St Kitts And Nevis Patriots

On Saturday, the Patriots fell by 10 wickets to an ever-improving St Lucia Zouks to add to losses against the Barbados Tridents and the Guyana Amazon Warriors earlier in the week.

According to Emrit, the team is yet to get any one facet of its game going the way it should.

On Saturday, he pointed to more than one instance when the team got it wrong.

“There’s a couple of things that you can look at. A couple of chances that went down,” Emrit began.

Adding that; “When you look at the last two overs of the game, after we were pulling them back so well after 18 overs the last two overs went for about 30-odd. We thought we had them. You know, 150-160 might have been ideal on that wicket but we just let it go in those last two overs,” he said after the Zouks scored 172 despite a middle-overs slip.

“We are trying to get everything in place. We are trying to get all aspects to perform. We just can’t get it right at the moment. We have to go back to drawing board,” he said.

With three losses from three starts, Emrit says there is now pressure on the team headed into their fourth game against the defending champions, Barbados Tridents.

“Now it is three out of three so the pressure is on us but we’ve been in this position before and it’s just for us to get a win under our belt and get the momentum.”

Speaking after the Zouks produced an all-round performance to earn a 10-run win over the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, Sammy said he was proud of every aspect of the team’s play.

“With Jimbo having to come off because he was having some problems with his vision and to see Mark Deyal, the way he is playing. I’ve told him I played 12 years of international cricket and I don’t have half the talent he has so what’s stopping him,” said Sammy.

“But today Fletcher took the innings deep and this morning I spoke about the impact of my Afghan players and you see Mohammad Nabi again, after losing some quick wickets he was back and the way he controlled that last few overs,” he said.

But that was with the bat, with the ball, Sammy could not ask much more than he was given.

“[Nabi] with the ball, Roston Chase, asking him to bowl in the powerplay, my spinners have responded really really well,” said Sammy.

“When you look at our squad from early I said, we don’t have the superstar guys but from the camp, from the two days that we had at practice, what I saw, with the skill level with the bowlers, we have guys that can turn the ball away from the bat, guys that can bring it in to the bat for both left and right, so we have a good mix,” said Sammy.

According to the former West Indies captain, the superstars may not matter if everybody does their job in the way his Zouks have been.

“At the end of the day, it boils down to execution and I thought today, we executed really really well against them.”

Drakes hit the winning runs to cap off a superb finals performance, which saw the all-rounder end with an unbeaten 48 from 24 balls; in the process, sparking wild celebrations as the Patriots captured their first-ever CPL title.

In terms of momentum, the match had rocked back and forth in frantic fashion as the Kings set a target of 159 for 7.  Drakes' innings proved crucial in deciding the thrilling encounter, which saw the team needing 9 off the final over and, in the end, managing to just creep over the line.  He was, however, eager to spread the praise around.

“It was the first chance I got to play a full competition and I think I did well, but it was Ruthers (Sherfane Rutherford) and Bravo, Soldj (Sheldon Cottrell), and everyone on the team.  It’s an amazing feeling,” the 23-year-old, who made his debut three years ago with the Barbados-based CPL franchise, said.

“I thought it was a great team effort and I was just happy to do my part for the win,” he added.

Overall, Drakes ended with 102 runs and a team-high 16 wickets in 11 matches.

The Amazon Warriors first posted 186-6 from their 20 overs after the Patriots won the toss and chose to field first.

All-rounder Keemo Paul followed up his 56 in their last game with an unbeaten 41 off 31 balls including one four and three sixes.

Shimron Hetmyer (36), Dwayne Pretorius (27) and Romario Shepherd with a rapid seven-ball 26 provided excellent contributions to the Amazon Warriors total.

Oshane Thomas continued his return to form this season with 3-26 from three overs.

The Patriots, who are now winless after seven games, could then muster only 88 off 17.1 overs in another awful batting performance.

Corbin Bosch scored the bulk of the runs with a run-a-ball 27.

Dwayne Pretorius was the star with the ball with 3-17 from three overs while West Indies left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie took 2-15 from four overs.

The Amazon Warriors are now top of the table with seven points from four games.

The Warriors kicked off proceedings by getting a narrow seven-run victory over the St. Lucia Kings. The Warriors batted first after the Kings won the toss and elected to field, posting 111-5 off their 10 overs thanks to a crucial 24-ball 36 not out from West Indies all-rounder Odean Smith.

Jeavor Royal with 2-8 and Matthew Forde with 2-24 starred with the ball for the Kings.

The Kings, despite a fighting 23-ball 41 from Roshon Primus, then fell agonizingly short of their target, being bowled out for 104 with one ball to spare.

Afghanistan wrist-spinner Waqar Salamkheil was the chief destroyer for the Warriors with 3-16.

In the day’s second game, the Tallawahs got a dominant 55-run win over hosts St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots.

The Patriots won the toss and elected to field first, a decision they’d soon regret as the Tallawahs bludgeoned the bowling to post an intimidating 139 all out off 9.5 overs.

