CPL: Guyana Amazon Warriors claim Super Over thriller as St Kitts and Nevis Patriots continue winning run

The 2021 edition of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) has kicked off with a few exciting encounters, resulting in quite a bit of entertainment. However, fans were waiting with bated breath for the first super over of the edition considering the enjoyment it provides. The league encounter between Guyana Amazon Warriors and Trinbago Knight Riders certainly brought an end to this, with the former emerging victorious. Sunil Narine bowled the Super Over for the Knight Riders and conceded just six runs. Romario Shepherd managed to surpass his heroics leaking just four runs to win the game for his team.

Both teams finished on exactly 138/9 from their 20 overs. Neither side consistently dominated with the bat which was unexpected considering the presence of game-changers. The Knight Riders were favourites with five overs to go, but some big hits from Nicholas Pooran and Shepherd resulted in a super over.

The chase had started off on a wrong note with Ravi Rampaul dismissing Chandrapaul Hemraj and Odean Smith from successive balls to leave the Warriors 7/2 in the second over. Shimron Hetmyer and Mohammed Hafeez looked to rebuild. However, they were tied down by the TKR spinners. Hafeez was dismissed by Khary Pierre for 16 from 30 balls to leave the Warriors needing 100 runs from nine overs.

Pooran was dismissed following a stunning one-handed grab by Akeal Hosein, having smashed a few blows. However, Shepherd took the game deep with the bat. The Warriors squeezed out the tie off the last ball before claiming a fine win in the Super Over.

The Warriors earlier kicked off with a fantastic start after Lendl Simmons was bowled by Hemraj off the second ball of the innings. They further accounted for two more dismissals in the powerplay, after two chances went down which was certainly an indication of their prowess.

Sunil Narine and Tion Webster stitched a partnership of 39 runs before the former was caught at mid-on. Webster soon departed as well with Munro and Tim Seifert handed the task of rebuilding. The New Zealand cricketer top-scored with 32 runs from 28 balls, before being dismissed by Imran Tahir when he caught a leading edge. A fine 21 from nine balls by Isuru Udana helped TKR finish at 138/9, despite a steady flow of wickets which was ultimately not enough.

Sherfane Rutherford scores half-century to help Patriots maintain unbeaten start

St Kitts & Nevis Patriots maintained their unbeaten start in CPL 2021, following a six-wicket triumph against the Jamaica Tallawahs. The Patriots won the toss and elected to field, with a disciplined bowling performance restricting the Tallawahs to 166/8. Sherfane Rutherford led the charge with the bat during the chase, ensuring a fourth consecutive win.

Evin Lewis who was recently signed by Rajasthan Royals (RR) for IPL 2021 delivered early fireworks, but the dismissals of Devon Thomas and Asif Ali in quick succession, followed by Lewis left the game in the balance. Rutherford and Fabian Allen showed their prowess in this situation smashing 55 runs from 20 deliveries to seal the win.

Earlier, the Tallawahs enjoyed a fine start to their innings following a fantastic display by the hard-hitting duo of Chadwick Walton and Kennar Lewis. The openers stitched a blistering partnership of 41 runs inside 3.3 overs.

However, some economical bowling by captain Dwayne Bravo helped in tightening the screws, following the dismissal of Lewis by Paul Van Meekeren. This was soon followed by Walton having to retire hurt, after tweaking his hamstring. Rovman Powell and Carlos Brathwaite helped revitalise the Tallawahs in the backend of the innings to ensure a fine finish.