The Saint Lucia Kings experienced their first defeat of the 2024 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) season on Saturday night, beaten by the defending champions, Amazon Warriors, at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground.
After losing the toss and being put to bat, the Kings faced early setbacks, losing Captain Faf Du Plessis and other key wickets, leaving them at 47-4 after the powerplay. Despite a determined 31 from Matthew Forde, their innings crumbled, and they were bowled out for 100 within 15 overs.
The Amazon Warriors made quick work of the chase, driven by a strong performance from their opening pair. Rahmanullah Gurbaz scored a swift 47, while Tim Robinson contributed 33 runs. Their solid partnership set the foundation for an easy victory, with the visitors winning the game by six wickets. Noor Ahmad was the pick of the bowlers once again, bagging three wickets for 22 runs.
Captain Faf Duplessis assessed the loss as a learning moment for the team.
“We were never really in the contest, losing wickets all the time. So some learning from us from game one, and in our first home condition. And hopefully we can improve on that in Game 2” he said.
The skipper expressed confidence in the team’s abilities for the rest of the tournament.
“We know if we play better, then we’ll take on any team on the day. But it’s more the focus on us trying to be better.” he added.
This match was the first of four to be held at the Kings home ground this season. They will hope for a better result when they play the Trinbago Knight Riders on Tuesday, September 10.
It would be a mountainous task to beat Amazon this season the only fault would be theirs and not no one else. When last you see a team goes with 16 all rounders? That’s cricket war bro. Kings didn’t had a chance the captain add more pressure that’s how we lead.