West Indies all-rounders Fabian Allen (45), Raymon Reifer (38) and Rovman Powell (32) were all equally destructive as off-spinner Jon-Russ Jagessar was most economical for the Patriots with 1-13 from his two overs.

In reply, the Patriots offered little resistance before being bundled out for 84 after just 7.2 overs.

South African teenage phenom Dewald Brevis was the only batsman to contribute something of note, hitting 34 off just 11 balls including five mammoth sixes.

Migael Pretorious, Niocholson Gordon and Jamie Merchant all took two wickets apiece for the Tallawahs.

Thursday’s third game will see the Barbados Royals tackle the Trinbago Knight Riders. The Royals and Knight Riders will also do battle in the lone Women’s game on Thursday.

Patriots captain Rayad Emrit chose to bowl, but while Sheldon Cottrell and Sohail Tanvir started tightly to Rakheem Cornwall, Andre Fletcher was able to pick up boundaries off both. Cornwall retired ill in the third over, and while Mark Deyal started with a Hero Maximum first ball, he should have fallen off his third when Ben Dunk missed a slip catch off Jon-Russ Jaggesar. Jaggesar’s frustration grew when Kieran Powell stepped on the rope while trying to complete a juggling catch.

The Zouks were quick to take advantage, Fletcher taking a liking to Tanvir and Deyal, peppering the leg-side off Jaggesar to power the Zouks to 64/0 off the Powerplay. The onslaught continued as the field went back, with Deyal launching his third Hero Maximum to bring up the 50 stand off just 27 balls.

Ish Sodhi took a good juggling catch at mid-off to dismiss Deyal off Emrit’s first ball. The Patriots captain foxed Najibullah Zadran with an array of slower balls, but the Afghan powered a pair of reverse sweeps off Sodhi and the legspinner was frustrated when Fletcher was dropped again on 38. Another Najibullah four saw the Zouks motor to 91/1 at halfway.

Jaggesar finally got his man when Fletcher picked out deep midwicket. With the Zouks so well set, it was a surprise to see the anchorman Roston Chase come into bat, and he fell to a spitting Jaggesar carrom ball before he could make much of an impression. Tanvir picked up Najibullah and Sammy caught behind in the same over, and at 123/5 in the 15th the Zouks were in danger of wasting a good platform.

Cornwall was well enough to return but hit only one boundary before he was freakishly run out. A Nabi leading edge spun back onto the bowlers’ stumps with Cornwall backing up looking for a run, and Emrit had ample time to complete the run-out.

Nabi showed his class with two huge Hero Maximums off Tanvir, one of which went literally out of the ground. Another flurry off the 20th took the Zouks to an imposing 172-6 despite their mid-innings stutter.

Nabi was back in the action immediately, bowling an excellent first over to Chris Lynn and Evin Lewis. Saad bin Zafar was not so accurate - when he dropped short Lynn pulled, and when he overpitched Lewis drove and paddle-swept - but a stunned Lynn had to depart when Najibullah sprung magnificently to take the catch of the tournament so far.

Lewis toyed with Scott Kuggeleijn, dispatching a Hero Maximum over square leg and paddling the follow-up slower ball very fine for four. But it was the New Zealander who was waiting at long-on when the recalled Joshua Da Silva toe-ended a straight hit off Chase. Kesrick Williams, bowling a rare Powerplay over, mixed up good and bad and the Patriots ended the Powerplay at 52/2.

Chase continued to impress, the ominous Lewis edging a cut to the keeper off a quicker ball. With Obed McCoy also accurate, Sammy was able to ramp up the pressure on Denesh Ramdin and Ben Dunk, and despite Ramdin’s Hero Maximum last ball before the drinks break, the Patriots needed 9.5 an over off the last 10. Dunk succumbed to the pressure, missing a sweep and giving Chase a third wicket of a fantastic spell. Tight overs from Williams and Nabi pushed the required run rate up above 11, and Powell, Ramdin, Tanvir and Emrit all fell trying to slog Kuggeleijn.

The Patriots’ keeper deserves credit for a good lone hand, and Cottrell launched a few lusty blows to narrow the margin of defeat, but other than their mid-innings batting wobble the Zouks were in control throughout, and with their well-stocked spin attack could be a force later in the tournament if the pitches tire as expected. The Patriots meanwhile have work to do if they’re not to be cut adrift.

Australian all-rounder Ben Cutting will be joining the Jamaica Tallawahs. Cutting has played at the CPL before with the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots in 2018. With experience in the best T20 leagues around the world he will bring power batting and skillful bowling to the Tallawahs line up.

Tristan Stubbs will be joining the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots. A powerful batter who has recently broken into the South African international team, Stubbs has experience of playing in T20 leagues in England, India and his native South Africa. This exciting talent will bring firepower to the Patriots team.

Saim Ayub will join the Guyana Amazon Warriors, an international batter for Pakistan in T20 International cricket. With a proven track record of success, he will be a real boost for the Amazon Warriors.

The Amazon Warriors have also announced that Rahmanullah Gurbaz will not be available for some of this year’s CPL due to international commitments. Gurbaz will be replaced by Pakistan international Mohammad Haris for that period.

