Holder and Netravalkar three-fors set up straightforward win for Patriots
Andre Fletcher led the chase with an unbeaten 41-ball 48 after St Lucia Kings had put up a below-par 155 for 8
Andre Fletcher led the chase with an unbeaten 41-ball 48 after St Lucia Kings had put up a below-par 155 for 8
Scorer: Chetan Kumar | Commentator: Rashad Mahbub
It has started to rain again at the stadium, which brings an end to the post-match presentation. Thank you for sticking with us, folks! Do join us again tomorrow for more CPL action. Also, in case you missed it, the Test match between Australia and Bangladesh kicked off today - you can hop over to that coverage with Gnasher and Sreshth leading the commentary. That's all from us here for now. Signing off, adios!
Jason Holder: "A good team win for the boys. I thought we played some good cricket. On a pitch like this, I expected them to really hone in during the powerplay, but we were able to get two new-ball wickets, which was crucial. They got away from us a little bit after that, but then we ended up pegging it back and did a really good job at the back end. So credit to all our bowlers. [Bowling performance] I knew we had a quality bowling attack. It was just a matter of putting the ball in good areas, asking a few questions, and being clinical. We were probably a little sloppy in the field today, which is something we can touch upon, but overall I thought our bowlers did an exceptional job to limit them to 155. At the halfway stage, we were pretty confident we could chase it down, and we did. [Netravalkar] He's been outstanding. Unfortunately, he's only here for three games, but we'll take it. I was actually pretty detailed when I asked to get him in for those three matches because I wanted his quality. I've seen him over the years, and tonight was just an example of what he can produce. [Run chase] Look, it's hard to tell guys like Johnson and Fletcher how to play their game. They've been confident and consistent over the years playing that style of cricket, so we back them to do that. Fortunately for us tonight, they got off to a really good start, and then Kyle came in and kept the tempo going, which was really important. We were able to stay ahead of the required rate, which is crucial when you're chasing. [First win] Look, every win is crucial. It doesn't matter how we get across the line. We know we have areas to improve on, but every win is very important for the points table, so we'll take it as it comes. One-and-one is definitely better than zero-and-two. Now we move on to Antigua, and we've got a few days off to recuperate and get ready for that game. [Couple of areas to brush up] I think our energy in the field could have been a little bit better, and we probably could have taken one or two half-chances, but that's part of cricket. It's important that we keep critiquing ourselves as much as possible, stay firm with our plans, and maintain a clear overall assessment. But overall, we've done a really good job tonight. I'll take it; I'm not going to be too greedy early in the tournament, and it's just important for us to build on this momentum."
Roston Chase: "[Winning the toss and batting first] I wouldn't change the decision, but I thought we left about 30 to 35 runs out there. Having gotten the score we did, they got off to a flyer in the powerplay. It's hard to pull batters back when they only need six or six and a half runs an over on a big field like this. I thought 180 or 190 would have been a good target - that was the goal upfront. But I thought the Patriots bowled well at the end and really forced us to play to the big side with the wind, so we couldn't really get hold of them. [Andrew and Pooran] We have a really young unit - probably the youngest in the CPL right now. So for those young guys to stand up after a bad start and really show their class was a good batting performance from them. But as I said, I just thought we were 30 to 35 runs short. I thought if one of them could have taken it a bit deeper, it would have helped us. But well played to them. [Few words for the home fans] Just keep coming out and supporting. We'll try our best to win some games for you. We started with a win, so don't give up on us yet."
Player of the Match, Andre Fletcher: "[Much-needed victory] Yeah, the first game, as you said, we lost and we put it behind us. That's how the game goes at times, but it was just for us to come out here and do what we love. Saint Lucia got off to a very fast start, but we kept our composure, kept our nerves, and restricted them to under 170. As you could see, it was a manageable total to chase. [Attacking approach in the powerplay] Yeah, that was our strategy - to go hard in the powerplay so it would be easier outside of it. Unfortunately, we lost Johnson early, so it became my role to bat as deep as possible. I'm happy I got my team over the line. [Batting deep] After losing Kyle, I felt it was my responsibility to bat as deep as possible. It wasn't a huge total where we were under immense pressure, so I chose my balls to hit and focused on rotating the strike as much as possible."
10:40 pm A counter-attack proved to be the best approach on this pitch, and the Patriots made their intent clear by targeting the boundaries right from the first ball. Johnson Charles set the tone with a quickfire 16 off five balls before Mayers took charge, launching Forde for three sixes and two fours with effortless ball-striking. Mayers eventually departed in the following over for a 16-ball 32, caught at deep midwicket while trying to clear Theekshana. The Patriots ended the powerplay at 59 for 2, and a 45-run stand came to a close when Theekshana struck again to remove Wickham for 19, who had struggled to get going. A mini-collapse in the middle order briefly blew the contest wide open, but Andre Fletcher anchored the chase with remarkable composure, holding firm at one end to finish unbeaten on 48 off 41 balls. Theekshana, Bishop and Chase did well with the ball, remained economical and picked up wickets. But there wasn't enough on the board to defend for the bowlers today. It secured the Patriots' first win of the season, leaving the home crowd in St Lucia heartbroken.
St Kitts and Nevis Patriots won by 5 wickets
10 runs needed off 18 balls. Forde to bowl now
Andre Fletcher led the chase with an unbeaten 41-ball 48 after St Lucia Kings had put up a below-par 155 for 8