CPL 2021: Patriots down Warriors

St Kitts and Nevis Patriots defeated the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the fifth game of the Caribbean Premier League 2021.

The showdown was held on Saturday in Basseterre.

Warriors were restricted to only 146 runs.

The chase was a walk in the park for the Patriots as the target was achieved with only two wickets down and seven balls in hand.

Lewis powers Patriots to win

Evin Lewis once again delivered the goods when his team needed the most.

The hard-hitting batsman has proved his worth time and again in franchise cricket. This time, in another CPL clash, where his fiery fifty paved the way for Patriot’s victory.

Lewis amassed 62 runs off only 39 balls in a low-scoring contest. He reached his fifty in only 35 balls.

The Caribbean player struck four fours and five massive sixes to take the game away from the Amazon Warriors and set the tone for the next betters to come after him.

Veteran spinner Imran Tahir dismissed him at the end, but the damage had already been done by then.

Drakes picks three scalps

Dominic Drakes dismissed Odean Smith, Shoaib Malik and Imran Tahir in the game.

His three wickets gave the Patriots an edge over the opponents. The 23-year-old cricketing prodigy bowled in the right channels throughout the game which resulted in a low economy as well.

He leaked only 26 runs in his quota of four overs, including 11 dot balls.

Australia leg-spinner Fawad Ahmed also chipped in to further dismantle the Warriors’ batting line-up.

He picked two wickets for 33 runs in his quota.

The Fawad-Drakes duo was monumental for the Patriots in this game as their five wickets combined never let the Amazon batters settle for long on the wicket.

Thomas – the underrated star

Devin Thomas played a slow, yet crucial knock to ensure that his side crosses the line.

His 55* off 54 may have come at a lower strike rate, but the player handled the situation smartly in the second innings.

He struck seven fours and a six, and remained unbeaten till the end.

While his opening partner Evin Lewis was striking the ball all around the park, Thomas was happy rotating the strikes and only punishing bad balls.

Bravo credits bowlers for win

Patriots captain Dwayne Bravo was quick to acknowledge how well his bowling unit performed against the Warriors.

“Very happy, a great team effort. Guyana is one of the better teams in the tournament, so I give credit to my bowling group to restrict a very experienced batting line-up. That’s all we ask as a team, just have that hunger,” Bravo said in the post-match interview.

The veteran franchise cricketer explained how the tricky pitch could be handled the best.

“It is a wicket that offers something for both spin and pace. And if you bat properly and apply yourself you can make runs too, it’s a small ground.”

“As long as you play the game smart, you’ll get the results. The way they batted in the first six, they literally batted Guyana out of the game.”

St Kitts & Nevis Patriots 147 for 2 (Lewis 62, Thomas 55*) beat Guyana Amazon Warriors 146 for 8 (Hemraj 39, Hafeez 38*, Drakes 3-26, Fawad 2-33) by 8 wickets.