St. Lucia Kings on track in Caribbean Premier League
The CPL highlights began when the two-time Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) winners Barbados Royals (six points) jumped to the second spot in the 2024 season on Sept. 11 when they got a 10-run win over Antigua and Barbuda Falcons via the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) Method at the Kensington Oval in Barbados.
The Falcons scored 176 for five, with opening batsman Justin Greaves top-scoring with 61 not out off 52 balls as he carried his bat through the innings.
English batsman Sam Billings cracked 56 off 43 balls and shared in a 92-run partnership for the second wicket with Greaves as the newest CPL franchise hunted their third straight win.
In reply, as the Royals progressed to 124 for three at the end of the 14th over, the game was halted after a steady shower. The game resumed briefly, but another heavy downpour forced it to stop again, with only three runs added before the game was called off for good. The hosts edging ahead of the revised 118-run target.
The rain-hit victory was the Royals’ third straight win in the tournament and their second against the Falcons this season.
In another match, St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots (SKNP) were dealt their sixth straight loss in the 2024 CPL season on Sept. 12 when they were beaten by five-wickets by St. Lucia Kings at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, St. Lucia.
Batting first, SKNP made 173 for five, with captain Andre Fletcher top-scoring with 62 off 50 balls.
South African batsman Rilee Rossouw smacked 50 off 31 balls with five sixes and shared a 70-run partnership for the third wicket with his skipper.
West Indies pacer Alzarri Joseph led the Kings’ bowling attack with two for 38, grabbing the important wickets of Fletcher and MLouis (seven).
Entering the match in fifth spot on the six-team table, the hosts skipper Faf du Plessis with 62 off 31 balls and Man of the Match Johnson Charles with 74 off 42 balls, forcefully batting with a 115-run partnership for the first wicket to help their team to a third win in five matches.
With the win, the Kings (six points) leapfrogged Antigua and Barbuda Falcons and Trinbago Knight Riders (both four points) to move into the third spot.
Next, The Trinbago Knight Riders ended the Barbados Royals’ unbeaten streak in the Caribbean Premier League with a thrilling two-wicket victory at Kensington Oval on Sept. 13.
West Indies’ Rovman Powell looks dejected after losing his wicket against England.Action Images via Reuters / Jason Cairnduff, File
The Royals scored 156 for seven from their allocated 20 overs, with Rovman Powell finishing the innings on 39 not out.
In reply, TKR got off to a bad start when Sunil Narine was caught off the very first ball of the innings.
Shaqkere Parris (35), Nicholas Pooran (35), and Keacy Carty (32) put TKR in the driver’s seat at 106 for three in the 14th over.
But once Theekshana асcounted for Parris, the Knight Riders lost four wickets for 30, including the crucial wicket of captain Kieron Pollard for just three. TKR slumped to 136 for seven in the 19th over.
However, Player-of-the-Match Hosein rescued his side by hitting four crucial boundaries, scoring 20 runs off 10 balls; with 11 runs needed off the final over bowled by Holder, he had Hosein caught off the fourth ball, with TKR still needing six runs.
It was a no-ball that new batsman Jayden Seales was able to get a single to put Hinds on strike. Hinds clobbered the free hit for a massive six to spark wild celebrations among the Knight Riders.
On Sept. 14, Quinton de Kock scored the second century of this year’s Caribbean Premier League (CPL). The Barbados Patriots returned to winning ways with a comfortable 32-run win over the Guyana Amazon Warriors at Kensington Oval.
Batting at the top of the order, the South African smashed 115 runs from 68 balls, with the Royals making 205 for six from their 20 overs.
In reply, the Amazon Warriors never seriously threatened their target and eventually ended on 173 for five from the allotted overs.
The win put the Royals at the top of the CPL table with four wins from their five matches while lowering the Amazon Warriors (3-1) to second position.
On Sept. 15, a comfortable 26-run victory by the St. Lucia Kings against the Antigua & Barbuda Falcons saw the Kings keep their 2024 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) campaign on track while giving the Falcons their sixth defeat in eight appearances in this year’s competition.
The Falcons won the toss and sent in the SLK to bat first, with the Kings setting the target at 152 for nine off their 20 overs.
In reply, the Falcons’ top order struggled and were 28/5. Shamar Springer and captain Chris Green rebuilt the innings, but Springer was run out, and Green fell for 48 off 37 deliveries. The match drifted away for good, and the Falcons never recovered.
The Kings move to second place in the table, with the Barbados Royals ahead of them on Net Run Rate and with a game in hand, while the Falcons slip to second from the bottom.
