“The Sherfane Rutherford Show” is heading to the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots

– Expected to project form heading into CPL

By Timothy Jaikarran

When the teams began announcing their retained squads for the 2021 edition of the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPLT20), the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in particular – which did not fare so well in the 2020 edition, having occupied last place on the points table – was one of the teams that many fans were hoping would making good retentions.
And just as the fans had hoped, the Patriots retained the likes of Dwayne Bravo, Evin Lewis, Fabian Allen, Sherfane Rutherford, Sheldon Cottrell, Rayad Emrit, Jon Russ Jaggesar, Dominic Drakes and Joshua Da Silva.

Rather pertinently, the franchise picked up the in-form Sherfane Rutherford who, while he did not have a successful CPL 2020, did make up for that in various leagues across the world.
Rutherford proved his worth in the US Open T20 League in the latter part of December 2020. Playing in a total of five matches for the Atlanta Paramveers, he racked up a total of 116 runs, with a high score of 69 and a batting average of 38.67 at a strike rate of 111.54. He also chipped in with the ball at times, being able to bowl a total of 4 overs for 24 runs, while bagging 3 wickets at an economy rate of 6.00.
He then went on to play in the Abu Dhabi T10 League, where he represented the Delhi Bulls. Rutherford played a total of 8 matches, scoring 91 runs at an average of 30.33 and an impressive strike rate of 245.94.
The talented allrounder then played in the Pakistan Super League, where he turned out for Peshawar Zalmi. In the 5 matches that he played, he scored 129 runs, with a high score of 46 at an average of 43.00 and a strike rate of 151.76. His form improved, compared to the other two leagues he had played in.

Then the COVID-19 pandemic struck, and the tournament was forced to an abrupt stop. However, on June 1, 2021, the action will recommence, and for Rutherford, this means everything, as his form in the PSL would be expected to overflow into the CPL when he dons the Patriots’ colours.
In his time back home, the young left-hander has continued to work on his fitness, and has never looked better. His value to the Patriots will be of uttermost importance, as they lack the firepower. But with Rutherford filling that gap, that extra 40 or 50 runs that would have been needed to get the team over the line should no longer be a problem.
To add the icing on the cake, the Patriots Head Coach, Simon Helmot, in a video posted on social media, has been seen calling Rutherford “A very, very talented all-rounder.” In another video, Rutherford noted that he is very excited to be part of the Patriots unit, and has said he is very excited to play for that franchise, and can’t wait to see them.
Hence, a lot will be expected of him, and there is no doubt that he would deliver when “The Sherfane Rutherford Show” comes to CPL 2021.
The 2021 CPL event will get underway on 28 August, and will run until 19 September. This year, the tournament will be staged in its entirety in St Kitts & Nevis, with all 33 matches being played at Warner Park. This follows on from the successful staging of Hero CPL in Trinidad & Tobago in 2020.
The complete squads for Hero CPL 2021 would be revealed on the draft show which will be broadcasted on Friday 28 May at 9am ECT| 2pm GMT| 6:30pm IST.