The Independent Voice of West Indies Cricket

Zouks maintain winning feeling against Tridents

Sat, Jul 23, '16

 

Caribbean Premier League

The St Lucia Zouks have made it two Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) wins in two at the Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium thanks to the bowling of Sammy himself and runs from Johnson Charles and Andre Fletcher. The win takes them to six points and makes qualification for the knockout stages for the first time in their history a real possibility for the St Lucian side.

Chasing just 138 to win Charles and Fletcher got the home side off to the best possible start. In the first 10 overs the openers managed 80 runs without losing a wicket. It was actually a quiet start until the ninth over that was delivered by Imran Khan. That one cost 17 runs as Johnson Charles smashed two sixes.

The Zouks lost Fletcher not long after that when he nicked a low catch through to Nicholas Pooran behind the stumps. Charles was joined by Shane Watson who could well have departed on 10 when he skied a catch off Ravi Rampaul that was well caught on the rope by Shoaib Malik. It was a no ball from Rampaul and Watson was reprieved.

A short rain delay shortened the chase by one over meaning that when play got back underway the Zouks needed 30 runs from 36 balls. It looked to be a cruise for the home team but the Tridents were given some hope when Charles went for 41 to the second ball after the resumption.

Watson also departed before the end of the game to a brilliant tumbling catch by Ahmed Shehzad but the Zouks cruised home with 15 balls and seven wickets to spare.