A final over comeback from Guyana’s Keemo Paul ensured that the St Lucia Kings would head to their second, consecutive CPL final after a 21-run win.
A nightmare 15th over of the run chase by Trinidad saw Paul going for 22 runs, inclusive of 2 sixes and a four. However, with David Wiese, Wahab Riaz and Alzarri Joseph bowled out, Paul was the only hope for the final over of the chase, with an ironic 22 runs to get for victory.
The over went wicket, dot ball, wicket; ensuring the Knight Riders were bowled out for 184.
Earlier in the match, a spectacular batting display from the Kings saw the to 205-4.
Rahkeem Cornwall went early in the innings, making way for an aggressive Mark Deyal, who had 46 from 22 by the end of the powerplay. At the other end, Andre Fletcher was struggling with the bat, eventually falling to Ravi Rampaul for 4 from 14.
Deyal persisted alongside CPL’s highest run- scorer Roston Chase to register 78 from 44, before becoming Sunil Narine’s only scalp of the game.
Roston Chase notched a responsible 36 from 21, David Wiese 34 from 21 and Tim David’s 38 from 17 helped the Kings to their big score.
In the chase, Lendll Simmons went cheaply to Joseph, before Narine and Colin Munro built a threatening 71- run partnership. They both dell prey to Wiese, for 30 and 27 runs respectively; as Wiese went on to pick up a five-fer, dismissing Kieron Pollard, Tim Seifert and Akeal Hosein later in the innings.
Riaz had 2-36 from his 4, before the game went down to the wire, with Paul’s heroics in the final over.
The CPL 2021 final will bowl off at 10am at Warner Park, St. Kitts, tomorrow morning. St Lucia awaits the results of the match between the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots and the Guyana Amazon Warriors, to ascertain who they will battle in the final.
