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St Lucia Kings blanked Antigua & Barbuda Falcons with seven wickets and three overs to spare in the sixth match of the CPL 2024 season in Antigua. The outcome helped the Kings jump to the top of the table with four points from two games, leapfrogging Barbados Royals and Trinbago Knight Riders in the process.
The Royals and the Knight Riders, with two points courtesy of a win each, lost a rung to slip to number two and three respectively on the six-team standings.
Guyana Amazon Warriors retained their position at number four on the table for winning their opening game against Antigua & Barbuda Falcons on August 30. St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, also with two points, takes the fifth spot on the standings courtesy of an inferior NRR of -1.210.
Winless Antigua & Barbuda Falcons remain rock bottom on the points table as they succumbed to their fourth defeat in succession.
Johnson Charles, Noor Ahmad take St Lucia Kings to the top
Batting first, Antigua & Barbuda Falcons managed just 142/7 from their 20 overs. Opening batter Justin Greaves top-scored with an attacking 36 from 26 balls. Fakhar Zaman launched a couple of fours and a six in his 17-ball 21 before handing his wicket to Roston Chase.
Chase's spin mate Noor Ahmad scythed through the Falcons middle-order by taking three wickets in succession, including that of dangermen Sam Billings and Fabian Allen to bag figures of 3/18 from four overs.
Chasing 143, St Lucia Kings captain Faf du Plessis went berserk at the top with five boundaries and one six. He scored 28 in his 36-run opening partnership with Johnson Charles, before Imad Wasim and Chris Green tilted the tide back in the Falcons’ favour with two quick wickets. Charles, however, remained unbeaten at the crease and formed steady partnerships with aggressors-in-chief Ackeem Auguste (27 off 20) and Tim Seifert (26* off 11).
The opening batter himself made 47* from 46 balls with a boundary and three sixes to steer the St Lucia Kings to an easy seven-wicket win with three overs to spare.
