CPL: De Kock century tames Warriors

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC):

Quinton de Kock scored the second century of this year’s Caribbean Premier League (CPL), as the Barbados Patriots returned to winning ways with a comfortable 32-run win over the Guyana Amazon Warriors at Kensington Oval here Saturday night.

Batting at the top of the order, the South African smashed 115 runs from 68 balls and was the mainstay of the Royals’ mammoth 205 for six from their 20 overs.

In reply, the Amazon Warriors never seriously threatened their target and eventually ended on 173 for five from the allotted overs.

The win put the Royals at the top of the CPL table with four wins from their five matches, while relegating the Amazon Warriors (3-1) to second position.

It was a masterful innings from Player-of-the-Match de Kock, who made batting look easy on a surface where the other batsmen struggled to get going.

His new opening partner Kadeem Alleyne batted positively during his nine-ball cameo, scoring 22 runs inclusive of two fours and two sixes.

He dominated their 25-run opening partnership before he picked out Shimron Hetmyer at cover point trying to slice pacer Dwaine Pretorius over the infield.

De Kock then came into stride during a 82-run partnership for the second wicket with Alick Athanaze, who scored a pedestrian 16 from 19 balls.

He hit pacer Shamar Joseph for a six and two fours in the seventh over that yielded 17 runs,

The diminutive batsmen brought up his 50 off 34 balls when he clobbered off spinner Kevin Sinclair for a huge six and a four in the 10th over, which saw the Royals accelerate to 94 for one.

Athanaze, skipper Rovman Powell (7) and David Miller (1), fell in quick succession, as the Royals slipped to 140 for four, but it did nothing to interrupt de Kock’s majestic knock.

He smashed medium pacer Raymon Reifer for two sixes in the 14th over, and two overs later he hit the same bowler for two more boundaries to move into the 90s.

De Kock brought up his 100 after facing 60 balls when he punched Reifer to the long on boundary for a single in the same over.

He then hit Reifer for two more sixes in the final over, but the bowler got the last laugh when he had him caught at the long on boundary.

In total, he struck nine sixes and eight fours in his innings.

Jason Holder also provided a late boost, hitting three sixes and one four in an unbeaten knock of 28 that required just 10 balls.

Reifer ended with 3-50, while Pretorius took 2-27.

Having to score at over 10 runs an over, the Amazon Warriors never recovered from the loss of two early wickets.

Several of their batsmen got starts, including Shai Hope, who topscored with 40, while Moeen Ali scored a brisk 33, Keemo Paul finished unbeaten on 30 and Shimron Hetmyer made 28.

However, none of them carried on, as the Royals took wickets at regular intervals, which saw the Amazon Warriors crumble to 126 for five in the 15th over.

Spinner Keshav Maharaj was the pick of the bowlers with 3-42, while Jason Holder took 2-32.