Watch: Noor Ahmad's Mystery Ball Leaves Andre Baffled in CPL 2024

In the 26th game of the CPL 2024, the St. Lucia Kings and the Trinbago Knight Riders squared off at Tarouba, Trinidad's Brian Lara Stadium. The Kings kept their position atop the points table by winning convincingly by 80 runs, showcasing their prowess with both the bat and the ball.

The Knight Riders captain, Kieron Pollard, won the toss and elected to bat first for the Kings. Faf du Plessis and Johnson Charles, the St. Lucia Kings' opening pair, gave their side a stunning start by combining for 145 runs in just 12.4 overs. 

Only Tim Seifert played a strong knock of 30 runs from 17 balls after the opening partnership was broken, with the other batters failing to contribute significantly. The Kings were limited to 218/6 in their 20 overs, which at one point appeared to go well over the 230 mark with to Kieron Pollard's few wickets.

Noor Ahmad's magical moment in CPL 2024:

Noor Ahmad with a gem to dismiss Dre Russ!🤩 #CPL24 #TKRvSLK #CricketPlayedLouder #BiggestPartyInSport #RepublicBank @republicbanktt pic.twitter.com/teZqwwEgpq

— CPL T20 (@CPL) September 24, 2024

With the Knights batting lineup, 218 seemed like a formidable but reachable total on a favourable batting track. However, aside from Jason Roy, none of the other hitters displayed resiliency, and as a result, they were unable to score at the necessary rate. 

In the seventh over of the innings, Andre Russell walked into the bat after Kieron Pollard was out. As Russell's track record in these circumstances speaks for itself, TKR hoped to witness his magic once more. After two enormous maximums, he got off to a start that seemed certain to turn the tide of the match. But the Afghan wizard Noor Ahmad quickly found him and the Knights' expectations were even worse.

Ahmad pitched a back of a fair length delivery that spun slightly away from Russell on the fifth delivery of the eighth over. Positioning himself on the back foot, the batter attempts to hit the ball over square leg. However, Russell's time in the middle was cut short as he failed to catch the ball as it bounced and clattered into the stumps. 

Chris Jordan (27 off 24) and Jayden Seales (16 off 10) sparred briefly for the Knights after Russell was benched, but they never appeared to be in the game. The Knights eventually lost the match by 80 runs after being bowled out for 138 in the 18th over.

Watch this space for more CPL 2024 news.