The Saint Lucia Kings returned to winning ways on September 12, with a five-wicket victory over the Saint Kitts & Nevis Patriots. This was the third Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) fixture at Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, with the home team needing a victory after dropping the first two games.
Opting to bowl first after winning the toss, the Kings managed to keep the scoring in check despite not taking a wicket during the powerplay. A solid 62 from former King Andre Fletcher and a brisk 50 from Riley Rossouw helped the Patriots reach a total of 173-5, which is about average for this venue.
The Kings’ response began explosively, with Captain Faf Du Plessis and Johnson Charles racing to 72 runs by the end of the powerplay. Both openers scored over 50, building a formidable 115-run partnership. During his innings, Charles (74 from 42 balls) also made history by becoming the first player to surpass 3000 runs in CPL history. Contributions from the middle order then secured the win for the team.
Man of the match Charles indicated that while there is still room for improvement, he was happy with his team’s performance.
“I wouldn’t say complete because you never have a complete game. There’s always room for, you know, to improve. So it was a very comprehensive win and I love it.” he said.
Commenting on his personal milestone, the two-time World T20 winning opener from Millet admitted that he was delighted with the achievement
“That’s a great achievement, I love it. I’m the only one in the 3000 club, soon to be joined by my brother [Andre] Fletcher. But it’s a wonderful feeling, it’s a great milestone. And I’m just looking to pile on the runs.” he added.
The Boys in Blue will hope for a win against the Antigua & Barbuda Falcons on Sunday night, to close out their home leg of the tournament on a high.
(Story Updated)
As per the headline, was wondering who ‘Johno’ was, only at the end of the article I realized it was Johnson Charles.
The eclectic eccentricities that make Lucians typical Saint Lucians was on display for the world to see during this cricket match. Imagine a crowd so vociferous and versed in the Lucian parlance that one had to wonder if their expletives during the Saint Lucian Kings innings was directed at the batsman or the bowler. As the bowler lined up his run towards the batsman, the was sounds of choked and stifled sneezes coming from the crowd….he…he….he…hhheeeeeee sal….pe….( Figure it out )….I was bursting with laughter at hearing the raucous. Lucians are in a class of their own for better or for worse…..
What’s with this stupid trend of giving dumb nicknames to athletes? Johno? Juju? Do y’all even know what a juju is? Last I checked it was a pushover/walkover or sidepiece. Did y’all ask the people to rename them?