A splendid bowling performance, led by youngster Jeavor Royal helped the Saint Lucia Kings pick up their third win of the trot on Sunday at the Warner Park Stadium. Needing just 119 runs to win thanks to some stupendous bowling, the Kings got there with six wickets in hand to do the double over the Saint Kitts & Nevis Patriots in the 2021 HERO Caribbean Premier League.
Bowling first in this game, the Kings opted to start with spin, and the move paid off as Jeavor Royal trapped the in-form Evin Lewis in front of the wicket in his very first over. Fellow opener Devon Thomas however went on the counter charge for the Patriots, as he welcomed Alazrri Joseph into the attack with three fours.
Wahab Riaz though provided a breakthrough once again for the Kings, as he caught the outside edge of the dangerous Chris Gayle’s bat to find the palms of Roston Chase at first slip. Royal was reintroduced following that wicket, and the left-arm spinner dismissed Andre McCarthy to leave the batting side at 42/3 after the powerplay.
Post that, captain Faf Du Plessis introduced spin from both ends, curbing the flow of runs for the Patriots. The pressure yielded a reward shortly after, as Thomas nicked one to the keeper trying to run one down for a boundary in the 9th over. Things got even worse for the Patriots as a mix-up cost Sherfane Rutherford his wicket, leaving his team at 65/5 at the halfway stage.
The table-toppers lost their last recognised batsman in Asif Ali shortly after, out caught in the deep trying to slog Jeavor Royal. New man Colin Archibald also fell cheaply, getting a thickish outside edge off Samit Patel’s bowling which fell kindly in the hands of the short third fielder.
Patel picked up his second wicket for the evening a couple of overs later, getting Naseem Khan stumped. Fabian Allen however proved to be the lone warrior for the batting side, as he picked up a four and a six when Kesrick Williams was introduced into the attack, bumping the team score to 95/8 after 17 overs.
Allen added a few more big hits in the death overs, but Williams had the last laugh as he managed to dismiss the 26-year-old in the penultimate over of the game. That late cameo however ensured the Patriots managed 118 runs in their innings, giving their bowlers something to bowl at.
Second Innings
The Kings lost opener Andre Fletcher off the very first ball of the chase, as he was adjudged LBW off Fabian Allen’s bowling. Fellow opener Faf Du Plessis though didn’t shy away from playing his shots as he hit Allen for two sixes and a four in his subsequent overs.
The left-arm spinner however managed to dismiss the South African in his third over, getting him caught at mid-on to leave the chasing team at 43/2 at the end of the powerplay. The Patriots got another wicket shortly after, as Keron Cottoy was out caught at point, trying to clear the infield against the bowling of Naseem Shah. Things could have gotten worse for the Kings as new man Roston Chase miscued one in the same over, but Colin Archibald couldn’t manage to hold onto that catch.
Despite losing three wickets, the Kings were looking in control of the chase with two experienced heads in Chase and Samit Patel steadying the ship. In the 11th over, Chase picked up his first six of the day with a handsome hit over long-off against Fawad Ahmed, pushing the team score to 78/3.
The 29-year-old pulled out another lofted drive on the off-side when Archibald was reintroduced into the attack, and followed that up with a four past covers, as the Kings marched closer to their target. In the next over, Chase nudged one to long-on to pick up his third consecutive fifty as the team score got to 100.
There was however something to celebrate for the Patriots, as pacer Paul Van Meekeren picked up Patel’s wicket in his penultimate over. The wicket however didn’t do the bowling side any favours, as new man Tim David immediately picked up a four and a six to reduce the deficit to single figures.
David finished things off in the next over, getting a maximum off Archibald’s bowling to help the Saint Lucia Kings to a resounding six-wicket win over the Patriots, with four overs to spare.
Brief Scoreboard:
St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots: 118/10 (Fabian Alllen 34, Jeavor Royal 3/20)
Lost to
Saint Lucia Kings: 121/ 4 ( Roston Chase 51*, Fabian Allen 2/30)
