In a rain-affected Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2022 match against Barbados Royals on Sunday, September 4, the Saint Lucia Kings put on a valiant effort but fell short.
The rain-curtailed match saw the Royals set a target of 103 for the Kings to chase down in just nine overs. Despite a fighting knock by captain Faf du Plessis, the Kings could only manage 91/4 at the end of their innings.
The start of the match was delayed by 45 minutes due to the rain. Saint Lucia won the toss and chose to bowl. Captain Faf du Plessis, David Wiese and Tim David all returned to the side after missing out on the first match.
Barbados Royals got off to a blistering start thanks to Rahkeem Cornwall. He looked in good touch until Alzarri Joseph got him out LBW in the fifth over for 32. Despite losing Cornwall, the Royals enjoyed a productive powerplay, having scored 57 runs.
Halfway through the Royals’ innings, they were at 81 for 2, with David Wiese dismissing Kyle Mayers in the ninth over.
The second half of the first innings saw the Kings mount a comeback with the ball, picking up five wickets. Some tight bowling also saw the Kings curb the Royals’ scoring rate.
The Royals eventually finished their innings for a disappointing 162/7. At one point, it looked like they’d easily go past 180.
Scott Kuggeleijn, Alzarri Joseph and Mark Deyal all picked up two wickets each while David Wiese snared one.
Barbados Royals had the Kings on the backfoot early in the second innings with Kyle Mayers picking up four wickets in two overs. The match, however, was once again stopped due to rain.
The new equation post the showers was that the Kings needed to score 103 runs in 9 overs.
Despite the tall order, skipper Faf du Plessis and Alzarri Joseph kept the score ticking and the Kings were left needing 30 runs off the last over.
Du Plessis went at the bowler but eventually fell short by 12 runs. Faf du Plessis scored 47 runs in 20 balls, smashing two fours and four sixes.
