Jamaica Tallawahs vs Saint Lucia Kings
After winning both of their opening matches, the Jamaica Tallawahs came into the match against the Saint Lucia Kings brimming with confidence. The Kings on the other hand had lost both their matches in this year’s Caribbean Premier League and they were looking to finally open their account on the League Table.
It was the Kings who won the toss and Captain Faf Du Plessis decided to bowl first. The Tallawahs started off well as Brandon King looked to continue his good form as he scored a boundary on the first ball and the Tallawahs scoring 13 runs in their 1st over . Kennar Lewis soon joined the party with a six and a four in the 2nd over. Things seemed to be going well for the Tallawahs as they kept on scoring freely but it was Scott Kuggeleijn who broke the partnership by dismissing Lewis who after hitting a six on the previous ball looked to pull a short ball but chopped it onto the stumps. After the first wicket, Shamarh Brooks fell just 2 balls later after an unsuccessful review,bringing Captain Rovman Powell to the crease. But unfortunately for the Tallawahs, their Captain got out soon scoring 7 runs. The Batting Team looked to be in a spot of bother as they were 47/3 at the end of 6 overs. Raymon Reifer then joined Brandon King at the crease and they looked to build a partnership. But they couldn’t do so due to some brilliant fielding that got King run out leaving the Tallawahs at 62/4. It was a 5th wicket partnership of 59 runs between Wasim and Reifer that gave the outfit from Jamaica some stability as they got to 121/4 with 4 overs left. A Superb sliding catch from long on by Tim David led to the wicket of Wasim, who was looking to clear the outfield. After the loss of the Pakistani International, the Kings Bowling attack started to take flight as they got rid of the dangerous looking Reifer who hadmuscled his way to a well deserved 62. The Kings ended on a high as David Wiese got the wickets of the dangerous Fabian Allen and Chris Green in the final over as the Tallawahs ended their innings at 163/8. A Target of 164 was still a formidable Total for the Kings to chase.
The Kings got off to a decent start as their opening pair of Johnson Charles and Niroshan Dickwella got to 17 by the end of the 2nd over. It was Mohammad Amir again who’s incredible 2nd over derailed the Kings Innings as he got rid of Dickwella caught behind and Captain Faf Du Plessis clean bowled in the same over. The Tallawahs were going through a good spell getting couple more wickets and nearly getting the wicket of Charles LBW, but the decision was overturned after he reviewed it. Charles was looking in great touch and was supported by Tim David . The Kings were 72/4 at the end of the 10th over with David and Charles looking to take control of the chase. It was finally Imad Wasim who finally broke the 36 run Partnership by taking the wicket of David, who was looking to launch the ball into the crowd but only managed to give a simple low catch to Brandon King at extra cover. Things were looking difficult for the Kings who needed 89 runs from 54 balls with 5 wickets in hand, but there was still hope with Charles at the crease.
The wicket of David led to the arrival of Roshon Primus, who started off slowly but started to get some momentum for the Kings with Charles firing at the other end. Charles looked to be in a hurry to finish the match as he hit Raymon Reifer for 1 four and 2 sixes in the first 3 deliveries of the 15th over bringing about his half century in the process, but it was the budge who had the last laugh as he got the wicket of the big man who was trying to go over deep cover. The Kings were 116/6 at the end of 15 overs with the chase looking too much for the team. It was a difficult ask for the Kings with David Wiese and Primus at the crease as they needed 48 runs in the last 5 overs. The duo kept going as they looked to chase down the total. They were looking comfortable chasing down the remaining runs, but it was star man Amir, who broke this partnership as Primus was caught behind. At the end of the 18th over, the Kings were 145/7 as they needed 19 runs in the last 2 Overs. Alzarri Joseph then joined the crease and scored an important six in the 19th over to ease some pressure off the Kings as they needed 9 runs off the Final over. The Tallawahs looked to be back in the game as they dismissed Joseph with the Kings needing 8 Runs of 5 deliveries. But Kuggeleijn who came in, scored a crucial boundary and David Wiese finished the match with a single on the penultimate ball of the innings, giving them their first win of the season.
Despite the Kings getting the victory and ending the Tallawahs’ good start, it was an incredible match that went to the wire thanks to some incredible performances on both teams.