Tridents slump to sixth straight defeat

Fabian Allen of St Kitts & Nevis Patriots celebrates winning match 26 of the Hero Caribbean Premier League between St Kitts & Nevis Patriots and Barbados Tridents at the Warner Park Sporting Complex on Tuesday. (Photo by Randy Brooks – CPL T20/Getty Images)

Fabian Allen powered St Kitts & Nevis Patriots to a thrilling two-wicket victory with two balls to spare that takes them temporarily to the top of the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) while inflicting a sixth straight defeat on the Barbados Tridents.

 It looked like the Tridents were finally going to return to winning ways back on the road after five defeats at home when they reduced the Patriots to 92/6 in pursuit of 169 for victory, and again when Allen lost the strike in the closing overs and was left needing 17 from the final six balls.

 But Allen had the answers, smashing the first two balls of Dominic Drakes’ closing over for sixes to take the target down to a far simpler five from four. The third ball bounced over the mid-wicket boundary and a scampered leg-bye finished the job. Allen ended on a sparkling unbeaten 64 from 34 as the Patriots completed a first successful 150-plus Hero CPL run-chase after seven previous failures.