Jason Holder starred with bat and ball as St Kitts and Nevis Patriots held off Barbados Royals to win by 12 runs in the Caribbean Premier League on Thursday night. Patriots were struggling at 63-4 when Holder came to the crease, but he made 38 from 21 balls to help them towards a challenging target of 174-8 off their 20 overs. He shared a stand of 49 in 30 balls with left-hander Kyle Mayers, who top-scored with 42, while Abbas Afridi (16 from 10) and Naseem Shah (19 not out from 11) added late momentum.
Holder’s first wicket came when he removed Brandon King with the penultimate ball of the powerplay to leave Royals 45-2. They were well positioned at 80-2 in the ninth over, but rookie leg-spinner Navin Bidaisee struck in successive overs to remove Kofi James and Sherfane Rutherford.
From there Patriots squeezed with Naseem removing the dangerous skipper Rovman Powell and Corbin Bosch, before Holder, who finished with 4-14, wrapped up the tail as Royals were bowled out for 162 in 18.2 overs. The final wicket was Jomel Warrican who was plumb leg-before-wicket and Holder celebrated by running the length of the ground to celebrate the remarkable comeback victory.
The game had special significance for Holder as it was his first time facing his old team after he parted ways after 12 successful seasons with Barbados and moved over to captain the Patriots. He was named Player of the Match.
The result lifted Patriots to second in the points table behind Antigua and Barbuda Falcons, but they have played as many as four games more than other sides. Barbados Royals are bottom with two defeats in two matches.
The tournament continues on Friday night when the Falcons host Guyana Amazon Warriors in a sold-out contest at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium. Barbados will have their next match on Sunday August 24 when they face Saint Lucia Kings at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground on Gros Islet. (PS)
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