St Kitts & Nevis Patriots maintained their unbeaten start to CPL 2021 with a fine six-wicket victory over the Guyana Amazon Warriors.
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West Indies all-rounder Sherfane Rutherford may not be the biggest star attraction in a clash featuring the likes of Nicholas Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, Mohammed Hafeez. However, he can be as destructive as them if not more which was evident from his unbeaten 58 off 34 deliveries in an innings comprising of a boundary and six maximums, which helped St Kitts and Nevis Patriots maintain their unbeaten start to CPL 2021. The Patriots were handed a target of 167 runs in a league encounter against Guyana Amazon Warriors, recording a win by a margin of six wickets with four balls remaining.
The Guyana-based franchise managed to post a total of 166 runs, following fine half-centuries by Pakistan cricketer Mohammed Hafeez and Shimron Hetmyer. Hafeez accumulated 70 runs off 59 deliveries in an innings comprising of seven boundaries and a six. Hetmyer’s 52 from 35 balls included three fours and big hits apiece. Paul van Meekeren was the pick of the bowlers for the Patriots accounting for two dismissals. Fabian Allen picked one wicket as well. While Hafeez was certainly the top run-getter, he took quite a bit of time to get going which resulted in the total being lower than expected.
Openers Evin Lewis and Devon Thomas delivered a flying start, with 13 runs off the opening over as the ploy to use Hafeez with the new ball backfired. While the Pakistan-based cricketer made a comeback, conceding just two runs off the following over, the openers ensured 49 runs on the board in the powerplay. Imran Tahir struck twice in two overs to turn the tide at this stage to a certain extent. While Lewis mistimed a googly, Thomas’s defence was breached to leave the Patriots soon reeling at 77/3 after 11 overs. Rutherford and skipper Dwayne Bravo steadied the ship in this scenario, before the former unleashed himself ensuring at least one six for four straight overs to relieve any pressure. The all-rounder continued to bat freely even after the latter’s dismissal, setting the stage for a tidy chase.
“It’s a great feeling to play in front of the fans. Good to see them back in the stadium, good for us as players. With a victory like this, it gives us belief as a group. At the halfway stage we were the happier team. The way our bowlers pulled it back, it was encouraging. Drakes has been outstanding for us, the leader of our pack. Paul (van Meekeren) contributed with the ball too. All we needed was for Evin and Devon to stay determined, get us that good start, set up the game and we can finish in the end,” said Bravo who is the captain of St Kitts and Nevis Patriots.
“I am trying to guide them (youngsters), these guys have a lot of talent. It’s just about guidance, encouraging them and giving them opportunities. We can’t afford to lose him (Rutherford), he told me he wanted to bat at five at the start of the tournament. The way the game progressed it gave him the opportunity with that good start to go in there and play his natural game,” he added.
