A high-scoring thriller saw Saint Lucia Kings reach the final of the 2021 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and eliminate defending champions Trinbago Knight Riders.
The Saint Lucia Kings won the toss and chose to bat. Mark Deyal got the side off to a flying start and they maintained a high intensity throughout the innings, as Tim David and David Wiese combined to cause carnage in the latter overs, taking the side to a mammoth 205/4 after their 20 overs.
Trinbago Knight Riders got off to a fast start in response but slowly unravelled amidst a growing run rate, as David Wiese took his second five-wicket haul of this year’s Hero CPL to end their title defence as they finished on 184 all out.
GENERALLY speaking, selectors of cricket teams have a job of great responsibility that requires deep thought processes, knowledge of the sport, the conditions of the venue and a host of ideas as to what constitutes a balanced team to deal with the opposition under various circumstances.
In the end, it comes down to the right combination to win the contest. And that is the crux of the matter, to be victorious in the competition. There is no other reason for the selection of a cricket team.
There are times when it’s justified to choose certain players knowing they would be in a position to strengthen the side in the future and be triumphant then, for instance, by including talented youngsters who can hold their own at present and be eventual match-winners.
However, that’s only if there are no better players available. A selector should never weaken his team at present to build its effectiveness for a subsequent event to come.
ST. JOHN'S, Antigua- The West Indies Women lost the third CG Insurance ODI against South Africa Women by 8 wickets at the Coolidge Cricket Ground. Batting first, West Indies Women posted 157 all out in 48.4 overs. South Africa Women reached 158/2 in 36.4 overs to achieve victory.
West Indies Women's interim captain Anisa Mohammed told CWI Media: "I think the batters need to step up and make some runs for us. 157 runs in a 50-ver game... you're only going at three runs per over which is easy pickings for a team like South Africa. I thought Williams and Dottin played really well today but again, they need that support... a couple others to step up and stay there with them."
Mohammed added: " A lot of people have been saying that South Africa have gone past us but I keep saying to the team I don't believe that. I believe that we're just not playing our best cricket, look back at the third T20I and South Africa weren't able to beat us, so if we come out here on a game day and play our best cricket, South Africa is not going to beat us."
A remarkable run chase from the Barbados Royals ensured they ended their 2021 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) campaign with a victory against the Saint Lucia Kings at Warner Park.
The Royals won the toss and captain Jason Holder chose to field, as he did in their game on Saturday. Rahkeem Cornwall returned to the Kings lineup and made an instant impact, firing 40 runs off 26 balls before Roston Chase continued his fine form to score 56 and take his side to a mammoth total of 190/6.
Despite encountering problems with the loss of two wickets in the sixth over, Kyle Mayers and Glenn Phillips combined for a remarkable 154 run partnership to take their side to a comfortable eight-wicket victory with seven balls to spare.
The Trinbago Knight Riders finished in top spot in the 2021 Hero Caribbean Premier thanks to a four-wicket win over the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots. The Knight Riders will now face the Saint Lucia Kings in the first semi-final on Tuesday 14 September.
The Patriots finished third in the points table and they will face the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the second semi-final which takes place later that same day.
It was the bowling of Ali Khan and the batting of Kieron Pollard who took the Knight Riders to victory, a win they wrapped up with an over to spare.
The Patriots got off to a steady start thanks to Joshua Da Silva who had been pushed up to open in the absence of the injured Devon Thomas. The young wicket-keeper batsman kept things steady after Chris Gayle was dismissed for 5 when he edged a ball from Ravi Rampaul through to Denesh Ramdin.
