Johnson Charles blitz helps Patriots snap losing run

Johnson Charles’ 78 powered the St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots to a six-wicket win in a high-scoring fixture against the Barbados Tridents at Basseterre on Tuesday (September 1). The Patriots snapped a four-match winless streak while handing the Tridents their third successive defeat.

It was an innings that almost wasn’t for Charles who had been woefully out of form this season. Batting on 26 and looking ominous having already smashed three sixes, Charles was caught brilliantly by Sherfane Rutherford and given out by the third umpire after heaving a full-toss to deep square-leg in the fourth over. Drama ensued as the footage was reviewed once more and the decision reversed following protests from the Patriots dugout. Charles reemerged with the delivery being deemed a no-ball for being over waist-high and the carnage resumed.

The following free-hit was promptly dispatched for six and the Patriots finished the Powerplay with 58 for no loss. Charles brought up fifty with a boundary in the ninth over and backed it up with a six two balls later. The next over went for 20 runs and the 112-run opening stand only ended when Kyle Mayers was run-out backing up at the non-striker’s end in the 11th over.

Charles holed out two overs later but it did little to slow the Patriots down with a brisk 46-run partnership between Jason Holder and Dasun Shanaka taking them closer to the target. With 40 runs needed off the last three overs, the Tridents clawed their way back through Daniel Sams who dismissed both Holder and Shanaka in the same over. Sams overstepped, however, with Wanindu Hasaranga taking full toll by hitting the ball for six and following it up with a boundary. Andre Fletcher then struck 18 runs off the 19th over before sealing the game with a six off the first delivery off the 20th.

Earlier in the contest, it was Quinton de Kock’s third CPL century that powered the Tridents to a formidable score. After losing Brandon King early, Zachary Carter and de Kock got the team off to a blazing start. The Patriots were guilty of dropping several straightforward catches as the partnership swelled. Carter brought up his fifty off just 30 balls in the 10th over while de Kock reached the milestone two overs later. The 116-run stand finally ended when Hasaranga dismissed Carter in the 13th over.

De Kock carried on and found great support from Rutherford who wasted no time in matching the tempo. The duo put on 70 off just 36 balls with de Kock bringing up his ton in the 18th over. A sensational diving catch from Navin Bidaisee ended de Kock’s knock and Rutherford was also dismissed later in the same over. But Chris Green struck two sixes in the final over to ensure his side retained the momentum at the halfway stage having piled up 217 for 4 - a total that eventually proved insufficient.

Brief Scores: Barbados Tridents 217/4 in 20 overs (Quinton de Kock 106, Zachary Carter 57; Naseem Shah 2-43) lost to St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots 220/4 in 19.1 overs (Johnson Charles 78, Dasun Shanaka 36; Daniel Sams 2-40) by 6 wickets.