Former TT batsman Lendl Simmons and all-rounder Derone Davis remain in the hunt for a spot in Sunday’s Toyota Minor League Cricket T20 final at Church Street Park, Morrisville in North Carolina.
Simmons, representing defending champions Silicon Valley Strikers, goes up against Seattle Thunderbolts in the opening semi-final on Saturday. Davis, playing for New Jersey Stallions, battle Atlanta Fire in the next semi.
Strikers advanced to the penultimate round after recording back-to-back wins over Chicago Tigers last Saturday.
Simmons, a 2016 T20 World Cup winner with West Indies, scored an unbeaten 52 and 35 in his team’s victories, with the first match decided via super over after both teams scored 136 after their respective 20 overs.
Davis, who won the 2015 Caribbean Premier League with TT Red Steel (now Trinbago Knight Riders), starred with bat and ball for Stallions who defeated Morrisville Raptors twice on Saturday.
Stallions are looking to better their second placing in 2021 and avenge their loss in the inaugural final to Strikers.
Davis, a former WI U19 player, scored 32 from 13 balls and captured three wickers for 13 runs from his four overs. Stallions scored 152/5 from their allotted 20 overs. Raptors could only manage 136/9 before the overs expired.
In the second match of the best-of-three series, he made 20 from 12 balls and claimed one wicket for 23 runs from three overs. Stallions posted a competitive 167/ 6 in 20 overs and held on to win by one run to advance to the semis.
Sunday’s title-winning team will take home US$150k, out of a total $350k total purse, the largest in American cricket history.
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