Shimron Hetmyer (91) leads Warriors past Patriots in CPL run-fest

WARNER Park in Basseterre, St Kitts played host to another run fest in the 2024 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) on September 4, with defending champs Guyana Amazon Warriors and St Kitts and Nevis Patriots (SKNP) hitting a combined 42 sixes – tying the Twenty/20 record for the most sixes in a match.

By the time Shai Hope took a catch to dismiss Mikyle Louis (31 off 21 balls) to end the SKNP innings, the Amazon Warriors recorded a 40-run victory after posting a mammoth score of 266 for seven.

SKNP skipper Andre Fletcher led a brave fight for the hosts, but even his belligerent knock of 81 from 33 balls couldn't help overhaul the Amazon Warriors total which is now the second-highest score in CPL history.

Prior to the Warriors and SKNP match, the four innings at Warner Park in this year's CPL tournament saw each team scoring over 200 runs, including Trinbago Knight Riders' (TKR) winning score of 250 for four versus SKNP on August 31.

The Amazon Warriors batsmen battered the SKNP bowling to all parts as they charged to their second straight win to start the season, with top-order batsman Shimron Hetmyer leading the way with an authoritative knock of 91 off 39 balls. The left-hander shared in a 116-run stand for the third wicket with Afghanistan star Rahmanullah Gurbaz (69 off 37 balls) and he put on a hitting exhibition, swatting 11 sixes in an innings which contained no fours.

After getting to 104 for two at the ten-over mark, Hetmyer and the Warriors rattled off 162 runs in the last ten overs and fell one run short of the CPL's highest-ever score of 267 when Raymon Reifer (14) was run out off the final ball of their innings.

On the back of consecutive losses to TKR and St Lucia Kings, Fletcher tried to lead from the front as his team went in pursuit of the daunting target.

SKNP lost out of favour West Indies opener Evin Lewis (three) in the first over, with Kyle Mayers (28 off 17 balls) also falling in the power play with the score on 73 for two in the sixth over.

SKNP achieved the second-best power play in CPL history as they pushed the score to 94 for two by the end of the sixth over, and Fletcher and a swashbuckling Sherfane Rutherford (34 off 12 balls) momentarily seized momentum with a rapid 65-run partnership for the third wicket.

After Rutherford fell to Reifer in the ninth over, the Warriors grabbed wickets in quick succession as leg-spinner Imran Tahir (three for 48) came to the party.

SKNP slipped to 171 for six when Fletcher was dismissed by Gudakesh Motie (three for 34) in the 13th over as attempted to hit his tenth six. Louis then put up a brave fight batting with the lower order, but SKNP's surge was wrapped up in the 18th over when Dwaine Pretorius (two for 46) got the former's wicket.

The Amazon Warriors (four points) are now second on the table behind the Kings (four points), with SKNP (two points) remaining in fifth on the six-team table after suffering a third straight loss.

SKNP will aim to get their first home win of the season when they host Barbados Royals from 7 pm on September 6.

Summarised Scores:

GUYANA AMAZON WARRIORS: 266/7 from 20 overs (Shimron Hetmyer 91, Rahmanullah Gurbaz 69, Keemo Paul 38; Veerasammy Permaul 1/14) vs ST KITTS & NEVIS PATRIOTS: 226 from 18 overs (Andre Fletcher 81, Sherfane Rutherford 34, Mikyle Louis 31, Kyle Mayers 28; Gudakesh Motie 3/34, Imran Tahir 3/48). Amazon Warriors won by 40 runs.