CPL 2024: Evin Lewis’ firey 100 falls short of Bhanuka Rajapaksa’s steady inning

Saint Lucia won their first match of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2024 against Saint Kitts and Nevis Patriots. Bhanuka Rajapaksa’s steady inning helped the team attain their first victory of the tournament on Sunday

St Kitts and Nevis Patriots  player Evin Lewis scored the first century in the tournament this year. Evin Lewis and Kyle Mayers were the two main pillars of the Batting lineup for the Patriots as they built a formidable score for the Kings to chase.

The two batsmen gave a smashing start to the team and maintained the base till the last overs. However, their efforts were ruined by Bhanuka Rajapaksa for Saint Lucia.

After the fall of the top order in their first game of CPL 2024, Bhanuka Rajapaksa took charge of the middle order for the Saint Lucia Kings. He maintained his strike with the help of other batsmen in the lower order to touch the mark of victory.

Bhanuka Rajapaksa’s responsible batting and score of 68 proved to be more worthy than a hundred by Evin Lewis at the end of the game. The 32-year-old Sri Lankan cricketer came to the strike on the second dawn in the fourth over. He stayed not out and marked the victory for the team.

In the first inning, the game looked totally in favor of St Kitts and Nevis Patriots after the historical partnership between Evin Lewis and Kyle Mayers. After the early fall of Captain Andre Fletcher in the very first over, both batsmen played a record-breaking knock.

For the second wicket, Lewis and Mayers collected 199 runs, which is the highest ever partnership since the start of the Caribbean Premier League. Their partnership in CPL 2024 broke the previous record of 162 runs, which was made by Chadwick Walton and Chris Gayle in CPL 2019 for Jamaica Tallawahs.

The St Kitts and Nevis Patriots team faced off their opponents at the Werner Park stadium in front of the home crowd. The Patriots played first and scored a good total of 201 runs for a loss of 3 wickets in the 20 overs match.

After losing the toss, Evin Lewis opened the inning and scored 100 not out while facing 54 runs. He sent 9 balls for sixes in the crowd and 7 balls for boundaries along the ground. He was supported by Kyle Mayers, who lost a good chance to get a hundred but failed by an inch.

Kyle Mayers’s dismissal on the delivery of David Wiese also lost an opportunity to make one and only 200 runs partnership in the history of league. Mayers score 92 runs with the help of 7 sixes and 6 fours on 62 balls.

The total target of 202 runs was not enough for Saint Kitts and Nevis Patriots in front of Saint Lucia Kings. The score was chased down in the second inning in just 17.2 overs. Tim Seifert and David Wiese played a crucial role, while Bhanuka Rajapaksa acted as the backbone in the chasing.

The chase was not easy, as at the start of the inning, Saint Lucia Kings lost four wickets in the first four overs. Captain Faf du Plessis also left the ground early after scoring just 2 runs in 4 balls. Rajapaksa stopped the constant fall of wickets, which slowly made the target chaseable.

Tim Seifert, on the fourth dawn, played a crucial inning along with Rajapaksa and scored quick 64 runs in his inning of 24 balls. He hit 4 fours and 6 sixes before leaving the ground in the eleventh over by Odean Smith.

On Seifert’s dismissal, the team was on the score of 127 runs for 5 wickets. This was the last wicket Patriots were able to secure in the match. After that, David Wiese joined Bhanuka Rajapaksa for the final overs of the chase.

David Wiese scored 34 runs, including winning runs in 20 balls. He collected 2 sixes and 2 fours, among which one came at the last-faced ball to confirm the victory. this was one of those unique matches in which the losing team’s player became Man of the Match.

Kyle Mayers was awarded with the Man of the Match award for his remarkable performance and role in the unforgettable partnership. He was named the deserving player for the title due to his all-rounder performance, including 92 runs from the bat and 2 wickets with the ball. He dismissed Ackeem Wayne Jarrell Auguste and Johnson Charles.