BASSETERRE, St Kitts, CMC – Last year’s losing finalists, Guyana Amazon Warriors, maintained their unbeaten start to the Caribbean Premier League season with a comfortable seven-wicket win over St Kitts and Nevis Patriots here Saturday night.
In a low-key encounter at Warner Park, the visitors made light work of a target of 122, to notch their fourth successive win and move to the top of the standings on eight points.
They are alongside two-time reigning champions Trinbago Knight Riders on points but ahead courtesy of net run rate.
Jamaican Brandon King led the run chase with a top score of 49 off 24 deliveries, in a 64-run opening stand with Chandrapaul Hemraj (22), before captain Shoaib Malik saw his side home with an unbeaten 24.
West Indies’ latest Test recruit, Shamarh Brooks, had earlier top-scored for Patriots with 34 off 25 deliveries as the home side struggled badly after being asked to bat, and eventually crumbled for an inadequate 121 with an over left in the innings.
Englishman Laurie Evans chipped in with 26 off 21 balls but no other player passed 20 as the Patriots succumbed to a trial by spin, to slump to their fourth defeat five games to be one from bottom of the tables on two points.
Nineteen-year-old Afghan leg-spinner Qaid Ahmad led the attack with three for 28 while South African leg-spinner Imran Tahir (2-17), seamer Keemo Paul (2-24) and off-spinner Chris Green (2-28) all chipped in with two wickets each.
Patriots lost in-form Devon Thomas cheaply for one in the second over, bowled by Green missing a backfoot stroke and Evans struck four fours in posting 35 for the second wicket with Mohammed Hafeez (14) before going run out at the striker’s end by Tahir direct hit from short fine leg in the sixth over.
When Hafeez holed out to long off in the eighth over from Qais Ahmad, he became the first of three wickets to fall for seven runs in the space of nine balls, as Patriots slipped to 53 for five at the end of the ninth.
Brooks, who counted three fours and a six, then put on 44 for the sixth wicket with Fabian Allen (16) but once the stand was broken by Qais Ahmad, the last five wickets perished for 24 runs.
Needing a great start to stand a chance of victory, Patriots never got it as King dominated the early going in a knock laced with seven fours and three sixes.
He looked set for his second T20 half-century when he was sent back by Hemraj in a mix-up over a quick single and run out in the sixth over.
Left-hander Shimron Hetmyer (1) and Hemraj fell 20 runs apart to leave Amazon Warriors on 86 for three in the 11th but Shoaib and Nicholas Pooran (18 not out) took their side home without alarm in an unbroken 36-run, fourth wicket partnership.
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