St Kitts and Nevis Patriots suffered their second defeat as their bowlers could not defend a total of 201. Opener Evin Lewis' unbeaten 54-ball 100, Kyle Mayers 62-ball 92 went in vain as Saint Lucia Kings batters Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Tim Seifert scored quickfire fifties in the run chase.
Lewis, Mayers dominate bowlers
Saint Lucia Kings skipper Faf du Plessis won the toss and opted to bowl first at Warner Park, Basseterre. Patriots skipper Andre Fletcher got run out on the third ball of the innings. Lewis and Mayers used the fielding restrictions well as Patriots had 54/1 on the board after powerplay overs. In the eighth over, Lewis hit Mikkel Govia for three consecutive sixes. He reached his half-century from 24 balls with a six off Alzarri Joseph. The partnership continued to flourish. In the 14th over, Mayers smashed Roston Chase for a six over his head to reach his fifty from 37 balls.
The onslaught continued in the slog overs as well. In the penultimate over, rain played spoilsport. No overs were lost as the play resumed. Lewis reached his second Caribbean Premier League (CPL) century from 54 balls. However, Mayers missed his chance. He lost his wicket to David Wiese. Mayers' 62-ball 92 was laced with six fours and seven sixes. On the next ball, Wiese knocked over Sherfane Rutherford. He finished with a dot ball as Patriots posted 201/3. Lewis carried his bat. The opener hit seven fours and nine sixes.
After collapse, Rajapaksa and Seifert take charge
After doing damage with the bat, Mayers bagged two wickets in his second over. He knocked over Johnson Charles and then dismissed Ackeem Auguste in the third over of the run chase. Anrich Nortje joined the party too and dismissed skipper Du Plessis followed by Chase for single-digit scores. Seifert released pressure with a four and a six off Nortje in the sixth over to take the score to 50. In the middle overs, Seifert dominated the proceedings. He smashed Tabraiz Shamsi for two sixes in a row. He dismantled Ashmead Nedd hitting three sixes and a four. At the halfway stage, Saint Lucia Kings were 117/4.
Rajapaksa, Wiese finish it off
Odean Smith was introduced into the attack and provided with a crucial breakthrough. Seifert departed for a 27-ball 64. He hit four fours and six sixes in his quickfire knock. In the 14th over, Rajapaksa hit Shamsi for two sixes to reach his half-century from 25 balls. Wiese cleared the fence as well Saint Lucia Kings made it a one-sided encounter. In the 18th over, Wiese finished the run chase with a boundary. Saint Lucia Kings won by five wickets with 16 balls to spare. Wiese scored 34 runs from 20 balls. Rajapaksa remained unbeaten for a 35-ball 68.
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