In the CPL 2024 twenty-fifth match, Trinbago Knight Riders won against St Kitts & Nevis Patriots by seven wickets at Trinidad’s Brian Lara Stadium on Thursday.
Brian Lara Stadium pitch conditions tends to favor spinners because of its slow nature. The average first innings total in T20I matches played at this venue is only 135.
Trinbago Knight Riders won the toss and chose to bowl first. The new ball was given to Akeal Hosein. Patriots send their season-best openers, Andre Fletcher and Evin Lewison, on the field.
A rought start for Patriots as they lost Opening batsman Evin Lewis’s wicket in the first over of the game by a sharp turn from Akeal Hosein. Kyle Mayers came on the ground and pulled the team’s total score with his aggressive batting, scoring 60 off 30 deliveries with eight fours and three sixes.
Fletcher, who was now well grounded with Mayers’s support, smashed his third half-century of the CPL 2024 season. Fletcher scored a total of 93 runs from just 61 balls by hitting four boundaries and six huge sixes. Kyle Mayers lost his wicket to Jordan, who took a brilliant return catch. That was a pace-off delivery into the surface a much-needed wicket for TKR.
The dynamic duo 63-run partnership with Mikyle Louis (10* off 14) took the team in the end to a total of 193-4.
Hunting for a total of 194 runs, Trinbago Knight Riders sent opener Jason Roy on the field. Riders opener Jason Roy has started to find boundaries in the starting overs to get a big score in this game.
He teamed on the right side by scoring a spirited 64 from 34 balls during his aggressive cameos with Keacy Carty (13 off 15) and Nicholas Pooran. Losing Cartys early wicket to Patriots bowler Kyle Mayers did not have much impact on Knight Riders’. Pooran was brought in early to deal with the situation.
Roy scored 43 runs with the opening partner, and a 73-run partnership was formed with the wicket-keeper batter to reach 116 in only 11 overs.
With 78 more runs needed from the remaining nine overs, Nicholas Pooran took on the Patriot’s bowling to post an unbeaten 93 of 43 balls by smashing six boundaries and as many as seven sixes. He shared a 58 run outstanding partnership with captain Kieron Pollard (10* off 7) to led Knight Riders to the required run target with seven wickets and nine balls to spare.
Nicholas Pooran became Player of the Match for his remarkable 93 of 43 balls.
