GROS ISLET, St Lucia (CMC) – St Lucia Zouks bowled brilliantly to upset St Kitts and Nevis Patriots by 20 runs Tuesday night in St. Lucia and re-ignite their quest for a spot in the playoffs of the Caribbean Premier League.
Fast bowler Hardus Viljoen, a 30-year-old who played a single Test for South Africa three years ago, spearheaded the Zouks effort with a superb spell of three for 14 from his four overs as Patriots, asked to chase 166, came up short at 145 for nine off their 20 overs.
He was backed up by discarded West Indies white-ball seamer Kesrick Williams who claimed three for 48 while Australia’s Fawad Ahmed snatched two for 19 from four overs of leg-spin.
Pakistan’s Mohammed Hafeez struck 29 and Englishman Laurie Evans chipped in with 28 but Patriots lacked that big innings to turn the result their way.
Zouks had also struggled earlier after being sent in at the Darren Sammy Cricket Stadium, and their 165 for six appeared well short of a competitive total.
Opener Andre Fletcher struck 36 off 23 balls and captain Darren Sammy, 30 off 19 deliveries, while Guyana all-rounder Chris Barnwell helped to add precious runs at the end with an unbeaten 27 from 23 balls.
Hafeez earned three for 22 with his reliable off-breaks while West Indies speedster Alzarri Joseph was outstanding in four overs, finishing with two for 20.
The win for the Zouks was only their second in seven matches but it moved them into fourth place on five points.
Patriots, meanwhile, missed out on a chance to seal a playoff spot, and remain third on eight points.