Sports Bulletin Report
ISLAMABAD (September 15, 2021) Saint Lucia Kings and Patriots qualified for the final of Caribbean Premier League (CPL) after beating Trinbago Knight Riders and Guyana Amazon Warriors in the semifinals respectively on Tuesday night.
SAINT LUCIA KINGS STORM INTO FINAL AFTER THRILLER
A high-scoring thriller saw Saint Lucia Kings reach the final of the 2021 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and eliminate defending champions Trinbago Knight Riders.
The Saint Lucia Kings won the toss and chose to bat. Mark Deyal got the side off to a flying start and they maintained a high intensity throughout the innings, as Tim David and David Wiese combined to cause carnage in the latter overs, taking the side to a mammoth 205/4 after their 20 overs.
Trinbago Knight Riders got off to a fast start in response but slowly unravelled amidst a growing run rate, as David Wiese took his second five wicket haul of this year’s Hero CPL to end their title defence as they finished on 184 all out .
Saint Lucia Kings had got off to a troublesome start as Rahkeem Cornwall was caught out in the first over. Yet Deyal would come in and play with an attacking intent that saw him launch eleven boundaries and reach his highest ever T20 score, 78 off just 44 balls. Roston Chase would aid the side with a valuable knock, before David and Wiese came in and formed a destructive partnership: 75 runs coming off the last 34 balls. Despite the high score, Sunil Narine was excellent with the ball for the Trinbago Knight Riders, conceding a paltry twelve runs from his four overs.
Trinbago Knight Riders responded with a strong start, scoring 66 runs in the Powerplay for just the loss of one wicket, as Narine and Colin Munro kept the required run rate within reach. However, Wiese starred with the ball as he took both of their wickets, adding pressure to the chase. Despite quick-fire cameos from Darren Bravo and captain Kieron Pollard, it was not enough as the champions faltered under disciplined bowling from Alzarri Joseph and Wahab Riaz. Wiese then capped off a superb game by taking late wickets to reach his five wicket haul.
Saint Lucia Kings reached their second successive Hero CPL final with the win and the result means we will have a new champion this year.
Saint Lucia Kings 205/4 (Deyal 78, David 38; Narine 1/12, Hosein 1/27) beat Trinbago Knight Riders 184 all out (Narine 30, Ramdin 29 ; Wiese 5/39, Paul 2/21) by 21 runs.
GAYLE AND LEWIS FIREWORKS TAKE PATRIOTS TO FINAL
In front of a home crowd, St Kitts and Nevis Patriots secured a place in the 2021 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) final with a dominant seven wicket victory over the Guyana Amazon Warriors.
The Patriots won the toss and chose to field first. Despite a bright start from the Amazon Warrior’s openers, wickets tumbled in the middle overs before a late burst from Shimron Hetmyer took his side to a substantial 178/9.
In their chase, the Patriots once again opted to open with Chris Gayle, and he laid the platform for a successful chase, lashing the ball into the stands on numerous occasions, before Evin Lewis then took over to guide his side to a crushing victory.
The Warriors consolidated after losing Brandon King in the fourth over of their innings, with Chandrapaul Hemraj and Shoaib Malik patiently building. However, three wickets in three successive overs, including that of captain Nicholas Pooran, saw the side collapse, reaching 131-8 at one point. Spinners Jon-Russ Jaggesar and Fawad Ahmed were exceptional for the Patriots during this period. It was left to Shimron Hetmyer to salvage the innings and he did so in spectacular style, scoring 45 runs from 20 balls, including a remarkable 25 runs from the last over of the innings.
St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in turn reached their highest powerplay score of this year’s Hero CPL, Gayle and Lewis bringing up 68-0 after the first six overs. Gayle was in destructive form, scoring 42 from 27 balls, and after he fell to youngster Kevin Sinclair, it was Lewis who took responsibility to lead the chase. Supported by captain DJ Bravo, who promoted himself to number three, Lewis blasted 77* off just 39 balls as the Patriots won with thirteen balls to spare.
With this win St Kitts and Nevis Patriots will now go on to meet the Saint Lucia Kings in Wednesday’s Hero CPL final, with one side set to win their maiden title.
St Kitts and Nevis Patriots 181-3 (Lewis 77*, Gayle 42; Smith 2/48, Sinclair 1/31) beat Guyana Amazon Warriors 178-9 (Hetmyer 45*, King 27, Hemraj 27; Jaggesar 2/19, Fawad 2/22) by seven wickets.
