Noor Ahmad ( Saint Lucia Kings ) was named Player of the Tournament after taking 22 wickets this season in CPL and three in the finals against GAW.
Saint Lucia Kings lifted the Caribbean Premier League 2024 Trophy after defeating last year’s champions, Guyana Amazon Warriors, by six wickets and 11 balls left. Def du Plessis led SLK to become the champion for the first time in eleven years at the Providence Stadium. Roston Chase (39*) and Aaron Jones (48*) led the SLK to become the fifth team to hold this prestigious title.
SLK won the toss and chose to bowl first. GAW sent Rahmanullah Gurbaz but lost his wicket in the first over to SLK bowler Khary Pierre. GAW Moeen Ali played cautiously, and Shai Hope came to play in the third position.
Roston Chase struck the first ball in the seventh over and took Shai Hope’s (22 of 24 balls ) wicket with the ball hitting the edge of the stump. Another shock for GAW was when Moeen Ali lost his wicket to SLK fast bowler Noor Ahmed.
The SLK bowlers mopped up GAW’s middle batting lineup, and they took control of the game till the 19th over of the first innings, with Guyana’s total score of 102/7 after 18 overs.
Although the pressure kept getting worse by the end on GAW, Dwaine Pretorius, before losing his wicket to SLK bowler D Wiese, scored an outstanding 25 off 12 deliveries, including four boundaries.
Shephard managed to score 19 runs for GAW in the last over and was not out with a total of 138 for Kings to hunt.
GAW fans were worried as the overall target was low, and the SLK batting lineup could easily chase it. Despite this, the fans were cheering for their team, and the hope was alive for GAW bowlers to bounce back again and restrict the SLK batting lineup.
Captain Faf du Plessis came to bat first and smashed two boundaries, and the moment he started to settle himself on the pitch, GAW Moeen Ali took his wicket, sending him back with just 21 runs.
GAW spinner Gudakesh Motie, Romario Shepherd, Kevin Sinclair, and Imran Tahir destroyed the middle batting lineup of Johnson Charles, Tim Serfiet, and Ackeem Auguste.
Roston Chase and Aaron Jones came to the crease and smashed an 88-run partnership in just 8.2 overs. Aaron Jones played extraordinarily well and hit four sixes and 48 runs off 31 deliveries.
At the same time, Chase exploded aggressively, making a quick 39 off 22 deliveries. The fans were sitting on the edge as the last over ended with Imran Tahir bowling a wide. St Lucia Kings set a target in the match and chased it in 18.1 overs.
SLK skipper Du Plessis was overwhelmed by the crowd cheering and celebrating the iconic win. He stated that it is special for them. The team has been steady throughout the competition. There were times he thought this was one tournament they would not win. He kept on spurring the team on to believe in themselves and to take it till the end of the tournament.
Roston Chase walked off with the Man of the Match award and said in a post-match interview: “It’s a great feeling. I have lost two finals. The captain said that was the best matchup (to Hope). The game was still close, but Guyana bowled a covey of tight overs. Then the rate got to 13. I told Aaron that we need a big over.”
Noor Ahmad held the title of Player of the Tournament for taking 22 wickets this season and three in the finals against GAW.
He stated, “It’s quite a special day for us and for St Lucia. Everyone tried to give their best. Seeing the conditions, and bowling according to that. We played three games before that, so we had good planning. And that’s what gave us success. From the first day, we had believe that we will be champions.”
Saint Lucia had a great year for sports, with the country winning their first ever medals in the summer Olympics. They lived their dream to achieve their first Caribbean Premier League title, as it was the only franchise without a title before they joined CPL.
Links Referred
