Saint Lucia Kings defeated top-ranked St Kitts and Nevis Patriots by six wickets to move to second spot thanks to a superb performance from Roston Chase and Jeavor Royal.
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Two days, two wins! The Caribbean Premier League 2021 was blown wide open at the top after first-placed St Kitts and Nevis Patriots were defeated by Saint Lucia Kings for the second time in two days. The Patriots, having star power in the form of Chris Gayle, Evin Lewis, and Fabian Allen, were humbled by the Saint Lucia Kings as they suffered their second loss in the CPL 2021. Jeavor Royal’s three wickets and Roston Chase’s 38-ball 51 gave the Saint Lucia Kings a six-wicket win to help them move to second in the points table.
Opting to bat at the small St Kitts ground, St Kitts and Nevis Patriots suffered an early jolt when Royal trapped Evin Lewis in front for 7 in the first over. The Patriots never recovered from that and they continued to lose wickets regularly. Devon Thomas hit three boundaries in the third over bowled by Alzarri Joseph. But, Pakistan’s Wahab Riaz dealt the Patriots a body blow when he dismissed Chris Gayle cheaply for 3.
Sherfane Rutherford and Devon Thomas looked to get the scoreboard moving as they stitched a solid stand. But, just when the partnership looked dangerous, Kesrick Williams sent back Thomas for 28. When Rutherford was run-out for 14, St Kitts and Nevis Patriots were staring down the barrel at 65/5 in 10 overs. When Asif Ali fell, St Kitts and Nevis Patriots were in danger of not even reaching 100.
Fabian Allen hit a four and six off Kesrick Williams to give them hope. In the 19th over, Allen repeated the dose for Williams as he hit another four and six. But, St Kitts and Nevis Patriots managed only 118 in their 19.3 overs, easily their worst batting effort.
In response, Saint Lucia Kings were once again hurt by Allen as he trapped Andre Fletcher LBW in the first ball of the innings. Faf du Plessis hit a six to break the shackles but he was lucky to survive a missed stumping. The former South African captain then hit a six and four off Allen before he perished for 22 in the quest for quick runs.
Chase was the steadying influence for Saint Lucia Kings but they were still not out of the woods. Naseem Shah, the Pakistan youngster, sent back Keron Cottoy for 19. But, the game was sealed when Colin Archibald dropped Roston Chase off Naseem when he was on 12. That ensured that the Patriots had extinguished all their options of winning.
The Patriots’ fielding woes continued as they missed a run-out chance off Samit Patel. Chase hit a six to get Saint Lucia Kings close and he closed in on his fifty with a six and four off Archibald. When Samit Patel departed, it was all too late for St Kitts and Nevis Patriots. Tim David, who has been in fine form, got going with a six and four off Paul van Meekeren. Chase hit a fifty and David sealed the deal with a six.
With the West Indies World T20 squad about to be announced, the knock by Chase should hold him in good stead for the event in Dubai.
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