BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - THE disappointing season for the St. Kitts-Nevis Patriots continued last evening (Jul. 16) as they were humiliated by the Jamaica Tallawahs.
Playing before a packed Sabina Park crowd in Kingstown, the Patriots were rolled over for a paltry 75-run which signalled their sixth loss in seven matches.
Winning the toss and asking the Tallawahs to bat, the Patriots quickly removed openers Chadwick Walton and Chris Gayle with the score on 20, but a 74-run partnership between Rovman Powell (35) and Kumar Sangakkara (65) laid the platform for the big hitters to come.
The Patriots bowlers had no answer for the strong hitting from Sangakkara who blasted 7x4s and 2x6s before he was removed hooking a slower short ball from Krishmar Santokie to be caught at the midwicket boundary.
Andre Russell and Shakib Al Hasan punished the poor bowling by all of the Patriots bowlers, including young pacer Alzarri Joseph who proved to be the most expensive with figures of four overs, 63 runs and no wicket, as the Tallawahs posted a competitive 183 for 6.
Santokie bagged 3 for 24 from four overs and got assistance from Tabraiz Shamsi and Sheldon Cottrell, both of whom claimed a wicket.
In reply, the Patriots lost wickets early and regularly which pegged them back.
Hard-hitting and under fire opener Lendell Simmons was removed early with the score on zero when he chipped down the wicket and skied a ball off the elbow to bowler Andre Russell in the first over of the game.
Captain Faf Du Plessis perished two overs later for 12 when he tried lofting an Andre Russell delivery over cover, only to be plucked out of the air by Walton.
Jonathan Carter (23) and wicketkeeper/batsman Evin Lewis (17) had a 42-run partnership before the latter was dismissed, which triggered a collapse of four wickets as the Patriots slipped from 53 for 2 to 53 for 6.
They were then bowled out for 75 runs.
That defeat has all but eliminated the Patriots from the Playoffs as they sit on two points from their seven games - with three matches remaining for them in the tournament.
Only the St. Lucia Zouks sit below them.
