Local fans were eagerly anticipating a resurgence from the St Lucia Kings in their challenging home leg matches in the CPL. However, their fortunes did not improve as they fell to the Guyana Amazon Warriors on Wednesday at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground (DSCG).
The Kings set a total of 151/7 in their 20 overs, but the Warriors successfully chased it down with 157/3 in just 18.1 overs. Currently, the Kings are positioned fifth on the CPL points table, having secured two wins and suffered three losses from five matches, accumulating a total of four points.
On Friday, the Kings were set to face Jamaica in their final home leg game, hoping to shift the tide in their favor. Jamaica sits in third place, also with two wins and three losses but holding a superior run rate compared to the Kings.
In Wednesday’s match, the Warriors won the toss and opted to bowl on a cloudy evening with intermittent rain delays affecting the Kings’ innings. They capitalized on the conditions, with Dwaine Pretorius and Shamar Joseph combining for five wickets, restricting St Lucia Kings to a total that captain Roston Chase deemed “25 runs short.”
The Warriors’ chase benefitted from a strong opening partnership between Glenn Phillips and Mavendra Dindyal. Shimron Hetmyer and Quinton Simpson then guided the team through a brief stumble towards the end, ultimately securing a seven-wicket victory that propelled them to the top of the points table.
Charith Asalanka was the Kings’ standout performer, notching up 35 runs off 28 balls (1×4, 2×6). He appeared poised to accelerate the innings further before the Warriors claimed his crucial wicket.
Homegrown talent Ackeem Auguste had showcased his batting prowess in a prior match against the Barbados Tridents, scoring 63 off 34 balls. Unfortunately, his innings was cut short on Wednesday, as he scored just 13 off 8 balls (1×6) and faced a controversial on-field decision resulting in his dismissal after a review ruled him out caught in the deep.
Despite some aggressive late-order contributions, the Kings managed only 17 runs off the final three overs (18 balls). Notably, Asalanka and Darren Nedd had the Kings’ best partnership with 45 runs off 40 balls.
Although the Kings attempted to mount a challenge with sporadic tight bowling, Phillips and Dindyal established a strong opening of 1/79 (10.3 overs), which persisted throughout the innings. Hetmyer and Simpson sealed the win with a brisk partnership of 38 runs off just 11 balls, with Hetmyer finishing the match with a six, helping the Warriors score 36 runs off nine balls.
The Kings will also need to adjust due to personnel changes. Noor Ahmad, the tournament’s leading wicket-taker during the Kings’ 2024 title-winning season, will miss the remainder of the tournament as his No Objection Certificate (NOC) was revoked by the Afghanistan Cricket Board.
West Indies opener John Campbell, has temporarily replaced young talent Jewel Andrew who is nursing an injury.
[R.A].