The Patriots won the toss and opted to field first but the decision backfired as a sparkling 89 off 57 balls from Brandon King led the way for the Tallawahs who set an imposing 183-2 from their 20 overs. In reply, the Patriots fell to a sizable defeat losing wickets in regular clusters as the Tallawahs put on an excellent display in the field to back up their performance with the bat.

The Tallawahs had got off to a circumspect start with Duan Jansen bowling a beautiful three-over opening spell. However once Brandon King got into his groove the runs started to flow. He took 14 and 19 runs, respectively, off Akila Dananjaya and Jon Russ Jaggesar to ensure the Tallawahs ended the PowerPlay on 48-0.

Whilst King was timing the ball well, the same could not be said for his opening partner Kennar Lewis. Normally a powerful striker of the ball, Lewis struggled in his time at the crease but had lady luck on his side. Twice he should have been run out but Sherfane Rutherford and Dewald Brevis failed to execute before Andre Fletcher and Jansen also dropped Lewis. Lewis benefitted from those misses to help put on a 100-run partnership with King before he eventually fell for 48 off the bowling of Jaden Carmichael.

That wicket brought Tallawahs captain, Rovman Powell, to the crease and he added a quickfire 30* from 15 balls at the death to ensure the Tallawahs set a match-winning target. Although much like Lewis he benefitted from two dropped catches along the way.

The Patriots were never really in the game in their reply as scoreboard pressure told.

Evin Lewis, Dewald Brevis and Darren Bravo all fell inside the first half of the innings which left the Patriots needing 12.5 runs per over.

That proved too steep a mountain to climb, and despite some pyrotechnics from Sherfane Rutherford, it was Nicholson Gordon who stole the show with the ball taking 3-24 to ensure a comfortable victory for the Tallawahs.

The Patriots have brought in two players from other franchises. They have signed Dwayne Bravo from Trinbago Knight Riders in a trade deal that saw Denesh Ramdin go the other way. They have also signed Sherfane Rutherford from Guyana Amazon Warriors.

In addition to these two signings, they have retained Evin Lewis, Fabian Allen, Sheldon Cottrell, Jon Russ Jaggesar and Rayad Emrit.

Exciting young prospects Joshua da Silva and Dominic Drakes round out the retentions.

The Patriots have eight spots to fill to complete their squad and these will be announced in the coming weeks.

“The St Kitts and Nevis Franchise extends a warm welcome to the new players joining us this year as well as to our retained core team for yet another exciting season of the Hero CPL. This year makes it extra special with us playing at our home – Warner Park. I would like to thank all our team players, support staff and management as well as our global fan base for their continued love and support. I look forward to an amazing season in 2021,” said Patriots owner Mahesh Ramani.

The retained players are Dwayne Bravo, Evin Lewis, Fabian Allen, Sherfane Rutherford, Sheldon Cottrell, Rayad Emrit.

The 37-year-old all-rounder announced his decision, in April, to join the Patriots after seven years with Trinbago Knight Riders, where he won four CPL titles.  Ahead of requesting a trade to the eastern Caribbean team, Bravo had cited a desire to help mould a new generation of upcoming cricketers.

With the performance of some of the Patriot's younger players this season, the move might just have paid dividends.  Opening batsman Evin Lewis has an astounding season to date, having racked up a record 420 runs so far, with Wednesday’s final still to be added to the tally.  Sherfane Rutherford has also done well with the bat, tallying 237 runs in 10 games so far, with a number of eye-catching performances, while Dominic Drakes has featured prominently among the league’s top bowlers with 15 wickets to date.

“When I decided on making the move I said I wanted to challenge myself.  I wanted to try and help the younger players in different teams.  So to get to the finals, to see the way that Sherfane Rutherford played through the tournament and Evin, young Drakes, that gives me all the pleasure and I think I achieved what I wanted to achieve,” Bravo said, following the team’s semifinal win over the Guyana Amazon Warriors.

“I wanted to help build a team that could actually compete in the tournament and press on to try and win a trophy and we have one more game, it’s going to be a difficult game because the St Lucia Kings have been playing well.”

The final will be the second for St Kitts and Nevis who also made the 2017 final where they lost to a Knight Rider team of which Bravo was a part.

In the opening match on the day, 2019 runners up Guyana Amazon Warriors will take on three-time champions Trinbago Knight Riders.

All 33 matches will be played in Trinidad & Tobago, with all matches taking place across two stadia and behind closed doors. The Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba will host 23 games, including the semi-finals and final, while the Queen’s Park Oval in Port-of-Spain will host the other 10 matches.

The tournament will take place behind closed doors in a bio-secure environment with a series of stringent protocols in place to protect those involved in the tournament and the wider population from the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

“This year will be a different CPL, but the standard will be higher than ever,” said Damien O’Donohoe, the Hero CPL’s CEO.

“We have seen the appetite for live sport since it has returned after a prolonged absence, and the interest in CPL will be higher than ever with it being the first franchise T20 tournament to return.”

Meanwhile, fans will have to wait until game 22 for a repeat of last year’s final with the Tridents taking on the Amazon Warriors.

