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Saint Lucia Kings produced a spirited effort in front of their home crowd in their Caribbean Premier League (CPL) match but were unable to complete a challenging chase against Barbados Tridents, going down by nine runs in a rain-affected contest in Gros Islet early on Monday.
After the match was reduced to 18 overs per side, the Kings restricted the Tridents to 177 before Ackeem Auguste's attacking half-century kept the chase alive. However, a cluster of wickets in the latter stages saw the Kings finish short of the target. The Tridents made a brisk start, with Quinton de Kock and Brandon King taking the attack to the Kings from the third over onwards. De Kock and Brandon King were scoring quickly before Roston Chase provided the Kings with an important breakthrough, dismissing de Kock for a rapid 38 off 15 balls. He soon added the wicket of King as the Tridents' scoring rate began to dip. While Rivaldo Clarke contributed 15 from 22 balls, Sherfane Rutherford (61 in 31 balls, with three fours and five sixes) struck four sixes during the final four overs to bring up a second consecutive half-century, reaching the milestone from 27 balls and helping the Tridents post 177. In reply, Ackeem Auguste provided the Kings with the impetus they needed. He took responsibility for keeping the chase on track. The Kings lost both openers inside the first six overs, while Trident bowlers also kept things tight with the ball. Auguste then shifted gears as his aggressive approach brought up a well-made 50 from 28 balls and reduced the equation to 61 runs from 36 deliveries, giving the Kings a strong chance. The Tridents, however, bounced back, with Mujeeb dismissing Charith Asalanka (8) in the 13th and Motie removing Auguste (63 in 34 balls, with three fours and six sixes) in the following over, ending the Kings' most promising partnership and leaving them needing 50 from 24 balls. The Kings continued to fight until the end, but the mounting required rate and loss of wickets ultimately proved decisive. Despite the result, the Kings showed character throughout the contest, with Auguste's aggressive half-century and Chase's all-round contribution providing plenty of positives to take forward from the home fixture. Saint Lucia Kings will next face Amazon Warriors early on Thursday. (ANI)
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