Over the last two weeks, Trinidad and Tobago charmed their way to the top of the popularity ratings, and the likes of Kieron Pollard and Adrian Barath came close to becoming household names. But, despite T&T’s passion and energy through the tournament, there was a stutter waiting to happen. For Daren Ganga and his merry men, it unfortunately came at the biggest stage.

There is hardly much drama about the way the Australians play their cricket but if there is one art that the men from Down Under have mastered over the years, it is winning tournaments. So while T&T started as popular favourites, it was a clinical New South Wales Blues side who walked away with the inaugural Champions League T20 trophy on a glitzy Friday night.

There are fewer foreign sportsmen who have captured the imagination of the Indian public like Brett Lee has over the years — both on and off the field — and there were no surprises when the New South Wales paceman received the loudest cheers as the two line-ups were announced. Lee didn’t disappoint the crowd as he produced a stunning all-round performance, emerging as the star not only of the day but of the entire tournament.

T&T have had little trouble in chasing down totals, and the rum bottles would have started to pile up back home as they restricted the Blues to 159 for nine in their 20 overs. But a fired-up Lee who proved to be the first obstacle in their path, producing a fiery two-over burst with the new ball.

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