CPL’s COO, Pete Russell expressed gratitude to the government of Trinidad and Tobago for hosting the tournament that had faced the possibility of postponement because of the pandemic.

“We would like to express our gratitude to the government of Trinidad & Tobago for helping us to put on this tournament in such difficult circumstances,” he said.

“We are delighted that we are able to deliver a tournament that is ensuring the safety of the public and the players and that will be of such a high standard.” 

Hero CPL 2020 Fixtures:

 Brian Lara Cricket Academy

Tues August 18: 10 am Trinbago Knight Riders v Guyana Amazon Warriors

5:30pm: Barbados Tridents v St Kitts & Nevis Patriots

Wed Aug.19: 10 am Jamaica Tallawahs v St Lucia Zouks

5:30pm: Guyana Amazon Warriors v St Kitts & Nevis Patriots

Thurs Aug 20: 10 am St Lucia Zouks v Barbados Tridents

5:30pm: Trinbago Knight Riders v Jamaica Tallawahs

Sat Aug 22: 10 am St Kitts & Nevis Patriots v St Lucia Zouks

5:30pm: Guyana Amazon Warriors v Jamaica Tallawahs

Sun Aug 23: 10am Trinbago Knight Riders v Barbados Tridents

5:30pm: Guyana Amazon Warriors v St Lucia Zouks

Queen’s Park Oval

Tues August 25: 10am St Kitts & Nevis Patriots Barbados Tridents

5:30pm: Jamaica Tallawahs v Guyana Amazon Warriors

Wed August 26: 10am St Lucia Zouks v Trinbago Knight Riders

 5:30pm: Barbados Tridents v Jamaica Tallawahs

Thurs August 27: 10am St Lucia Zouks v St Kitts & Nevis Patriots

 5:30pm: Guyana Amazon Warriors v Trinbago Knight Riders

Sat August 29: 10am Barbados Tridents v Trinbago Knight Riders

5:30pm: St Kitts & Nevis Patriots v Jamaica Tallawahs

Sun August 30: 10am Barbados Tridents v St Lucia Zouks

5:30pm: St Kitts & Nevis Patriots v Guyana Amazon Warriors

Brian Lara Cricket Academy

Tues September 1: 10am Jamaica Tallawahs v Trinbago Knight Riders

 5:30pm: Guyana Amazon Warriors v Barbados Tridents

Wed September 2, 10am Trinbago Knight Riders v St Kitts & Nevis Patriots

5:30pm: St Lucia Zouks v Guyana Amazon Warriors

Thurs September 3: 10am Jamaica Tallawahs v St Kitts & Nevis Patriots

5:30pm: Barbados Tridents v Guyana Amazon Warriors

Sat September 5: 10am Trinbago Knight Riders v St Lucia Zouks

5:30pm: Jamaica Tallawahs v Barbados Tridents

Sun September 6: 10am St Kitts & Nevis Patriots v Trinbago Knight Riders

5:30pm: St Lucia Zouks v Jamaica Tallawahs

Tues September 8: TBC

Semi final 1 (1st v 4th)

Tues 8 September, TBC

Semi final 2 (2nd vs 3rd)

Thurs 10 September, TBC

Final

The Patriots won the toss and stand-in captain Chris Gayle chose to bat first, yet it turned out to be a trial by spin as they faltered for 118 all out against the turn of Jeavor Royal and Samit Patel.

The Kings got off to the worst possible start in their chase, losing Andre Fletcher to a Fabian Allen delivery in the very first ball of the innings. They rebuilt via Roston Chase to comfortably reach their target of 119.

St Kitts & Nevis Patriots lost their two explosive batsmen in the PowerPlay overs, as Evin Lewis and Chris Gayle were dismissed early. Youngster Royal was the stand out bowler with three wickets while Patel was the most economical. A mix-up saw the dangerous Sherfane Rutherford run out and while Fabian Allen tried to give his side a big finish, he was dismissed in the 19th over.  

Despite losing Fletcher in the first ball of the innings, Saint Lucia Kings still had the dangerous Faf du Plessis, who raced to 22 off 14 balls, before being caught out. The in-form Roston Chase ended up seeing his side home with a superb innings that saw him reach yet another half-century, this time in 36 six balls, his third in a row at this year’s Hero CPL.

The Kings chased their target in the 16th over as the powerful Tim David helped take them over the line with a rapid 18 runs off 7 balls.    

Saint Lucia Kings now have their third consecutive win of the tournament and move closer to the top spot of the league standings.

Saint Lucia Kings 121-4 (Chase 51*, du Plessis 22; Allen 2-30, Naseem 1-11) beat St Kitts & Nevis Patriots 118 all out (Allen 34, Thomas 28; Royal 3-20, Patel 2-15) by six wickets.

Gayle, the brand ambassador and host for the 6IXTY, will be joined by some of the biggest names in cricket from across the Caribbean and around the world as this innovative new format gets underway for the first time.

Gayle will be joined at the Patriots by exciting openers Evin Lewis and Andre Fletcher and impressive South African youngster Dewald Brevis.

