Solid batting performances from Brandon King and Devon Thomas saved the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots (SKNP) from what looked like certain defeat at the hands of the Barbados Tridents (BT) on Saturday evening at the Kensington Oval, Barbados.
Brandon King
The Bajans lost the toss and were sent in to bat. They got to 147 – 6 in their allotted overs, but it proved futile as the opposition persevered to achieve the target with 7 balls to spare, as SKNP registered a six-wicket win.
SKNP had a nightmare start, losing Chris Gayle on the first ball of the chase, then Evin Lewis (1) two overs later to Mohammad Irfan, both caught behind by Nicholas Pooran. Patriots slumped to 7 – 2.
Then King and Thomas made their stand, staging a cautious recovery that propelled their side to victory. They crawled to 100 in the 14th over, but had settled enough and had ample resources in the dugout to pursue the target.
King’s 60 included five maximums and four boundaries with a strike rate of over 120, while Thomas’s well played innings of 32 was cut short when he was bowled by Wahab Riaz. His innings was laced with three sixes and two fours.
Devon Thomas
Ben Cutting and Tom Cooper then pushed the Patriots over the line, remaining unbeaten on 29 and 13 respectively. Mention must be made of Irfan’s magnificent spell of 2 – 1 from four overs, three of which were maidens.
Earlier, Tridents’ top order stuck it out, with Jason Holder (54) top scoring, while Shai Hope was the next significant contributor with 26. Dwayne Smith (20) and Martin Guptil (19) got quick starts trying to see off the new ball, but their time in the middle was brief.
Jason Holder
Pooran (8) and Steve Smith (4) were removed before settling, as the Tridents’ run rate slowed down as the overs ran out.
Cutting and Anton Devcich grabbed two wickets each, while Sheldon Cottrell had one.
