Dwaine Pretorius upset table-toppers St Lucia Kings with a last-ball six in yet another thrilling CPL 2025 match. The win solidified Guyana Amazon Warriors’ status as the fourth team in the playoffs. With 12 runs needed from the last over and five from the last ball, Pretorius smacked a full toss from David Wiese over long-on, knocking the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots out of the playoff race and sparking wild jubilation among the home crowd.
The Amazon Warriors are presently fourth on the points table with 10 points and will play their final league game against the Barbados Royals with a chance to finish in the top two.
There was plenty of drama in the final over, when Moeen Ali’s catch was dropped in the deep. On Wiese’s second delivery, a high full toss proved to be a no-ball as well. With eight runs to score from four balls following the free hit, Moeen was run out while attempting a second run, and Wiese tried straight and wide yorkers, bringing the total down to five off the final ball. That was also an attempted yorker, but Pretorius caught it as a full toss and dispatched it all the way.
The Amazon Warriors’ chase got off to a solid start with Quentin Sampson’s first-ball four, and he continued to lead the pairing with Shai Hope following Ben McDermott’s departure. Sampson’s hard-handed strokes and swings propelled Amazon Warriors to a 27-ball half-century in the 11th over, pushing them above 100.
Roston Chase, on the other hand, spearheaded Kings’ comeback by dismissing Sampson and Shimron Hetmyer off consecutive balls shortly after; it was Hetmyer’s second duck in a straight, his third of the CPL, and his eighth single-digit score in nine games. Hope was on 10 from 15 balls at the time, and he kept one end up even as the Amazon Warriors lost Shamarh Brooks, Hassan Khan, and Romario Shepherd in three consecutive overs, reducing them to 133 for 6. That left them needing 50 runs from the final 30 deliveries.
Hope quickly switched gears, reducing it to 32 off 22 before holing out for 44 from 33 balls off Wiese. With 23 runs needed from the last two overs, Moeen started the penultimate over with a six, bringing the total to 12 before Pretorius sent Amazon Warriors.
Earlier, Kings were in danger after opting to bat, being reduced to 27 for 2 in the fourth over when Pretorius knocked over the base of Johnson Charles’ off stump for his seventh wicket in the powerplay this CPL, along with Khary Pierre and Ramon Simmonds. However, No. 4 Chase responded with a sequence of 6, 4, 6, 4 from Moeen to accelerate to 21 off five balls and take Kings past 50 in the fifth over.
Kings never turned back after that. Ackeem Auguste also chose the aerial way, scoring the team’s 100 in the 12th over, shortly after Chase broke the phase of four boundary-less overs. Auguste succumbed just one ball after his 29-ball fifty, against Imran Tahir at deep midwicket. Chase then challenged Hassan for his 32-ball half-century, smashing more straight shots. Chase also benefited from a lifeline provided by Hetmyer on 73 when he caught at long-on, and he punished Pretorius even more, finishing undefeated on 90 off 55 balls. However, that knock, combined with his three wickets, proved ineffective.
India
