BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - THE tough start to the 2022 Caribbean Premier League season continues for the St. Kitts-Nevis Patriots as they were again brushed aside, this time by the St. Lucia Kings by 61 runs at the Daren Sammy Stadium.
Batting first on a slow track in the evening, the host had a strong opening partnership between Captain Faf du Plessis and Johnson Charles, bloating 86 inside 9 oves.
Going for one too many attacking shots, Charles departed as he held out to long-on for 41, while du Plessis continued with his rich form, belting 5 sixes and 3 fours in his inning of 60.
Despite losing quick wickets, lower order batting guided the hosts to a below par total of 161 for 9 off their 20 overs.
Dwaine Pretorius was the pick of the Patriots bowlers, bagging 3 for 37 from his 4 overs. He was ably supported by Akila Dananjaya and Sheldon who ended with 2 wickets each.
The Patriots were never in the game as they lost the in-form and attacking opener Andre Fletcher on the fourth delivery of the inning, when he top edged Tim David to deep midwicket with the score on zero.
That allowed for a major collapse as no bateman was able to put up any resistance with wickets kept falling regularly. However, a valiant 20 from Darren Bravis was not enough to stave off a stinging blow for the defending champions.
They lost 6 wickets for 20 runs to fold for 100 inside 19 overs as Kings Matthew Forde and David Weise ended with 3 wickets each.
The Patriots will have to regroup quickly as they head to Trinidad and Guyana where conditions are likely to favour the slower bowlers which can be a challenge for their batters.
The Patriots received a boost when Afghanistan and world rated spinner Adil Rashid was drafted following the departure of Sri Lankan Wanindu Hasaranga for national duties.
Now, all attention will be placed on Wednesday’s encounter when they take on the Jamaica tallawahs in the morning game.
