Brendon McCullum smashed a game-winning 40 not out

Image courtesy of: Zimbio

Brendon McCullum cracked 40 off just 14 balls to lead the Trinbago Knight Riders to an eight-wicket win over the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots via the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method.

Chris Gayle deserves a lot of credit for his entertaining knock of 93 in a match that saw a power outage and rain delays.

The Knight Riders‘ win keeps them at the top of the points table, while the Patriots remain in second. Both teams have already qualified for the knockout stage of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

Being put in to bat first, the Patriots got off to a scorching start as Gayle and Evin Lewis amassed a 58-run partnership in just under five overs before Lewis was caught behind off the bowling of Sunil Narine for a 14-ball 39.

In the very next over, the match was delayed for almost 90 minutes after the lights went out at Warner Park in St Kitts. This led to the match being reduced to 18 overs per side.

Two overs later, the heavens parted and play was suspended for 40 minutes, which reduced the match to 13 overs per side.

Following a stop and start period, Gayle lit up Warner Park during his 103-run stand with Shamarh Brooks.

Gayle raced past his fifty and was looking on track for a splendid hundred, but it did not come to fruition as he was dismissed by Ronsford Beaton for 93, which came off 47 balls and included five boundaries and eight sixes.

Chris Gayle provided plenty of entertainment during his valiant knock

Image courtesy of: Zimbio

On the final ball of the innings, Brooks was run out by wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin for 20.

In the end, the Patriots ended up finishing on 162/3 off their 13 overs.

Narine and Beaton picked up one wicket apiece.

Chasing 169 to win as a result of the DLS method, the Knight Riders lost Narine and Colin Munro in quick succession before the rain returned.

With the match suspended for 30 minutes, the Knight Riders were set a revised target of 86 to win off six overs.

The Knight Riders had their backs against the wall when they resumed their innings on 34/2 in the fourth over, but McCullum and Darren Bravo guided the team to victory with four balls to spare via an unbeaten 54-run partnership.

McCullum finished on 40 off 14 balls, which included five boundaries and three sixes, while Bravo remained undefeated on 38 off 10 deliveries, which included six sixes.

Ben Hilfenhaus and Samuel Badree claimed one wicket each.