MATCH 15 of the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) saw defending champions Saint Lucia Kings continue their impressive start to this year’s campaign as they defeated St Kitts & Nevis Patriots by seven wickets with 18 balls remaining.
A comfortable run chase by the home team in front of a jubilant home crowd saw the Kings notch their second win against the Patriots this season. The defeat sees Jason Holder’s side remain in fifth position in the CPL table as they suffered their fifth loss in seven matches.
Tabraiz Shamsi was named player of the match, the South African spinner claiming 2/17 for the Kings after David Wiese won the toss and inserted the opposition. A score of 177/3 looked to be a challenging total but was soon vaporised by Kings’ top order.
Johnson Charles got the chase off to a blistering start with 47 off just 17 balls that included five fours and four sixes, opening partner Tim Seifert anchored the chase with a classy 68 off 45 balls, his third CPL half century.
The two openers racked up 72-runs in the Powerplay, making full use of a biscuit coloured batting track that was conducive to stroke-play. Neither could quite see their side over the line but Ackeem Auguste (29 off 20) Roston Chase (15*) and Tim David (16*) saw the Kings canter over the finish line with three overs to spare.
It was a truly dominant performance from the Saint Lucia outfit, one that saw them continue to impress and outline that they are the team to beat in this year’s CPL.
After the match, Captain David Wiese was pleased with his side’s performance whilst still stating they have room to improve. An ominous thought for the rest of the chasing pack.
“That was a good one. I spoke at the toss about getting a complete team performance. I feel like we covered all our bases. There’s still a little room for improvement, but it was a really good performance from everyone tonight.”