The Barbados Royals team will have the talents of Jason Holder, Kyle Mayers and Rakheem Cornwall, and overseas players Azam Khan, Harry Tector and Corbin Bosch.

The Jamaica Tallawahs team will feature captain Rovman Powell along with fellow Jamaicans Brandon King and Fabian Allen while their overseas contingent will feature Mohammad Amir, Sandeep Lamicchane and Chris Green.

Colin Ingram, Paul Stirling and Heinrich Klaasen will boost the batting of the Guyana Amazon Warriors with all-rounders Odean Smith and Romario Shepherd also in their squad.

A powerful Trinbago Knight Riders lineup will feature Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell and Nicholas Pooran along with Sunil Narine and Ravi Rampaul. They will also have Tim Seifert and Seekkuge Prasanna in their squad.

 The Saint Lucia Kings will feature Roston Chase and Kesrick Williams along with impressive young players Ackeem Auguste and Matthew Forde. New Zealander Scott Kuggeleijn will also be with the Kings for the 2022 6IXTY.

The tournament will see six men’s teams and three women’s teams competing for their own versions of the Universe Boss Trophy, named in honour of Chris Gayle and will feature a number of innovations to bring fans even closer to the action.

 Teams:

Barbados Royals – Jason Holder, Harry Tector, Obed McCoy, Kyle Mayers, Azam Khan, Hayden Walsh Jr, Oshane Thomas, Rahkeem Cornwall, Devon Williams, Joshua Bishop, Justin Greaves, Corbin Bosch, Nyeem Young, Teddy Bishop, Ramon Simmonds.

Jamaica Tallawahs – Rovman Powell, Sandeep Lamichhane, Fabien Allen, Imad Wasim, Brandon King, Kennar Lewis, Mohammad Amir, Shamarh Brooks, Migael Pretorius, Chris Green, Raymon Reifer, Jamie Merchant, Amir Mangoo, Shamar Springer, Nicholson Gordon, Kirk McKenzie, Joshua James.

Guyana Amazon Warriors – Shimron Hetmyer, Odean Smith, Romario Shepherd, Colin Ingram, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Shai Hope, Paul Stirling, Heinrich Klaasen, Keemo Paul, Jermaine Blackwood, Gudakesh Motie, Veerasammy Permaul, John Campbell, Shermon Lewis, Ransford Beaton, Matthew Nandu, Junior Sinclair.

St Kitts and Nevis Patriots – Chris Gayle, Evin Lewis, Andre Fletcher, Qasim Akram, Sherfane Rutherford, Dwaine Pretorius, Darren Bravo, Sheldon Cottrell, Dominic Drakes, Dewald Brevis, Izharulhaq Naveed, Joshua Da Silva, Jon Russ Jaggesar, Keacy Carty, Kelvin Pittman, Jaden Carmichael.

St Lucia Kings – Roston Chase, Johnson Charles, Kesrick Williams, Alzarri Joseph, Scott Kuggeleijn, Mark Deyal, Jeavor Royal, Matthew Forde, Roshon Primus, Ravendra Persaud, Jesse Bootan, McKenny Clarke, Leroy Lugg, Preston McSween, Larry Edwards, Ackeem Auguste, Rivaldo Clarke.

Trinbago Knight Riders – Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Nicholas Pooran, Akeal Hosein, Ravi Rampaul, Tim Seifert, Seekkuge Prasanna, Jayden Seales, Anderson Phillip, Tion Webster, Khary Pierre, Leonardo Julien, Terrance Hinds, Shaaron Lewis.

Joshua De Silva, the only man to score a century during the West Indies intra-match practice games over the last two weeks, has been drafted into the Patriots line-up, while Australian, Chris Lynn has come over from the Guyana Jaguars.

De Silva showed he can bat, but the 22-year-old Trinidad and Tobago wicketkeeper-batsman has never played a T20 match and averages 32.88 from his 16 First-Class games. He averages 41 in List A cricket but that is just from 10 games.

While De Silva is an unknown quantity, Lynn’s quality with the bat is world-renowned and he could form a dangerous partnership with Evin Lewis at the top of the Patriots order.

Lewis has been retained along with Jamaican pacer Sheldon Cottrell, and allrounder Rayad Emrit.

The Patriots also chose to retain Fabian Allen, West Indies pacer Alzarri Joseph, and Dominic Drakes.

As for signings, the Patriots will have South Africa’s Rassie van der Dussen, Former Pakistan medium pacer, Sohail Tanvir, and returning New Zealander, Ish Sodhi.

The Patriots also have the experience of Denesh Ramdin along with Colin Archibald, John Russ Jaggesar, Sunny Sohal, and Dennis Bulli.

The 22-year-old Trinidadian playing for St Kitts and Nevis Patriots scored 59 runs from 46 balls smashed five fours and two sixes as he played a pivotal role for the Patriots as they compiled 150 for 5 from their 20-over allotment.

The Amazon Warriors, spurred by an unbeaten 45-ball 100 from Nicholas Pooran achieved the target with 15 balls to spare.

