A stellar all-round effort helped Saint Lucia Kings register their first victory of the men’s 6ixty campaign after beating Jamaica Tallawahs by eight runs in Basseterre on Saturday.
Roshon Primus starred for the Kings with a blazing 48 off 25, laced with five fours and two sixes, and was supported by Johnson Charles’ 32 from 21, which led the team to a formidable total of 109/5 in 10 overs.
The bowlers complimented the efforts of the batters by restricting Jamaica Tallawahs to 101/5, with Scott Kuggeleijn being the standout performer. The Kiwi pacer snared two wickets for 18 runs.
Despite losing the first two matches, Saint Lucia Kings can still make it to the semis of the inaugural 6ixty tournament if the results of the remaining matches go their way.
Being asked to bat first by Jamaica, Saint Lucia Kings were pushed to the back foot early on after opener Leroy Lugg was sent back to the pavilion in the first over of Chris Green.
However, Johnson Charles and Roshon Primus stitched a formidable partnership to take the Kings from 2/1 in one over to 29/1 in three overs. The right-handed duo slammed 16 and 11 runs in the second and third over to claw their way back into the game.
A quiet fourth over by Abhijai Mansingh, which fetched just six runs, did put the brakes on the scoring rate but Charles and Primus were back to their aggressive best soon, helping the Kings reach 52/1 at the halfway mark.
Saint Lucia Kings were cruising to a big total before Johnson Charles was dismissed in the seventh over, followed by two more wickets (Jesse Bootan and Mark Deyal) in the penultimate over of Joshua James.
Despite wickets falling quickly at the other end, Roshon Primus continued his assault and took the team past the 100-run mark with a towering six. He, unfortunately, missed his half-century again after being run out on the final ball, but Saint Lucia Kings ended with 109/5 on the scoreboard – their highest total in the men’s 6ixty.
After the break, the Kings’ bowlers continued the good work done by their batters by putting pressure on Jamaica Tallawahs from the get-go.
A splendid opening over by Jeavor Royal gave away just three runs while left-armer Larry Edwards provided the first breakthrough in the next over, dismissing Kennar Lewis cheaply.
Table toppers Jamaica Tallawahs scored at just over run-a-ball at the halfway point, amassing only 33/1 in 30 balls.
However, with 77 needed from five overs, Jamaica Tallawah’s Amir Jangoo and Rovman Powell switched gears and slammed a whopping 42 runs in the sixth and seventh overs to almost take the game away from Saint Lucia Kings.
Amir Jangoo struck two more towering sixes before Kiwi speedster Scott Kuggeleijn broke the rhythm with two quick wickets in the ninth over and swung the balance in Kings’ favour again.
After starring with the bat, Roshon Primus bowled brilliantly to defend 16 runs in the last over and handed Jamaica Tallawahs their first defeat of the men’s 6ixty. He was aptly named Player of the Match.
Brief Scorecard
Saint Lucia Kings: 109/5 in 10 overs (Roshon Primus 48, Johnson Charles 32, Joshua James 2/25) lost to Jamaica Tallawahs: 101/4 in 10 overs (Amir Jangoo 44, Scott Kuggeleijn 2/18)
