ST KITTS AND NEVIS PATRIOTS BEAT ST LUCIA ZOUKS BY 26 RUNS
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St Kitts and Nevis Patriots leapfrogged St Lucia Zouks in the Hero Motocorp Leaderboard after successfully restricting their opponents with a fine second-innings bowling performance at Warner Park.
St Kitts and Nevis Patriots leapfrogged St Lucia Zouks in the Hero Motocorp Leaderboard after successfully restricting their opponents with a fine second-innings bowling performance at Warner Park.
After posting 170/8, the Zouks made a very fast start to their run chase with Andre Fletcher leading by example. The opener hit three maximums in his knock of 59 from 43 balls and the visitors reached 62/1 after 6 overs, their best return from a Powerplay in this year's tournament.
But after disappointing with the bat, Shahid Afridi applied pressure on the Zouks batsman and claimed 2-20 in a fine spell of economical bowling for the Patriots, while Carlos Brathwaite finished with 3-38 as the pressure cranked up on the Zouks batters facing an ever-increasing run-rate. Ross Taylor was dimissed by a fine catch at point from Marlon Samuels, but captain Kevin Pietersen - assuming leadership duties form the injured Darren Sammy - gave away his wicket cheaply from just Afridi's second ball of the game, holing out in the deep having faced just 11 deliveries.
The Zouks never recovered from the dismissal of Fletcher, losing wickets at regular intervals late on in a run chase which never looked like being accomplished as the game closed out.
<span style="font-size: 13.0080003738403px; line-height: 1.538em;" in="" contrast="" to="" the="" singular="" exploits="" of="" fletcher="" for="" zouks,="" there="" were="" more="" contributions="" patriots'="" batting="" cause="" despite="" afridi="" chipping="" ball="" up="" air="" and="" disappointing="" with="" a="" poor="" dismissal.="" martin="" guptill="" helped="" his="" team="" solid="" start="" at="" top="" order="" while="" devon="" thomas="" raymon="" reifer="" performed="" striking="" cameos="" which="" could="" be="" argued="" as="" ultimately="" difference="" between="" sides.="" yet="" it="" was="" wicketkeeper="" shane="" dowrich="" who="" made="" greatest="" mark="" crease,="" hitting="" 19="" runs="" from="" five="" balls="" one="" over="" contributed="" bruising="" 1-50="" figures="" picked="" by="" kemar="" roach.=""
The Stt Kitts and Nevis Patriots now have eight points in this year's tournament and, if they beat Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel in Saturday's early game, will climb to the top of the table.