Nonetheless, the half-century was Da Silva’s best score in four innings this season eclipsing the run-a-ball 41 he scored against the Barbados Tridents on August 18.

He told Sportsmax.TV that sticking to the game plan as outlined by coaches Mark O’Donnell and Stuart Williams, helped him achieve success against the Amazon Warriors bowling attack.

“It felt really good to get that score. I just wanted to play my role,” said Da Silva, who explained the plan communicated to him before he walked to the middle following the dismissal of Kieron Powell, bowled by Chris Green for just two and with only seven runs on the board.

“That was the main thing Coach Mark told me before. He told me don’t go outside of your role. Stuart Williams also, he’s been a big help to me. He told me your role is not to bash the ball all over the place,” Da Silva said.

“You’re going to get yourself in, you’re going to use the gaps, use your hands, that’s your strength. You’re going to get boundaries; you’re going to get sixes but play to your strengths. That is what is going to help us. That is your role. You need to be there in the end.”

He did not quite make it to the end.

Romario Shepherd bowled him with the second ball of the 18^th over to make it 119 for 4. However, Denesh Ramdin’s 30-ball 37 pushed the total to 150.

However, even though he enjoyed the knock and hoped to maintain that form for the remainder of the season, da Silva revealed that it was uncomfortable out in the middle.

During his innings, he squatted on his haunches between overs, sweat visibly dripping from his helmet.

“It was really hot, really humid. We saw Glen Phillips (of the Jamaica Tallawahs in a previous match) he was on his knees after his innings even during the innings he was on his knees; Pooran as well,” he said.

“The conditions weren’t easy, running around a lot. The conditions were not ideal.”

The tournament gets underway in Saint Lucia with six matches at the Daren Sammy Cricket ground between 16 August and 20 August with home side the Saint Lucia Kings appearing in four of those fixtures.

From there the tournament moves on the St Kitts & Nevis with six matches at Warner Park between 23 August and 27 August with four games for the home team, the Patriots.

The next leg of the tournament will take place in Barbados with the CPL returning to the country for the first time since 2019. With six matches scheduled for the iconic Kensington Oval, and four home games for the Barbados Royals, there will be lots of excitement about the tournament’s return. The matches will take place in Barbados from 30 August to 3 September.

From 5 September to 10 September the tournament will be in Trinidad & Tobago. There will be four home games for the Trinbago Knight Riders and six matches in total.

The final leg of the tournament will take place in Guyana with the matches running from 13 September to 24 September. The knockout stages will be in Guyana again in 2023, with excitement already building after the successful running of the final last season.

“We are very pleased that the tournament will be staged in five countries in 2023,” said Pete Russell, Republic Bank CPL’s CEO. “As ever, the CPL is a chance for fans across the region and around the world to enjoy world class cricket. And for the players from the Caribbean it is an opportunity to showcase their skills and further their careers.”

