CPL: Rajapaksa, Munro ensure Kings place in play-offs

PROVIDENCE, Guyana (CMC):

Boundary-studded half-centuries from Bhanuska Rajapaksa and Colin Munro propelled St Lucia Kings to a seven-wicket win against hosts Guyana Amazon Warriors on Thursday and catapulted them into the play-offs of the Caribbean Premier League.

Rajapaksa cracked nine fours and five sixes in the top score of 86 off 49 balls and earned the Player-of-the-Match award, and Munro supported with six fours and two sixes in 55 off 43 balls, and the Kings successfully chased 168 in their penultimate match of the Twenty20 tournament.

The left-handed pair shared 132 for the second wicket to put the Kings firmly on track for victory and silence a vocal capacity crowd at the Guyana National Stadium before they were dismissed in successive overs.

The massive crowd had started to file out of the stadium when Sean Williams formalised the result with 15 balls remaining, dancing down the pitch to smash West Indies pacer Odean Smith for four through mid-off, where the fielder failed to make a diving stop.

“Before the match, we spoke about playing a knock to remember and just go at it,” Rajapaksa said after the game. “It has always been nice. The team has been quite united. We knew we needed two points out of the two games, and we are happy that we got it before the last game.”

Kings now have 10 points from nine matches, and they are third on the points table behind the Amazon Warriors and Trinbago Knight Riders, both on 13 points with only net run rate splitting them, and the two to feature at 7 p.m. East Caribbean Time today at the same venue.

STRONG COMPETITION

The St Lucian franchise will seek to finish the preliminary competition strong when they play their final match against the desperate Jamaica Tallawahs at 10 a.m. on Sunday at the same venue, where the Warriors will face Barbados Royals in their final match at 7 p.m. later in the day.

“I am feeling a little relieved having won and qualified,” Kings captain Sikandar Raza said. “You don’t want to be in a situation where your last match is do-or-die. I always thought if we could contain our extras, we would have a better chance.”

Warriors won the toss and chose to bat on a slow, easy-paced pitch, a decision that backfired with the batting not firing until the final five overs.

Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Azam Khan led the way with 40, and West Indies One-day International captain Shai Hope made 36, but no other Warriors batsman reached 20.

West Indies fast bowler Alzarri Joseph was the most successful Kings bowler with two for 31 from four overs and bowled with pace and hostility, delivering a few body blows to a couple of the Warriors batsmen.

Warriors were 35 for one at the end of the Power Play, and they were set back further when left-handed Pakistani opener Saim Ayub, this year’s top run scorer, fell for 16 in the ninth over.

The home team were 50 for two, and lost Hope in the 14th over before reaching 100, but Khan and West Indies left-hander Shimron Hetmyer helped rebuild the innings before late fireworks from Keemo Paul and Romario Shepherd enabled Warriors to add 72 in the closing stages.

Kings lost Johnson Charles lbw to Shepherd for one in the second over, but New Zealander Munro and Sri Lankan Rajapaksa left the result in no doubt.

The tournament continues today with Tallawahs meeting out-of-contention St Kitts & Nevis Patriots at 10 a.m. at the same venue.