KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – The Jamaica Tallawahs registered their third consecutive victory in the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) by outclassing the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots by 47 runs here on Wednesday night.
Led by an unbeaten half-century from Ross Taylor, the Tallawahs posted a competitive 178-4 in their 20 overs and then used a stifling bowling performance to limit the Patriots to just 131-9 from their 20 overs.
The Tallawahs were given a scorching start by openers Kennar Lewis (49) and Glenn Phillips (41), who put on 64 in 6.2 overs.
Phillips was lucky not to have lost his wicket when he was just 11 after he miscued a pull off Carlos Brathwaite, but substitute fielder Hayden Walsh Jr who was on for an injured Chris Gayle spilled the chance.
Just when it seemed as if the Tallawahs were running away with the contest, the Patriots struck twice in three deliveries through legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane.
First, he accounted for the wicket of Lewis and then had Andre McCarthy lbw two balls later for a duck to leave the score 65-2.
That brought Taylor to the crease and together with Phillips, they added 42 for the third wicket. Taylor was fortunate not to have been dismissed on six, skying a catch to extra cover off the bowling of Anton Devcich. However, he was called back to the crease after it was realized Devcich had overstepped the crease.
It proved to be a costly error, as after a slow start Taylor scored 40 runs off his last 15 balls, with the Tallawahs plundering 65 runs off their final five overs.
He was especially severe on fast bowler Sheldon Cottrell, whom he dispatched for three huge sixes in the 16th over, which went for 20 runs.
Rovman Powell hit a quickfire 18 from just 14 balls and captain Andre Russell hit an unbeaten 10 to help the Tallawahs up their final score.
Taylor’s unbeaten 51 came off 35 balls and contained two boundaries and four sixes.
With an out-of-sorts Chris Gayle still opting to open the batting, the Patriots never posed a threat in their run chase.
In the first two overs bowled by Oshane Thomas and Krishmar Santokie respectively, Gayle scored just one run from the 12 balls he faced.
Things then got even worse when Thomas produced a brilliant delivery which Evan Lewis could only edge behind to the wicketkeeper to leave them 1-1 after 2.2 overs.
Tom Cooper’s wretched run in the CPL continued as he was dismissed for just 7, before Gayle’s miserable stay at the crease finally came to an end, his 24 runs coming from 25 balls, as the Patriots stumbled to 39-3 at the end of the sixth over.
The wickets of Devcich, Devon Thomas and Ben Cutting followed soon after, as they fell into further trouble at 61-6.
And while the lower order provided some resistance, it was never going to be enough to prevent the Patriots from registering their second loss of the competition.