 Men’s Caribbean Premier League 2023 Fixtures

Darren Sammy Cricket Stadium, St Lucia

Weds 16 August, 7pm - Saint Lucia Kings vs Jamaica Tallawahs

Thurs 17 August, 7pm - Saint Lucia Kings vs Barbados Royals

Sat 19 August, 10am -Trinbago Knight Riders vs St Kitts & Nevis Patriots

                            7pm - Saint Lucia Kings vs Guyana Amazon Warriors

Sun 20 August, 10am - Jamaica Tallawahs vs Barbados Royals

                           7:00pm - Saint Lucia Kings vs St Kitts & Nevis Patriots

Warner Park, St Kitts and Nevis

Wed 23 August, 7pm - St Kitts & Nevis Patriots vs Jamaica Tallawahs

Thurs 24 August, 7pm- St Kitts & Nevis Patriots vs Guyana Amazon Warriors

Sat 26 August, 10am - Saint Lucia Kings vs Trinbago Knight Riders

                           7pm -St Kitts & Nevis Patriots vs Barbados Royals

Sun 27 August, 10am - Jamaica Tallawahs vs Guyana Amazon Warriors

                           7pm - St Kitts & Nevis Patriots vs Trinbago Knight Riders

Kensington Oval, Barbados

Wed 30 August, 7pm - Barbados Royals vs Trinbago Knight Riders

Thurs 31 August, 7pm -Barbados Royals vs Jamaica Tallawahs

Sat 2 September, 10am - Guyana Amazon Warriors vs Jamaica Tallawahs

                                8pm - Barbados Royals vs Saint Lucia Kings

Sun 3 September, 10am - Jamaica Tallawahs vs Trinbago Knight Riders

                                  8pm - Barbados Royals vs St Kitts & Nevis Patriots

Trinidad and Tobago – Venues to be decided

Tues 5 September, 7pm - Trinbago Knight Riders vs Barbados Royals

Wed 6 September, 7pm - Trinbago Knight Riders vs Guyana Amazon Warriors

Sat 9 September, 10am - St Kitts & Nevis Patriots vs Saint Lucia Kings

                               8pm - Trinbago Knight Riders vs Jamaica Tallawahs

Sun 10 September, 10am - Barbados Royals vs Guyana Amazon Warriors

                                   8pm- Trinbago Knight Riders vs Saint Lucia Kings

Guyana National Stadium, Providence

Wed 13 September, 7pm - Guyana Amazon Warriors vs St Kitts & Nevis Patriots

Thurs 14 September, 7pm - Guyana Amazon Warriors vs Saint Lucia Kings

Sat 16 September, 10am - Jamaica Tallawahs vs St Kitts & Nevis Patriots

                                  7pm - Guyana Amazon Warriors vs Trinbago Knight Riders

Sun 17 September, 10am - Jamaica Tallawahs vs Saint Lucia Kings

                                  7pm - Guyana Amazon Warriors vs Barbados Royals

 Tues 19 September, 7pm - Eliminator – 3rd place vs 4th place

Wed 19 September, 7pm - Qualifier 1 – 1st place vs 2nd place

 Fri 22 September, 7pm - Qualifier 2 – Winner of Eliminator vs Loser Qualifier 1

Sun 24 September, 7pm - Final – Winner Qualifier 1 vs Winner Qualifier 2

Sheldon Cottrell struck with his fourth ball, bowling Johnson Charles as he tried to whip to leg. He pinged Corey Anderson on the head first ball then had him caught at point by Evin Lewis, and when Hope sliced Tanvir to the same fielder the champions were reeling at 8/3 in the third over. Their response was spectacular.

Kyle Mayers took a Tanvir over for 14, and Jason Holder joined in by effortlessly flicking a Hero Maximum over square leg off Alzarri Joseph. Mayers pulled powerfully for two more sixes of his own, and from a hopeless position, the Tridents found themselves 51/3 at the end of the GuardianLife Powerplay.

Holder flicked then drove Ish Sodhi for six, bringing up a 50 partnership off just 25 balls. But the game swung back the Patriots’ way once more in the space of two balls.

First Mayers crashed Emrit to deep cover, then Evin Lewis pulled off a direct hit to send back Jonathan Carter. The Tridents had gone from 8/3 to 69/3 to 69/5 as the game continued to move at a breathless pace. Raymon Reifer picked out a lone boundary fielder off Emrit, and Ben Dunk then held a beauty off Sodhi to dismiss the well-set Holder, but here the Tridents’ deep batting lineup came into its own.

Ashley Nurse swung Joseph straight to Lynn, but Rashid Khan had jaws hitting floors with an astonishing helicopter flick for six. Santner fell timing a ball sweetly but straight to the fielder to leave Rashid batting with the capable Hayden Walsh Jr at no.11.

Tanvir and Cottrell were just as impressive at the death as at the top, going for just seven off their combined fourth overs, but Rashid showed his power and craft to plunder a couple of late boundaries to drag the Tridents over 150.

Walsh Jr let Lewis off the hook on zero, dropping a simple chance at point. But Santner kept things tight with the first maiden of Hero CPL 2020, Holder kept the pressure on, and that pressure told as Lynn carved Santner to Walsh Jr who held on this time.

With Lewis struggling, the Patriots crawled to 33/1 off the Powerplay. Rashid’s first ball was loose and Lewis crashed it for four, but the Afghan showed yet another facet of his game to run out the dangerous Trinidadian. Joshua da Silva, promoted to three on T20 debut, crashed a drive into the bowlers’ wicket, and Rashid reacted first to knock out the remaining stumps and catch Lewis short.

Dunk powered Nurse and Walsh Jr for a boundary each to keep things moving, then sent Reifer to the fence and then over it for the Patriots’ first Hero Maximum, leaving the Patriots 81/2 at the Angostura LLB drinks breaks.

Da Silva picked up a few boundaries off Rashid but struggled to score above a run a ball. Then Santner returned in style - Dunk went for power but toe-ended to Mayers at long-on. Holder kept his bowlers going in one-over spells, never allowing Da Silva and new Patriots signing Denesh Ramdin to settle.

Nurse almost pulled off an unbelievable catch in Santner’s last over, but Rashid was not to be denied. Walsh Jr came up with a true Republic Bank Classic Catch at deep midwicket to send Ramdin packing and the googly next ball was too good for Jahmar Hamilton. He couldn’t pick up a second Hero CPL hat-trick, but the damage was done.

 Da Silva kept swinging but found no timing or placement, and though Tanvir demonstrated his power with a pull for four off Reifer, even with a no-ball, a free-hit and a monster six onto the bank from Tanvir, Mayers had enough to defend off the last over. With only five wickets down, and from the start they made with the ball, the Patriots will be wondering how they let this one get away.

 Summary: Barbados Tridents 153/9 (Holder 38, Mayers 37, Rashid 26*; Emrit 2/16, Cottrell 2/16, Tanvir 2/25) beat St Kitts & Nevis Patriots 147/5 (Da Silva 41*, Dunk 34, Lynn 19; Santner 2/18, Rashid 2/27) by 6 runs

 Upcoming Fixture: Wednesday 19 August - Match 3: Jamaica Tallawahs v St Lucia Zouks (10am), Brian Lara Cricket Academy.

