BASSETERRE, St Kitts, CMC – Debutant fast bowler Akeem Jordan made an instant impact while opener Evin Lewis struck his second half-century as St Kitts and Nevis Patriots recovered from losing two games on the trot to beat St Lucia Zouks by six wickets here Sunday night.
In pursuit of a hardly challenging 139 at Warner Park, Patriots swept to only their second win of their Caribbean Premier League campaign with 31 balls remaining in the contest under lights.
The left-handed Lewis top-scored with 65 off 30 balls while Mohammed Hafeez chipped in with 26, the pair combining in a 62-run, third wicket stand which put the hosts in sight of victory.
Zouks, sent in earlier, produced a lacklustre batting effort to finish on 138 for nine off their 20 overs, with New Zealander Colin de Grandhomme getting 30 and South African Hardus Viljoen scoring 28.
The 24-year-old Jordan, in his first-ever T20 match of a promising career, took apart the Zouks with four for 33 from his four overs while leg-break bowler Usama Mir (2-13) and medium pacer Rayad Emrit (2-29) provided excellent support.
With the victory, St Kitts moved into third place in the six-team standings on four points while Zouks remained fourth on two.
Once Jordan removed in-form openers Andre Fletcher (1) and Rahkeem Cornwall (5) with just 14 on the board in the third over, the Zouks innings remained in turmoil throughout.
Fletcher slapped the third ball of the evening straight to Fabien Allen at point while Cornwall slashed to Sheldon Cottrell at third man.
De Grandhomme, who faced 22 balls and belted four fours and a six, tried to revive the innings in a 26-run, sixth wicket stand with captain Darren Sammy (18) but perished to a catch at deep cover in the 12th over off Mir.
On the ropes at 100 for eight, Zouks benefited from the best stand of the innings when Viljoen and Obed McCoy (14 not out) put on 35 for the ninth wicket.
Zouks were quickly back in the game when seamer Kesrick Williams had the dangerous Devon Thomas caught at third man for one with the score on 11 in the second over.
However, success thereafter was limited, as Lewis put on 45 for the second wicket with Englishman Laurie Evans (19) and another half-century stand with Hafeez, to erase any doubt about the outcome.
Lewis was in prime form, counting five fours and half-dozen sixes, as he raced to his 27th T20 fifty off 26 balls.
