Triple Ton for Auguste!

Ackeem Auguste had one of the greatest batting performances ever by a Saint Lucian, hitting 308 against the Commonwealth of Dominica on Monday. Saint Lucia were 488 all out on the final day of a three-day Under-23 match at the Mindoo Phillip Park in Castries.

This was in response to Dominion’s total of 354 all out. Their captain, Stephan Pascal, made 160 off 218 balls, with 18 fours and five sixes.

Auguste, the 20-year-old left-hander, was 191 overnight, at which time Saint Lucia was 313-7.

But on a hot and sunny Monday morning, Auguste was in his pomp. He raced past 275, the highest score ever by a Saint Lucian batter, and the largest tally ever on Saint Lucian soil in any format of the game.

Then, he formalized his triple ton with a square cut for two that took him to 301. A few balls later, he would finally fall on 308, after facing 257 balls. He hit 23 fours and 18 sixes, a 119.84 run rate. The two dozen or so spectators joined his teammates in applauding the absolutely massive landmark.

In March 2015, playing in the U19 schools tournament, Kimani Melius made 275 for Babonneau Secondary against CARE. Aged just 14 at the time, the boy from Boguis hit 25 fours and 21 sixes, leading his team to a total of 444-7 in just 30 overs at Monchy Playing Field. That 275 was the highest individual score at any level of the game by a Saint Lucian.

“That was, I think, 2015 at the age of 14,” recalled Melius. “It’s actually good to see a next Saint Lucian in the spotlight. Records were meant to be broken, and credit must be given to Ackeem Auguste. He batted very well, and his maturity, being that he played at all age group levels, to score it, he must be commended for that effort.

Stavone Gabriel was the man at the other end for Melius on that memorable day. Melius says the most memorable thing about the innings was developing a partnership of 232 with Gabriel. But Melius, who is the captain of the U23 team, told St Lucia Times that Mondays knock by Auguste was indeed meaningful and important.

For his part, former West Indies A captain John Eugene says the innings was impressive. Eugene, the first West Indian to hit 100 in T20 cricket, is the head coach of the Saint Lucian team. He explained to St Lucia Times that the presence of mechanisms like the West Indies Under-19 team and the Saint Lucia High Performance Centre can only redound to the benefit of emerging players like Auguste.

“Ackeem is in such a unique position now, in terms of his development,” said Eugene. “I think what has really benefited Ackeem is the different structures that he has gone through, the professionalism in his approach. Going forward, I think he’s hungry for runs, and just looking at the way that he played today, the pathway looks a lot freer for him, just the way that he has  composed this innings.”