Lucky Pooran slams woeful Patriots

TAROUBA, Trinidad (CMC):

NICHOLAS POORAN rode his luck to hit a swashbuckling, unbeaten 93 from just 43 balls to help the Trinbago Knight Riders oust the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots from the Caribbean Premier League with a comprehensive seven-wicket victory on Sunday night.

Pooran survived four chances, and the Patriots dropped five catches in a lacklustre fielding performance that saw them lose their ninth successive game in a frustrating campaign that saw them finish bottom of the table with a 1-9 record.

The Patriots’ shoddy fielding undid their stellar work with the bat, which saw them post a formidable 193 for four from 20 overs.

However, player-of-the-match Pooran and opener Jason Roy both scored half-centuries as the Knight Riders strolled to 197 for three with nine balls remaining.

Earlier, Patriots’ captain Andre Fletcher smashed 93 from 61 balls with six sixes and four fours, while Kyle Mayers blasted a boundary-studded 60 from just 30 balls, inclusive of eight fours and three sixes, to help lift their side to an impressive total.

After Evin Lewis was dismissed in the day’s first over, Fletcher and Mayers put on 99 for the second wicket in nine overs to give the Patriots a blistering start.

Mayers slapped fast bowler Jayden Seales for three fours in his first over and the fourth of the match, and in the next over the two batsmen took turns hitting Andre Russell out of the ground.

The sixth over, bowled by Dwayne Bravo, went for 19 runs, with Mayers clobbering him for three fours and a six, the last of which brought up his 50 from 18 balls.

And just when it looked as if the game was getting away from the Knight Riders, Chris Jordan pulled off a stunning catch to get rid of Mayers, leaving the score 101 for two in the 11th over.

Rilee Rossouw made a quick 20 from 11 balls before he lost his wicket to Seales, paving the way for Fletcher to end the innings with a flourish in a 63-run partnership with Mikyle Louis, who scored 10 not out.

After driving Bravo to long off for two to bring up his half-century from 41 balls, Fletcher upped the ante by slamming Waqar Salamkheil for a six and two fours off consecutive deliveries in the 16th over.

He ended by clobbering Jordan for a six and four in the final over, before losing his wicket to the last ball of the innings.

Jordan was the pick of the Knight Riders’ bowlers with 2-29.

Roy and Keacy Carty gave the Knight Riders a solid foundation in their chase, adding 43 in five overs.

But Mayers undid Carty with his medium pace, setting the stage for Pooran’s entrance.

Pooran showed his intent early on by hitting Tabraiz Shamsi and Jeremiah Louis out of the ground.

However, when he was on 21 and the score 100 for one in the 10th over, he was dropped by wicketkeeper Joshua Da Silva off the bowling of Shamsi.

Two balls later, Pooran was given another reprieve by Mikyle Louis who failed to take the catch after he had top-edged a delivery from Jeremiah Louis.

Pooran got a third life when he was 36, with substitute fielder Dominic Drakes dropping a tough chance running back from mid off, off the bowling of Shamsi again.

He was again dropped by Drakes on 47, with Jeremiah Louis once again the unlucky bowler.

Pooran made the Patriots pay dearly for those mistakes, bringing up his half-century in 32 balls by driving pacer Anrich Nortje to the backward point boundary for four.

He then struck Jeremiah Louis for two consecutive sixes in the 17th over and followed that up by hitting Nortje for two sixes and a four in the next over that went for 17 runs.

Pooran then finished the match off in style, hitting Josh Clarkson out of the ground for six.

He smashed seven sixes and four fours in his entertaining innings.