Patriots coast home after Holder and Netravalkar tear through opposition


St Kitts and Nevis Patriots bounced back from their opening defeat to secure a comfortable five-wicket win over St Lucia Kings at Gros Islet, chasing down 156 with 14 balls to spare. Seamers Restrict Kings: Jason Holder (3/20) and Saurabh Netravalkar (3/32) dismantled the Kings' lineup, combining for six wickets for just 52 runs to restrict St Lucia to a below-par 155/8. Middle-Order Rebuild: After slipping early to 57/2, Kamil Pooran (54 off 30) and Jewel Andrew (58 off 42) shared an 82-run partnership off 51 balls for the third wicket. Late Inning Collapse: Holder choked the scoring at the death, removing Asalanka and Andrew in the 16th over as St Lucia managed only 22 runs off their final five overs. Anchored Chase: Player of the Match Andre Fletcher anchored the Patriots' run-chase, carrying his bat for an unbeaten 48 off 41 balls. Support Cameos: Early aggression from Johnson Charles (16 off 5) and Kyle Mayers (32 off 16) kept the required rate low, allowing Fletcher, Holder, and Dasun Shanaka to steer Patriots home comfortably. Both Teams at 1-1: Both St Lucia Kings and St Kitts and Nevis Patriots now hold a 1-1 record after two matches in the tournament. So much so that Fletcher could bat from the first ball of the innings to the last - the 18th, as it turned out - without ever hitting a higher gear. His 48 not out, which earned him the Player-of-the-Match award, took 41 balls and included just three fours and six. And he got support from Kevin Wickham (19 in 20), Holder (10 in nine) and Dasun Shanaka (12 in nine) before Hasaranga hooked Matthew Forde for a six to complete the win. The win was Patriots' first in the competition after they had lost their opener, while Kings, too, have one win and one loss from two outings. St Kitts and Nevis Patriots 156 for 5 (Fletcher 48*, Mayers 32, Theekshana 2-22) beat St Lucia Kings 155 for 8 (Andrew 58, Pooran 54, Holder 3-20, Netravalkar 3-32) by five wickets