St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots produced a batting performance for the ages, chasing down 218 to defeat the Barbados Tridents by six wickets in a pulsating Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) clash at Warner Park.
Johnson Charles and Andre Fletcher were the standouts for the home side, but they were backed up superbly by their teammates in a battle between two sides at the bottom of the table. For the Tridents, Quinton de Kock’s brilliant 106 ultimately went in vain.
Sent in to bat, the Tridents got off to a rocky start when Brandon King departed after just eight balls. That setback did little to slow the visitors, however, as Zachary Carter and de Kock took charge during the Power Play.
Carter was particularly destructive, regularly finding the middle of the bat and using his powerful frame to launch the ball to all parts of the ground. He cleared the ropes seven times, while de Kock matched his scoring rate through a more classical approach, finding gaps with remarkable consistency.
The pair put on a 116-run partnership before Carter was dismissed for 57. During that period, the Patriots were their own worst enemies, putting down three routine catches and struggling to find an answer to the Tridents’ assault.
The Tridents maintained a scoring rate of around nine to 10 an over throughout the innings, with de Kock continuing his onslaught alongside Sherfane Rutherford. The Patriots struggled to keep the in-form South African off strike as he repeatedly punished the bowling attack.
De Kock reached his century from just 54 balls, becoming the fourth player to score a hundred in the CPL this season. Having earlier been among those to spill a chance, Navin Bidaisee redeemed himself spectacularly, producing a stunning running catch to finally end de Kock’s innings.
Chris Green and Rivaldo Clarke saw out the innings, taking the Tridents to 217 for 4. There was little for the Patriots bowlers to celebrate, with Wanindu Hasaranga the only bowler to finish with a single-digit economy rate after bowling more than one over. His 1 for 22 was the best return of the seven-man attack.
The Patriots knew they needed a flying start in the chase — and Charles delivered.
The opener attacked from the outset, finding his rhythm during the Power Play. Then came a bizarre moment when Charles lofted a full toss towards deep midwicket and was caught.
The Patriots bench were furious that a no ball wasn’t given as Charles headed off.
The third umpire intervened and overturned the decision, sending Charles back to the crease. To make matters worse for the Tridents, Charles promptly smashed the resulting free hit for six.
Charles and Kyle Mayers continued to keep pace with the required rate, but the Tridents eventually got a breakthrough through a slice of fortune. Rutherford deflected Charles’ straight drive onto the stumps, leaving Mayers stranded and run out.
The Tridents then appeared to take another major step towards victory when Charles was finally dismissed for a superb 78 by Mujeeb Ur Rahman.
But the Patriots refused to buckle.
Instead, they dug deep and ensured they did not surrender cheap wickets. Dasun Shanaka, Jason Holder, Fletcher and Hasaranga all made valuable contributions to keep the chase alive and propel the Patriots towards what became the fourth-highest successful run chase in CPL history.
Fletcher has been the man the Patriots have repeatedly turned to when they need someone to finish the job — and once again, he delivered.
The veteran smashed a towering six to bring up a sensational six-wicket victory with five balls remaining and sparked wild celebrations at Warner Park.
The Patriots will complete their home leg in two days’ time when they face the Saint Lucia Kings, while the Tridents return home to begin their own run of home matches on beginning on Saturday against defending champions Trinbago Knight Riders.
CPL
