St. Lucia
Saint Lucia Kings put up a bold challenge against Trinbago Knight Riders but eventually went down fighting by three wickets in a closely-fought opening fixture of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2022 at Warner Park on Thursday.
Despite a difficult outing with the bat, the Kings fought back remarkably with the ball till the very end, almost pulling off an unbelievable win against the Knight Riders.
Defending 143 in 20 overs, Saint Lucia Kings were able to stretch the match till the very end after Alzarri Joseph bowled a spectacular penultimate over, which saw him pick three wickets.
The total, however, proved to be inadequate as the Trinbago Knight Riders chased it down in 19.2 overs.
Roshon Primus, continuing his rich form from the 6ixty, was the top scorer for the Kings with a gritty 38 in 25 balls. Meanwhile, Alzarri Joseph was the star performer with the ball with four scalps for 17 runs.
Tion Webster’s 58 off 45 and Akeal Hosein’s 4/13 were the standout performances for the Knight Riders.
Saint Lucia Kings currently stand third in the points table with a net run rate of 0.505.
The Kings had a sluggish start with openers Johnson Charles and Leroy Lugg struggling to put on runs after TKR skipper Kieron Pollard opted to field first.
But the slow beginning meant Charles had to take his chances and one such attempt resulted in his early dismissal, leaving the Kings at 8/1 in under three overs.
However, coming in at No. 3, Mark Deyal spent no time settling and took the TKR bowlers to the cleaners. The left-hander slammed Jayden Seales for two sixes in the fourth over, taking the Kings to 25/1.
The innings slowed down again after Leroy Lugg fell prey to Sunil Narine’s spin, bringing an end to his 21-ball 13.
Mark Deyal and Roston Chase stitched a gritty 44-run stand to keep the scoreboard ticking while carefully dodging the spin duo of Sunil Narine and Seekkuge Prasanna. Saint Lucia Kings were 64/2 at the halfway point.
The Kings’ resurgence, however, did not last long as the 13th over by Akeal Hosein saw three batters go back to the dugout. First, Roston Chase and Scott Kuggeleijn, who was promoted up the order as a pinch hitter, were out on successive deliveries, followed by the well-settled Mark Deyal (35 from 24).
There were sparks of brilliance in the second half of the innings but the Knight Riders did well to keep the scoring rate below 7.00.
Thanks to the late resistance led by Roshon Primus, the Kings added 40 runs in the last three overs. And despite losing three more wickets in the 20th over, Saint Lucia Kings were able to reach a respectable total of 143/9.
After the interval, Saint Lucia Kings returned to the field with purpose.
Jeavor Royal struck in the very first over to send back Sunil Narine, and Scott Kugelleijn opened his spell with Nicholas Pooran’s wicket as the scoreboard read 27/2 in four overs.
However, Tion Webster and Tim Seifert steadied the TKR ship with handy, well-timed knocks.
Tion Webster completed a well-paced half-century in 41 balls before Kesrick Williams trapped him with a fuller delivery in the 13th over. But Trinbago Knight Riders were already halfway through the target and needed just 41 in the last seven overs.
Although Alzarri Joseph took the prized wicket of Andre Russell, Tim Siefert’s 34 from 38 and skipper Kieron Pollard’s 17 off 15 put the Trinbago Knight Riders firmly in the driver’s seat.
However, Alzarri Joseph almost pulled off a comeback for the Kings with an incredible penultimate over, taking three wickets while giving just three runs. But lack of runs on the board meant Trinbago Knight Riders reached the target with three wickets and four balls in hand.
Brief Scores:
Saint Lucia Kings 143/9 (Roshon Primus 38, Akeal Hosein 4/13) lost to Trinbago Knight Riders 148/7 (Tion Webster 58, Alzarri Joseph 4/17) by three wickets in 19.2 overs.
