The Saint Lucia Kings stunned the Guyana Amazon Warriors to claim their maiden Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) title on Sunday night at the Guyana National Stadium in Providence. In a game that swung both ways, the Boys in Blue dug deep to win by six wickets.
Having won the toss and elected to bowl first, the Kings started exceptionally well, removing the dangerous Rahmanullah Gurbaz in the first over. They went on to restrict the Amazon Warriors to just 27 runs in the powerplay.Â
The Kings’ bowlers further crippled the innings, limiting run-scoring opportunities and frustrating the Amazon Warrior batsmen. Noor Ahmad, as he has been throughout the season, was once again the standout performer, taking 3 for 19 and finishing the tournament as the leading wicket-taker with 22.Â
Late contributions from Romario Shepherd (17) and Dwaine Pretorius (25) helped the Amazon Warriors reach a total of 138-8 in their 20 overs.
Chasing an under-par total, the Kings made a steady start, scoring 40 runs in the powerplay. However, the Amazon Warriors fought back, taking multiple wickets in the middle overs and tightening the pressure on the Kings.Â
The game seemed to be turning in the Warriors’ favor until a phenomenal 88-run partnership between Roston Chase and Aaron Jones guided the Kings home.
In a post-match interview, Jones, who hadn’t played much in the earlier tournament games, indicated that he was confident in his ability to carry the team home.
“We know playing in the final is going to be a challenge… We came out on top. I think of myself as a match-winner.”
The switch was flipped when two-time World Cup winning captain and Kings’ coach Daren Sammy sent the 12th man to chat with Jones and Chase. The duo needed 65 off 30 balls at that stage, and two huge overs handed them the initiative.
Chase was named player of the match. The victory places a bow on a historic year for Saint Lucian sports.
(QSJ)
