CPL 2025
Shai Hope and Ben McDermott added 115 runs in only 59 balls © Getty
Led by Ben McDermott’s blazing 39-ball 75, Guyana Amazon Warriors cruised to a comfortable five-wicket win over St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots to make a winning start to their CPL 2025 campaign. Chasing 154 for victory, the visitors overhauled the target with 16 balls to spare at Warner Park.
Andre Fletcher’s 41-ball 60 had powered Patriots to a strong start after being put in to bat, even as there was limited contribution from the rest of their top-order batters. Evin Lewis had to retire hurt in the second over of the innings after he was in considerable pain right after pulling Shamar Joseph for a boundary.
Fletcher took down Romario Shepherd, Imran Tahir and Moeen Ali for four sixes in a space of nine deliveries. However, in the company of Gudakesh Motie, Shepherd and Tahir delivered some tidy overs in the middle phase, including a wicket-maiden which seized the momentum back in the favour of Warriors.
Jyd Goolie and Abbas Afridi hit some quick runs towards the end to propel the total to a competitive 153 for 8. However, as McDermott’s innings proved, it was too little in the end.
After losing Kevlon Anderson early, McDermott cut loose against Kyle Mayers and Fazalhaq Farooqi. The latter was carted for three boundaries and a six in the fourth over. Afridi was meted out a worse treatment six over later, when he was taken apart for 22.
Shai Hope, though playing the secondary role, was no less effective as the second wicket pair picked up 115 runs in only 59 balls to kill the contest. Patriots’ pacers, Naseem Shah and Afridi, returned to strike in quick succession once McDermott was dismissed, but Hope ensured there was no trouble en route the eventual victory.
Brief Scores: St Kitts and Nevis Patriots 153/8 in 20 overs (Andre Fletcher 60; Dwaine Pretorius 3-43, Imran Tahir 2-29) lost to Guyana Amazon Warriors 154/5 in 17.2 overs (Ben McDermott 75, Shai Hope 56*; Abbas Afridi 2-24) by 5 wickets
© Cricbuzz
