The rich inaugural series continues on Sunday with England against English champion Middlesex.

The money matches begin on Monday, when Middlesex meet Trinidad for US$400,000 (euro317,500). The week climaxes with the US$20 million (euro16 million) match between the Superstars and England on Nov. 1.

ST. JOHN'S, Antigua, AP