In a must-win game for the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, Mohammad Rizwan and the bowlers enabled them defeat the Guyana Amazon Warriors by five runs in Providence on the last over.
With three wickets in hand, Amazon Warriors needed 11 runs from six balls to chase down a target of 150. Naseem Shah held his composure and captured Keemo Paul at long-on with his first ball. For the remainder of the over, he alternated slower balls with yorkers, giving away only five. While the result broke the Patriots’ three-game losing run, their postseason hopes remain grim. They need nothing less than a win in their final league match against the Barbados Royals on Friday, as well as other results to go their way.
Earlier, the Patriots struggled, dropping to 26 for 3 inside five overs, with Andre Fletcher, Kyle Mayers, and Leniko Boucher all falling short of double figures. But Rizwan’s 85 off 62 balls led them to 149 for 6.
Rizwan and Rilee Rossouw stabilised the innings, leading the team to 64 for 4 after ten overs.
He was 36 off 30 at the time, but scored 49 off the following 32. Overall, he smashed eight fours and three sixes, helping the Patriots score 45 in the final four overs.
The Amazon Warriors had a much better start, going 41 for 1 following the powerplay. However, they were unable to build on it, losing two wickets in the next four overs to reach 67 for 3 at the halfway stage. Patriots pushed them further back by removing Hassan Khan and Shai Hope in consecutive overs. Dominic Drakes caught and bowled Hassan, while Navin Bidaisee castled Hope with a low slider.
After 15 overs, both teams were 100 for five. However, the Patriots had a better set in Rizwan, whilst the Amazon Warriors did not. With 50 runs needed from the last five overs, Dwaine Pretorius attempted a slog sweep but was out. Salamkheil may have had Romario Shepherd caught behind on the next ball, but Rizwan was unsure if there was a bat in play. Replay revealed a definite outside edge.
Shepherd rubbed it in by hitting the final ball of the over for six. Paul tried the same against Naseem in the next over, but all he got was a leg bye from the other five deliveries.
With 21 runs needed from ten deliveries, Jason Holder caught Shepherd at long-on with a short ball. Quenton Sampson smashed two fours in the next three balls, bringing the total down to 11 from the last over. But Naseem denied them.
India
