HOLDER KEEPS PATRIOTS IN HUNT
A brilliant all-round display from Jason Holder against the Barbados Royals kept the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots in the hunt for a spot in the 2025 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League playoffs. Holder made his second half century of the tournament before taking 2/32 with the ball as the Patriots won by one run in a thrilling encounter at Kensington Oval.
The Royals won the toss and chose to bowl and the Patriots got off to a decent start thanks to an opening stand of 46 between Mohammad Rizwan and Andre Fletcher. When Fletcher and Evin Lewis departed in the space of three balls it pegged the Patriots back and Rizwan found scoring more difficult. He attempted a number of dabs and sweeps before he was caught on the boundary looking to release the pressure.
Having been 46 without loss the Patriots stumbled to 74/5 as Chris Green kept things tight for the Royals. It was from there that the Holder masterclass took hold of this match as he made an unbeaten 53 as he and Navin Bidaisee put on 74 for the sixth wicket to give the Patriots a defendable total.
It was a steady start from the Royals when their innings got underway with Quintin de Kock and Brandon King put on 42 for the first wicket. Some very tidy bowling from the Patriots spinners kept the Royals from ever really getting on top in the chase with both Waqar Salamkheil and Bidaisee both going at around a run a ball from their four overs. With the two also sharing the wickets of the Royals openers a topsy turvy game swung back towards the Patriots.
Sherfane Rutherford and Rassie van der Dussen both made decent starts with the latter finishing undefeated on 37 but regular wickets meant the Royals were always fighting to stay in the game.
Come the final over it was Holder who game himself the responsibility of defending 14 to win the game. Van der Dussen smacked the first ball for six but Holder held his nerve as the Patriots ran out winners by a single run.
The Royals are now eliminated from the tournament despite having two matches left to play. The Patriots can make it to the knockout stages if Guyana Amazon Warriors lose both of their final two group stage matches by a wide enough margin for the Net Run Rate calculations to favour the Patriots.
