Image courtesy of: Zimbio
Fletcher kept St Lucia’s title hopes alive
The St Lucia Zouks kept their Caribbean Premier League (CPL) championship hopes alive after a blinder of an innings by opening batsman Andre Fletcher, who smashed an impressive 76 runs.
St Lucia captain Darren Sammy won the toss and elected to bat first after a 15-minute rain delay.
The decision looked to be the right one as St Lucia’s opening pair of Tamim Iqbal and Fletcher recorded a 46-run partnership before Iqbal was dismissed for 20.
Devon Smith and Fletcher kept the runs flowing with another 46-run partnership before Smith was caught out off the bowling of Rahkeem Cornwall.
With the end approaching, Fletcher and Sammy increased the scoring rate dramatically as the pair managed to put together a 59-run partnership at a run rate of 10.41 before Fletcher was clean bowled by West Indies all-rounder Marlon Samuels for 76 off 53 balls, which included four boundaries and three sixes.
Sammy’s unbeaten 35 off 20 deliveries, which included one boundary and three maximums, took the Zouks to 179 off their 20 overs.
Cornwall and Samuels picked up two wickets apiece.
Before the Antigua Hawksbills could begin their chase of 180, the rain returned, which eventually caused the match to be shortened down to 10.4 overs.
Due to the rain delay, the Hawksbills needed 94 runs off 10.4 overs to win.
They did not get off to a great start as their opening pair of Kieran Powell and Johnson Charles were both dismissed for 12 runs by left-arm spinner Garey Mathurin.
Wicketkeeper Jahmar Hamilton smashed 24 runs off 30 balls, which included three boundaries, and Samuels remained undefeated on 22 off 23 deliveries, which included one boundary, but it was all in vain as the Hawksbills lost the match by 17 runs.
Mathurin was the pick of St Lucia’s bowlers with two wickets, while pace bowler Tino Best snapped up one wicket.