CPL 2021: Evin Lewis ton helps St Kitts and Nevis Patriots seal semi-final spot

Evin Lewis emerged as the hero when the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots needed one to step up, helping the franchise become the first team to seal a semi-final spot in the ongoing Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2021. The Patriots had been guilty of allowing the momentum to slip away in the previous encounters, but the same was not the case in the clash against Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) thanks to Lewis who smashed his fifth T20 century. The opener’s unbeaten 52-ball 102 left the Knight Riders bowling attack in a state of absolute panic with the southpaw’s knock comprising of five boundaries and eleven sixes. Fellow opener Chris Gayle looked subdued at the other end, which is an indication of the brilliance of the knock which helped the Patriots record a triumph with 8 wickets in hand and 32 balls to spare.

TKR batsmen struggle to make their presence felt

The TKR batsmen struggled to make much of an impact against a disciplined bowling attack, which struck with wickets at regular intervals. Colin Munro was the only batsman who came close to scoring a half-century, smashing 47 runs off 34 balls in an innings comprising of three boundaries and two sixes. Even the usually reliable Kieron Pollard departed for a 13-ball 15 which is certainly a subdued innings from his glorious standards. A late flourish from Sunil Narine who accumulated 33 runs from 18 deliveries in a knock comprising of a boundary and four sixes, helped the Knight Riders post a total of 159 runs for the loss of seven wickets.

Stunning chase by the Patriots

The Patriots delivered a fantastic performance when it came down to chasing a target of 160, with Lewis and Gayle stitching a fine 65-run opening stand. The former was dropped by Akeal Hosein in the ninth over, and made the Knight Riders repent for the same smashing sixes and boundaries at will. The bowlers failed to hold their nerve once the momentum shifted firmly in favour of the Patriots, which made it even easier for Lewis to wreak havoc. Sunil Narine was the only bowler who managed to make an impact, conceding only 10 runs from his four overs.

“Very pleased with the win. We were coming off three losses and to beat the best team in the tournament felt good. TKR like to chase, so the idea was to make them rethink their strategies. Great to see Evin get a hundred. He often gets starts and then gets himself out, so it was great to see him get a hundred. Feels good to see the fans back at the stadium. Winning is a habit that we need to keep maintaining,” said Patriots skipper Dwayne Bravo.

Lewis expressed his happiness following the century, admitting that he was motivated by the desire to score a ton.

“Feeling very good. It was a lot of hard work, lot of sacrifice and finally I did it. I still have it in mind (about Pollard denying him a century in CPL in an earlier season) and wanted to do well against TKR. We lost the last three games and we wanted to show that we are here to stay,” said the Windies opener.