CPL 2022: Patriots steal win from Warriors in final over

By Brandon Corlette in St Lucia

The winless Guyana Amazon Warriors suffered a four-wicket defeat against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in match 10 of the Hero Caribbean Premier League, played at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground.

Patriots were down and out, requiring 22 runs from the final over, but Romario Shepherd again had a bad outing with the ball, as South African Dwaine Pretorius took him to the cleaners. Patriots registered their first win of the season, ending on 163-6 in 19.4 overs.
The Warriors began their defence with a surprise package, opening the bowling with Paul Stirling serving up his gentle right-arm spin. Evin Lewis slammed him for a monster 101-metre six.
Shepherd, bowling from the media centre end, was struck for a boundary, but in the same over, he got rid of Lewis (10), who got a ball that climbed and was caught at mid-on. The Warriors rung in the bowling changes, but Andre Fletcher held things together. Dewald Brevis slammed his fellow South African Tabriz Shamsi for a six, but the spin wizard trapped Brevis at the crease for 13 with Patriots on 61-2 in 8.3 overs.

The spiceman held things together in his 41 from 38 balls, an innings that included four boundaries. He fell to mid-wicket to give Shepherd his second wicket. Sherfane Rutherford took Tahir for a six in his first ball, but was out stumped the next ball as Patriots were reduced to 95-4 after 13.2 overs.
Odean Smith then removed both Bravo brothers in consecutive balls as Patriots crumbled to 108-6 after 15.2 overs. The older Bravo, who was caught at long-on, made four while the younger brother, who had his furniture destroyed, made a 22-ball 21.
After the passing shower, Warriors bowlers, especially the spinners, kept it tight in the death overs. With Smith, Shamsi, and Paul having overs in the bank, Warriors Captain Shimron Hetmyer went with Shepherd, whom he described at the post match, as the “go-to-guy at the end”. Pretorius ended on 27 not out, from 12 balls, after hitting three sixes while Player of the Match, Duan Jansen made an unbeaten 23 from 15 balls. Smith had 2-10 from two overs while Shepherd had 2-42 from 3.4 overs.
Earlier, the Warriors had won the toss and elected to bat first, playing an unchanged team. Openers Chandrapaul Hemraj and Stirling had slow starts. The Irishman, Stirling (01) lost his wicket when he top-edged one and was caught by Sheldon Cottrell, who ran back and claimed a top catch at 6-1 in 1.3 overs.
Shai Hope and Hemraj then joined forces, but found it difficult to find the boundaries at regular intervals. The duo took the score to 41-1 in the powerplay and featured in a 69-run stand. Hemraj departed when he was trapped leg-before by Sri Lankan spinner Akila Dananjaya at 75-2 after 11.2 overs.
Hemraj, who was not at his fluent best, made 43 from 38 balls, an innings that included four boundaries and one six. Hope continued to struggle to score quickly as he departed four runs later for a 27-ball 20, which had a solitary six.
Heinrich Klaasen (10) and Shepherd (03) fell quickly and Warriors were reduced to 105-5 in 15.3 overs. The Warriors Captain then came in and showed his class, entertaining the handful of spectators with his brisk 46 from 21 balls. He slammed four sixes and one four in the Warriors’ top score. Odean Smith made an unbeaten 17 from 16 balls, as he also found it difficult to clear the ropes.
Warriors ended on 162-6 in 20 overs. Dananjaya was the pick of the bowlers with 2-28 in four overs, while Jansen had 2-37.
The Warriors’ next opponent will be the home team, St Lucia Kings on Saturday, September 10 from 19:00h at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground.