The Saint Lucia Kings suffered their first defeat of the new Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League season, falling to the Trinbago Knight Riders at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground on Saturday evening. The game was played in front of a capacity crowd, with the Johnson Charles Stand sold out well before the first ball.
Having won the toss and chosen to field, the Kings were put immediately under pressure. Aggressive batting from Trinbago openers Colin Munro and Alex Hales pushed the visitors to 58-1. The Kings didn’t help their cause either, dropping Munro twice, on seven and again on 25, while other lapses in the field added to their woes.
As is often the case, the bowlers managed to slow the scoring in the middle overs, picking up a couple of wickets, including Munro, who departed for 43. But then came a vintage Kieron Pollard performance. In an 82-run stand with captain Nicholas Pooran, Pollard pummelled the Kings’ attack, racing to a half-century in just 22 deliveries and becoming the CPL’s all-time leading six-hitter in the process.
The Kings finished the innings strongly, though. After dismissing both Pollard and Pooran, they tightened up with the ball and restricted TKR to 184. Young Saint Lucian pacer Keon Gaston stood out, claiming 2-38 from his three overs, while four other Kings bowlers chipped in with a wicket each.
In the chase, the Kings got off to a flying start through openers Johnson Charles and Tim Seifert, who smashed 60 runs in the powerplay. The pair added 74 for the first wicket before Andre Russell removed Seifert. Charles marked a personal milestone with his 400th six in T20 cricket but fell short of a half-century, dismissed for 47.
From there, the momentum slipped away. The Kings fell behind the required run rate, and the controversial dismissal of in-form batsman Tim David all but sealed their fate. Despite the strong start, the Kings eventually fell short by 18 runs.
The Kings will hope for renewed vigour when they face the Barbados Royals at home on Sunday.