The Patriots won the toss and opted to put Saint Lucia Kings into bat, with the superb du Plessis batting through the whole innings as he recorded 120* off just 60 balls, supported by Roston Chase, who once again excelled with both the bat and ball.

The Patriots succumbed in their chase, bowled out for 124 despite some fireworks from Evin Lewis, but ultimately a disciplined bowling performance from the Kings won them the game. 

Saint Lucia Kings got off to a flying start as openers Andre Fletcher and Faf du Plessis ensured they batted through the Powerplay to reach 71-0. Despite losing the wickets of Fletcher and Keron Cottoy, the Kings built a mammoth total as du Plessis and Chase hit boundaries at will, contributing eight sixes between them.

The Patriots had a more restrained start as they began the chase; Devon Thomas fell to the bowling of Alzarri Joseph, with Chris Gayle following in the third over. Chase added pressure by bowling a maiden in the fourth over before Evin Lewis started to deliver some destructive shots, reaching his half century in just 25 balls. However, his 73 was in vain, as wickets tumbled, with Keemo Paul taking three wickets in the 16th over. 

Saint Lucia Kings now have six points and are firmly in contention for a play-off spot, while the Patriots remain top of the league.

The Saint Lucia Kings won the toss and chose to bat, as they did in their semi-final match. Despite losing wickets at key stages of the game, they built a total around the batting of Roston Chase, who stabilised the innings, allowing the likes of Rahkeem Cornwall and Keemo Paul to play with attacking intent and guide them to 159-7.

In what was a dramatic final, the Patriots managed to successfully chase their target with Dominic Drakes the hero with the bat, scoring 48 off 24 balls and securing a remarkable victory with the last ball of the match.

Saint Lucia Kings started their innings with the loss of both captain Andre Fletcher and Mark Deyal in the Powerplay.

Cornwall got the innings back on track with some power hitting but the Patriots utilised spin to great effect; Fabian Allen, Jon-Russ Jaggesar and Fawad Ahmed working in unison to pick up three wickets in the middle overs and leave the Kings in peril. Roston Chase anchored the innings and a late burst from Paul, which saw him hit three consecutive sixes in an over as he scored 39 runs off just 21 balls, took the Kings to a challenging total.

It was a dream start for the Kings with the ball, as Chris Gayle was bowled by a Chase delivery, and not long after, Evin Lewis was caught out, with Chase being the fielder.

Joshua da Silva and Sherfane Rutherford began to rebuild, but quick wickets, including that of captain DJ Bravo, saw the Patriots in trouble at 95-5. However, things would take a dramatic turn as Drakes recorded his highest ever score in cricket, firing six boundaries to take the Patriots over the line in dramatic fashion with a single off the last ball.

In a contest worthy of any final, St Kitts and Nevis Patriots prevailed and lifted their maiden Hero CPL title in front of a joyous home crowd.

St Kitts and Nevis Patriots 160-7 (Drakes 48*, Da Silva 37; Riaz 2-36, Chase 1-17) beat Saint Lucia Kings 159-7 (Cornwall 43, Chase 43; Naseem 2-26, Fawad 2-32) by three wickets.

The total direct economic impact on the region from Hero CPL 2022 was US$134,686,551 with an additional US$66,250,232 in sponsorship value as a result of the Hero CPL broadcast which was watched by over 700million viewers in 2022.  

The four countries who held Hero CPL matches were St Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia, Trinidad & Tobago and Guyana. St Kitts & Nevis also hosted the first running of the Massy Women’s CPL (WCPL) and the SKYEXCH 6IXTY. The tournament has created jobs and generated income in all of these countries as the Caribbean continues to be central to the success of the Hero CPL.  

The rise in economic impact has, in part, been driven by the change to the tournament structure that now sees all six teams, TV production crew and tournament staff travelling around the region as one cohort, spending more time in each of the host countries. With more matches being played per host country, travelling fans are now offered even greater value to come and watch the Hero CPL and as a result there was a significant increase in international arrivals across the tournament in 2022. 

This figure was generated by independent, world-renowned research company, YouGov Sport. This figure takes into account the total spent by Hero CPL to put on the 2022 event, the value of media exposure for the country from the broadcast of matches and the money spent with local business by those who travelled around the region for the tournament.  

The Hero CPL was responsible for filling 54,702 hotel nights across the region, with players, TV crew, CPL and franchise staff and other visitors all helping to generate further revenue for local businesses and suppliers.  

The total viewership for the 2022 Hero CPL was a record 721.8million, a record for the tournament. This is the third successive year that the tournament has generated a viewership figure of over half a billion. This increase in viewership gave even more exposure to host countries throughout the tournament, adding further value to hosting Hero CPL matches.  

Pete Russell, Hero CPL’s CEO, said: “The value that Hero CPL brings to host countries has been long established but for the economic impact of the tournament to pass US$200million for the first time is another milestone in the decade long history of the event. Hero CPL creates jobs, fills hotel rooms, boosts tourism and attracts visitors into host countries, both during the tournament and beyond. We are very excited to see this Caribbean product continue to grow its global reach while still hugely benefiting the region.”