Caribbean Premier League 2020: St Kitts and Nevis Patriots register first win, Jamaica Tallawahs seal victory

Evin Lewis blasted 89 as St Kitts and Nevis Patriots finally broke their jinx in the Caribbean Premier League 2020 by registering their first win of the tournament by beating defending champions Barbados Tridents. In the second game at the Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad on Tuesday, Jamaica Tallawahs got the better of Guyana Amazon Warriors in a low-scoring game. It was a day of redemption for St Kitts and Nevis Patriots after they started the tournament with losses in their first two games. Led by Lewis’ magnificent 89 which included two fours and nine sixes, the win has put the Patriots’ campaign back on track.

St Kitts and Nevis Patriots chose to bowl but the move seemed to have backfired with Johnson Charles and Shai Hope stitching a fifty-run opening stand. However, Jon Russ Jaggesar got both the openers and Barbados Tridents lost four wickets for 29 runs. Corey Anderson, the New Zealand all-rounder and Ashley Nurse stitched a 56-run stand but just as the death overs approached, the Patriots struck and restricted the Tridents to 151/7.

In response, Lewis and Chris Lynn began like a jet. Lynn smashed a four and six while Lewis got going with a four and six off Jason Holder. However, Rashid Khan broke the dangerous stand by trapping Lynn plumb in front. Joshua Da Silva also fell cheaply but Lewis was finding the boundary at will. Lewis smashed four sixes off Hayden Walsh, including three in one over as he notched up his fifty off 28 balls.

Barbados Tridents tried to build pressure but Lewis and Denesh Ramdin stitched a fifty-run stand. Lewis neared his century with two further sixes but with 22 runs needed off 12 balls, Lewis departed. Ben Dunk got a crucial boundary but 13 runs were needed off the last over. However, Dunk smashed two sixes off Nyeem Young to seal the deal in grand style.

Tallawahs boosted by spin

In the other match, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Fidel Edwards combined brilliantly to restrict Guyana Amazon Warriors. Mujeeb got the big wicket of Shimron Hetmyer and Edwards was at his fiery best in the powerplay.

Ross Taylor tried to show some positivity but Jamaica Tallawahs continued to take wickets at regular intervals. It needed a knock of 20 from Naveen-ul-Haq to get Guyana Amazon Warriors past 100 as they ended up on 108/9. Mujeeb was the pick of the bowlers with 3/11 while his combo with Sandeep Lamichhane ended up figures of 8-1-23-4.

In response, Jamaica Tallawahs tried to build partnerships but each time, they lost wickets at crucial intervals. At 62/5 in the 11^th over, the game was set-up for a low-scoring thriller but Nkrumah Bonner and Andre Russell stitched a game-changing partnership that took the Jamaica Tallawahs over the line.