Roneil Walcott
ST Kitts and Nevis Patriots (SKNP) had been dealt a sixth straight loss within the 2024 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) season on September 12 when they had been overwhelmed by a five-wicket margin by St Lucia Kings at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, Beausejour, St Lucia.
Batting first, SKNP made 173 for five, with captain Andre Fletcher high-scoring with 62 off 50 balls. South African center-divulge batsman Rilee Rossouw cracked 50 off 31 balls with five sixes and he shared in a 70-elope stand for the third wicket with his skipper.
West Indies pacer Alzarri Joseph led the bowling assault for the Kings with figures of two for 38 as he grabbed the vital scalps of Fletcher and Mikyle Louis (seven).
Entering the match in fifth station on the six-team table, the hosts made petite work of SKNP’s total, with skipper Faf du Plessis (62 off 31 balls) and Man of the Match Johnson Charles (74 off 42 balls) emphatically batting their opponents out of the sport with a 115-elope partnership for the most principal wicket to abet their team to a 3rd safe in five fits.
With Fletcher opting in opposition to the usage of the trio of Anrich Nortje (one for 28) and spinners Tabraiz Shamsi and Wanindu Hasaranga (two for 13) early within the flexibility play, the Kings opening pair made a mas as they took pacer Johann Layne and left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul to the cleaners.
Layne’s two overs went for 30 runs, with Permaul, who turned into as soon as struck for consecutive sixes off his first two balls by du Plessis, conceding 39 runs from his two overs.
The Kings raced to 72 by the quit of the flexibility play, and they got to 113 by the ten-over stamp earlier than du Plessis turned into as soon as eventually brushed aside by Josh Clarkson (two for 18) within the 11th over.
The St Lucian native Charles, a two-time T20 World Cup winner with the West Indies, persisted the build du Plessis left off and he got to his fifty off 33 balls. Charles hit seven sixes in his in most cases brutal style, and he also reached the three,000-elope landmark in some unspecified time in the future of his knock to change into the most principal participant within the tournament’s history to design so.
Charles turned into as soon as bowled by Hasaranga as he tried to lift out the sport with an almighty heave within the 16th over, with Roston Hotfoot clipping Nortje to the square leg boundary within the following over to seal the resounding victory with 21 balls to spare.
With the safe, the Kings (six aspects) leapfrogged Antigua and Barbuda Falcons and Trinbago Knight Riders (both four aspects) to cross into third station.
The Kings will host the Falcons on September 15, with the cellar-positioned SKNP returning to action on September 17 when they face Barbados Royals at Kensington Oval, Barbados.
Rankings:
ST KITTS & NEVIS PATRIOTS: 173/5 from 20 overs (Andre Fletcher 62, Rilee Rossouw 50; Alzarri Joseph 2/38) vs ST LUCIA KINGS: 176/5 from 16.3 overs (Johnson Charles 74, Faf du Plessis 62; Wanindu Hasaranga 2/13, Josh Clarkson 2/18). Kings won by five wickets.
