CPL 2023: How did the international players fare in St Lucia Kings vs Trinbago Knight Riders, Match 24?

The 24th fixture of CPL 2023 kicked off between St Lucia Kings and Trinbago Knight Riders on September 10 at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba. It was a night that was dominated by Mark Deyal and Andre Russell, who notched up formidable scores of 57 (45) and 29* (13), respectively, to power TKR to a famous win.

Martin Guptill and Nicholas Pooran both fell relatively early for the Knight Riders, leaving Deyal and Lorcan Tucker to do the heavy lifting. The former, in particular, struggled at the start but grew in stature as the innings progressed. The latter remained unbeaten at the end, ensuring that Russell had the requisite foundation to tee off.

The Kings, on the other hand, will be disappointed with their lack of incision. They accounted for Guptill and Pooran in the powerplay, but failed to drive home that advantage in the middle overs, with Khary Pierre and Sikandar Raza giving away 43 runs in just four overs. Alzarri Joseph, despite picking two wickets, was also expensive, and with the Kings not having a lot of runs on the board, they ultimately fell well short.

Let’s take a quick glance to find out how the international stars fared in the game:

---

Colin Munro (SLK)

Munro batted sensibly and played right through the end of St Lucia Kings’ innings, scoring a measured 72 * (51) which featured six fours and three sixes. He scored most of his runs through innovative switch hits and also relied on meticulous strike rotation when the situation called for it. Besides, he registered useful partnerships with Roston Chase and Sean Williams to get the Kings past the 160-run mark.

---

Johnson Charles (SLK)

Johnson Charles did not get going with the bat and perished early after playing a couple of delightful shots. He fell for just 13 (13) as Jayden Seals ripped through his defenses to send him back in the hut during the fourth over of the match.

---

Roston Chase (SLK)

Chase played a sedated yet impactful cameo of 32 (31) and provided good support to Munro down at the other end. He smashed three fours and one six in his innings and was eventually dismissed by Waqar Salamkheil during the 13th over. He was economical with the ball as well, finishing with figures of 1/25 in his three overs.

---

Sikandar Raza (SLK)

Image Credit:- ICC Cricket

The Zimbabwean all-rounder couldn’t add a lot of runs to St Lucia’s batting total. He scored a run-a-ball 8 and perished during the 16th over against Sunil Narine. He had an off day with the ball as well, conceding a whopping 24 runs in his two overs while returning wicketless.

---

Sean Williams (SLK)

Sean Williams played a delightful cameo of 34* (17) which involved four boundaries and one maximum. He partnered with Munro and remained unbeaten till the end to power the Kings to a face-saving total of 167. He scored all around the park and combined power-hitting with innovative strokeplay very nicely.

---

Alzarri Joseph (SLK)

Alzarri Joseph bowled an erratic first over and conceded two big no-balls that allowed the Knight Riders to build significant momentum. He then bounced back in the same over by removing Pooran for just 15. However, he finished the game with very expensive figures of 2/42 in his 3.5 overs going at almost 11 RPO.

---

Khary Pierre (SLK)

Khary Pierre went the journey as his two overs cost his team 19 runs, in which he conceded two fours and one six. He finished the game with no wickets under his belt.

---

Martin Guptill (TKR)

Guptill showed some early promise with the bat, hitting one boundary and one six. But his stay came to an end during the fourth over of the second innings as he holed out to long on for just 16 (15).

---

Nicholas Pooran (TKR)

Pooran showed some aggressive intent early on and was poised to score big. But much to the despair of the home crowd, his stay came to a premature end as he was dismissed by Joseph off the last ball of the powerplay. He scored 15(11) and smashed two fours and one six.

---

Lorcan Tucker (TKR)

Tucker played an unbeaten cameo of 38* off 31, which involved three fours. His knock gave the Knight Riders a solid platform to go ballistic during the final overs. He registered an unbeaten 37-run stand with Russell to ensure there were no last-minute hiccups for TRK in the final phase of the game.

---

Andre Russell (TKR)

Image Credit:- ICC Cricket

Russell was costly with the ball going at 12 RPO while returning wicketless. He conceded two fours, one six, and three wides in his two-over spell. However, he finished it in fine style with the bat, plundering 29* off 13 at a scintillating strike rate of 223 to see his side home.

---

Kieron Pollard (TKR)

Did not bat or bowl in this game.

---

Akeal Hosein (TKR)

Akeal Hosein bowled a very economical spell of 0/30 in his allotted 4 overs. Although he went wicketless, he made sure that the St Lucia Kings did not run away with the game during the first 10 overs. In addition, he bowled nine dots and conceded only three fours and one six in his entire spell.

---

Sunil Narine (TKR)

Narine did not get a chance to bat in this match. However, with the ball in hand, Narine returned average figures of 1/32 in his four overs and was unusually expensive in today’s game. He picked up the key wicket of Sikandar Raza and bowled nine dots in his entire spell.

---

Ali Khan (TKR)

Ali Khan bowled an expensive spell of 0/33 in his 3 overs. He conceded five fours and one wide and failed to grab a wicket in this match.

---

Jayden Seales (TKR)

Image Credit:- ICC Cricket

The birthday boy had an impressive outing with the ball and the home side enjoyed every bit of it. He conceded at just 7.66 RPO and finished with 1/23 in his 3 overs, picking up the important wicket of Johnson Charles.

Note: Regional (uncapped) players from West Indies have not been featured in the article