Republic Bank CPL 2024: Hetmyer blitz takes centre stage in 6-fest at Warner Park

A battle of the best six-hitters was in store for the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) on Wednesday evening, but when the firing range slowed up and the gunpowder cleared, it was the Guyana Amazon Warriors that came out on top of the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots by 40 runs.
Opting to bat first after winning the toss, the Amazon Warriors tested another opening combination, this time featuring Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Kevin Sinclair, which was a bit more fruitful than the first.
Clearly sent as the aggressor in the opening partnership, Sinclair strung together several lusty blows that raced to the boundary in his quick-fire 17. However, the “cow dam” native tried to hit one too many off Kyle Mayers in the third over, as Sherfane Rutherford had no problem holding on to the catch of his fellow Guyanese just outside the circle.

Assuming he was introduced owing to his familiarity with the Guyanese squad, Veerasammy Permaul struck in the very first ball of his second over, forcing Shai Hope to mis-hit a full delivery, which was caught at long-on.
However, that was the last time that the Patriots’ bowling attack looked solid that night as Gurbaz and the incoming Shimron Hetmyer took them to the cleaners.
Odean Smith committed a cardinal sin, not too long after in the ninth over, dropping a fiery-looking Hetmyer on 17 off his own bowling.
The fans at Warner Park in Basseterre were given a front-row seat to the six show which saw Hetmyer and Gurbaz moving the Amazon Warriors’ run rate from nine per over at the end of the seventh over to an impressive 13 at the end of the 14th over.

At one point, the duo combined for five sixes in the space of seven balls, leaving the Patriots all out of options. In similarly-entertaining fashion, Gurbaz brought up his half-century off 30 balls with a maximum into the crowd behind deep-backward square.
“Hetty” refused to be left out of the party, launching Mohammad Moshin and Mayers into the crowd to bring up his fastest CPL fifty, in just 23 balls.
After being hit for back-to-back sixes in the 14th over, the Patriots finally found some solace in Anrich Nortje, who displaced Gurbaz’s stumps for 69 runs. In desperation for another scalp, the hosts hustled to review an apparent nick from Azam Khan in the very next ball, but were unsuccessful. They did not have to wait much longer to send Khan back to the dugout, as he departed soon after for two runs.

Khan’s departure mattered not though, because Keemo Paul came in striking at 271. Laced with four fours and three sixes, Paul’s 38 from 14 was just what the doctor ordered to keep the Amazon Warriors barrelling towards a 250- run score.
Again, Hetmyer was dropped, this time on 68 runs in the 18th over. For good measure, the Berbician added 23 more runs to his tally before actually biting the dust in the 19th, nine short of what would’ve been a sparkling century.
With Hetmyer gone, Dwaine Pretorius and Raymond Reifer were left to finish the innings with a flourish and that they did, hitting 13 and 14 runs respectively from five balls each.
Eventually, the highest total this season, 266-7 was posted and then, it was time to defend.
However, unlike the way the Patriots went about chasing Trinbago Knight Riders’ 250 target on Saturday last, the hosts decided to take the fight to their visitors.
The ball was in the Warriors’ court after Ravin Lewis nicked Pretorius’ delivery to Khan behind the stumps, in the first over. But Andre Fletcher and Mayers went berserk to craft a stellar start for the Patriots.
After a pacy 69-run partnership between the two, the Warriors finally got their breakthrough from Keemo Paul, who had Mayers caught for 28 from 17. Sherfane Rutherford, too, looked threatening, slamming three fours and three sixes in his 34 from 12 before being sent back by Reifer.
A turnaround looked to be on the horizon for the Warriors, whose Captain Imran Tahir stepped up to the plate in the 10th over, registering a double-wicket maiden to ensure half the Patriots batters were back in the dugout.
But alas, Tahoe’s opposite number, Patriots Captain Andre Fletcher still occupied his pot at the crease and was a menace to each bowler that crossed his path.
Gudakesh Motie’s introduction into the bowling attack came late and even after being dispatched over the ropes a few times, was welcomed since he claimed the prized wicket of Fletcher for 81 from 33.
As Motie returned to claim his second in the 15th minute, little by little, the Warriors were able to regain control of the match.
Even as Mikyle Louis attempted a late flurry, both Motie and Tahir claimed three wickets apiece to rout the Patriots for 226 in 18 overs.
The CPL action continues this evening with a battle between the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons and the Trinbago Knight Riders from 19:00h.